492  
FXUS63 KFSD 161107  
AFDFSD  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD  
607 AM CDT MON MAR 16 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- CONTINUED AREAS OF BLOWING/DRIFTING SNOW MAY RESULT IN SLICK  
SPOTS AND BRIEF DROPS IN VISIBILITY INTO THE REST OF THIS  
MORNING, SO CONTINUE TO USE EXTRA CAUTION ON THE ROADS.  
 
- WITH BREEZY WINDS PERSISTING THROUGH THIS MORNING, WIND CHILLS  
DOWN TO-20F TO -30F ARE EXPECTED. THE COLD WEATHER ADVISORY  
WAS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE REST OF THE AREA EAST OF THE JAMES  
RIVER THROUGH 11 AM.  
 
- OUR NEXT ROUND OF PRECIPITATION MOVES IN DURING THE DAY  
TUESDAY. SNOW AMOUNTS LOOK TO BE GENERALLY AN INCH OR LESS,  
BUT SOME FREEZING RAIN AND/OR SLEET MAY MIX IN AND CAUSE MINOR  
ICING CONCERNS.  
 
- DRY CONDITIONS AND A WARMING TREND IS EXPECTED FOR THE SECOND  
HALF OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
 
   
UPDATE  
 
ISSUED AT 416 AM CDT MON MAR 16 2026  
 
CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO IMPROVE ACROSS SOUTHWEST MN AND NORTHWEST  
IA EARLY THIS MORNING. WINDS ARE GRADUALLY DECREASING AND  
VISIBILITIES IMPROVING. THE BLIZZARD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 12Z  
AND SEE NO REASON TO EXTEND THAT. OTHERWISE THE COLD AIR IS HERE  
AND THE COLD ADVISORY THROUGH 11 AM WILL CONTINUE WITH WIND  
CHILLS OF -20 TO -30 THROUGH THEN.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 256 PM CDT SUN MAR 15 2026  
 
THE BLIZZARD PERSISTS THIS AFTERNOON AS WINDS HAVE STRENGTHENED UP  
TO 35-55 MPH, WITH ISOLATED HIGHER GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH. SNOW  
CONTINUES TO END FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE REST OF THE  
DAYLIGHT HOURS. WITH THE WINDS IN PLACE, BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW  
IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON AND  
EVENING HOURS EVEN THOUGH WINDS WILL BE SLOWLY WANING THROUGH THE  
EVENING AND OVERNIGHT TIMEFRAME. THERE REMAINS THE POSSIBILITY OF A  
FEW WEAK SNOW SHOWERS BEHIND THE MAIN AREA OF SNOW AS LAPSE RATES  
STEEPEN A BIT MORE. THOUGH THE LOW LEVELS WILL BE DRYING OUT SO IT  
WILL BE A SHORT WINDOW FOR THIS SNOW SHOWER POSSIBILITY. LOCALLY  
LOWERED VISIBILITY WOULD BE EXPECTED IN THESE SHOWERS. WITH  
LOCATIONS GENERALLY WEST OF I-29 SEEING CONDITIONS BEGINNING TO  
IMPROVE, HAVE DECIDED TO EXPIRE THE BLIZZARD WARNING EARLY AT 7 PM  
THIS EVENING FOR MOST LOCATIONS WEST OF I-29. HOWEVER, DID ISSUE A  
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THIS ARE DUE TO CONTINUED BLOWING AND  
DRIFTING SNOW CONCERNS. THIS WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT  
FROM 7 PM TO 1 AM. TEMPERATURES WILL BE FALLING THROUGH THE EVENING  
AND OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH LOW TEMPERATURES BOTTOMING OUT IN THE  
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SINGLE DIGITS. WITH CONTINUED BREEZY WINDS IN  
PLACE, WIND CHILLS WILL FALL TO THE -20F TO -30F RANGE, WITH THE  
COLDEST WIND CHILLS COMING ACROSS SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA AND ADJACENT  
PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST IOWA. THUS A COLD  
WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS AREA AND IS IN EFFECT FROM  
1 AM TO 11 AM MONDAY MORNING.  
 
MONDAY IS EXPECTED TO BE A COLD DAY ACROSS THE AREA AS SURFACE  
RIDGING BEGINS TO SLIDE THROUGH THE NORTHERN PLAINS. WITH A STEEPER  
PRESSURE GRADIENT IN PLACE, GENERALLY NEAR AND EAST OF I-29, WINDS  
WILL BE STRONGEST IN THIS AREA THOUGH ON A DECLINING TREND. WITH A  
COLD HIGH IN PLACE, HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE ONLY EXPECTED TO REACH  
FROM THE UPPER SINGLE DIGITS TO THE LOW 20S, COLDEST ACROSS  
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA WHERE THE DEEPEST SNOW PACK IS. DESPITE THE  
WEAKENING WINDS, WIND CHILLS WILL REMAIN IN THE POSITIVE AND  
NEGATIVE TEENS ACROSS THE AREA.  
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGING BEGINS TO BUILD ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN CONUS ON  
TUESDAY. A WEAK SHORTWAVE TROUGH WITHIN DOWNWIND SIDE OF THE UPPER  
LEVEL RIDGE WILL RESULT IN WARM AIR ADVECTION (WAA) STRENGTHENING  
ALOFT. THIS WAA ALSO LOOKS TO BRING A CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION WITH  
IT. WITH THE WAA INCREASING TEMPERATURES AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT,  
PRECIPITATION LOOKS TO BE MIXED. IT LOOKS TO BEGIN AS MAINLY SNOW AND  
TRANSLATE FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST. THERE COULD BE AN SMALL MIXED  
PRECIPITATION ZONE WHERE SLEET AND SOME FREEZING RAIN MAY BE  
POSSIBLE. AFTER THIS SMALL TRANSITION ZONE, PRECIPITATION WILL TURN  
TO ALL RAIN. SOME UNCERTAINTY IN THE LOCATIONS AND PRECIPITATION  
TYPES BUT THE ENSEMBLES SHOW A BROAD 20-60% CHANCE FOR LOCATIONS  
ALONG AND NORTHEAST OF A HURON, SOUTH DAKOTA TO SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH  
DAKOTA, TO STORM LAKE, IOWA LINE TO EXCEED ONE INCH OF SNOW.  
 
UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD OVER THE WESTERN CONUS  
FOR THE MIDDLE AND END OF THE WEEK. THIS WILL RESULT IN A NORTHWEST  
FLOW REGIME OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THUS, DRY AND WARM CONDITIONS  
ARE EXPECTED. HIGH TEMPERATURES LOOK TO NEAR SEASONABLE TO WARM WELL  
ABOVE AVERAGE WITH HIGHS 40S, 50S, 60S, AND EVEN INTO THE 70S. THE  
WARMEST TEMPERATURES LOOK TO COME ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AT THIS  
TIME.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z TUESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 603 AM CDT MON MAR 16 2026  
 
GENERALLY VFR THROUGH THE PERIOD. SOME PATCHY MVFR AND IFR  
VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING SNOW WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE NEAR AND EAST  
OF THE BUFFALO RIDGE THROUGH LATE MORNING. OTHERWISE EXTENSIVE  
MID AND HIGH CLOUDS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT  
AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM WHICH WILL LIKELY BRING SOME LIGHT SNOW  
AND LIGHT MIXED PRECIPITATION ON TUESDAY.  
 
 
   
FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
SD...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM CDT THIS MORNING FOR SDZ039-  
040-054>056-061-062-066-067-070-071.  
MN...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM CDT THIS MORNING FOR MNZ071-  
072-080-081-089-090-097-098.  
IA...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM CDT THIS MORNING FOR  
IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032.  
NE...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM CDT THIS MORNING FOR NEZ013-  
014.  
 
 
 
 
 
UPDATE...08  
DISCUSSION...MEYERS  
AVIATION...08  
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