624  
FXUS63 KUNR 200414  
AFDUNR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD  
914 PM MST THU DEC 19 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH THROUGH THIS  
EVENING.  
 
- AFTER A COLD DAY TOMORROW ACROSS NORTHWESTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL  
SOUTH DAKOTA, MILD AND MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR  
THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.  
 
- THE BEST CHANCE FOR MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION THROUGH CHRISTMAS  
EVE LOOKS TO BE WITH A QUICK-MOVING DISTURBANCE ON SUNDAY THAT  
COULD BRING A FEW RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS TO THE AREA.  
 
 
   
UPDATE  
 
ISSUED AT 241 PM MST THU DEC 19 2024  
 
WINDS ACROSS WESTERN SD HAVE BEGUN TO DECREASE AS THE CLIPPER  
SYSTEM SLIDES TO SOUTHEAST OF THE REGION. THEREFORE, AM LETTING  
THE WIND HEADLINES EXPIRE. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL REMAIN BREEZY  
THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON WITH SOME GUSTS OF 45 MPH OR GREATER.  
WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
(THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY)  
ISSUED AT 143 PM MST THU DEC 19 2024  
 
IT'S A BIT WINDY OVER WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON. THE  
CLIPPER SYSTEM HAS PUSHED TO THE SOUTHEAST, LEAVING 6- 7 MB 3-HR  
PRESSURE RISES IN ITS WAKE. JUST OFF THE SURFACE, A REGION OF  
STRONG 850-700 MB WINDS (50-70KT) HAS SET UP OVER THE CWA. THIS  
HAS SUPPORTED THE STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS IMPACTING WESTERN SD THIS  
MORNING AND AFTERNOON. GUSTS HAVE FOR THE MOST PART RANGED FROM  
40 TO 50 MPH THOUGH GUSTS HAVE REACHED UP TO 60+ MPH IN SEVERAL  
SPOTS ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN AND WESTERN SD PLAINS DOWN INTO  
SOUTH CENTRAL SD. ARCTIC AIRMASS OVER SOUTHERN SK IS ALSO PUSHING  
INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS, WITH A FAIRLY STEEP TEMPERATURE GRADIENT  
SETTING UP OVER NORTHWESTERN INTO SOUTH CENTRAL SD. TEMPERATURES  
ACROSS NORTHWESTERN SD HAVE PLUMMETED TO THE SINGLE DIGITS WHILE  
TEMPERATURES ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN SD INTO NORTHEASTERN WY REMAIN AT  
A RELATIVELY TOASTY 40-45 DEGREES. AS THE FRONT PUSHED THROUGH  
RAPID CITY, TEMPERATURES AT THE OFFICE DROPPED FROM AROUND 43  
DEGREES TO 31 DEGREES (A 12 DEGREE DROP) IN A SPAN OF 30 MINUTES.  
 
WINDS WILL DIMINISH OVER THE REGION AS THE CLIPPER SYSTEM  
CONTINUES TO DIVE SOUTHEAST AND HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS. AS WINDS HAVE BEGUN TO TREND DOWNWARD -- HAVE  
OPTED TO NOT EXTEND OUR EXISTING WIND HEADLINES WHICH WILL EXPIRE  
AT 21-22Z. THE CORE OF THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN TO OUR  
NORTHEAST WITH LOWS TONIGHT DROPPING INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS TO  
JUST BELOW ZERO ACROSS NORTHWESTERN INTO SOUTH CENTRAL SD AND IN  
THE TEENS TO LOW 20S ACROSS NORTHEASTERN WY INTO THE BLACK HILLS.  
 
LOW LEVEL THERMAL RIDGE WILL NOSE BACK INTO SOUTHWESTERN SD AND  
NORTHEASTERN WY WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS REACHING INTO THE UPPER 40S  
TO 50S. NORTHWESTERN INTO SOUTH CENTRAL SD WILL REMAIN UNDER THE  
INFLUENCE OF THE ARCTIC AIRMASS WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER TEENS TO  
20S. WINDS WILL PICK UP AGAIN ACROSS THE WESTERN SD PLAINS AGAIN  
FRIDAY AFTERNOON AS LEE-TROUGH DEVELOPS OVER EASTERN CO INTO  
SOUTHERN AB AND A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT SETS UP OVER THE WESTERN  
HALF OF THE STATE. WHILE WINDS WILL CERTAINLY BE BREEZY, THEY  
WON'T BE AS STRONG AS THEY ARE TODAY. THE AFOREMENTIONED LEE  
TROUGH AXIS MOVES EAST OF THE AREA LATE TOMORROW INTO EARLY  
SATURDAY, WITH FEW SENSIBLE WEATHER IMPACTS ANTICIPATED. UPPER  
LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE WESTERN US BY SATURDAY WITH LOW LEVEL  
SOUTHERLY FLOW BRINGING ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES INTO THE REGION  
(HIGHS SATURDAY AFTERNOON WILL BE IN THE 50S).  
 
SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL CREST THE RIDGE AND SWING SOUTHWARD INTO  
THE NORTHERN PLAINS LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. AHEAD OF THE TROUGH  
Q- VECTOR CONVERGENCE AND BETTER MOISTURE WILL SUPPORT CHANCES  
FOR LIGHT PRECIP. RECENT DETERMINISTIC RUNS HAVE PUSHED THE SYSTEM  
A LITTLE FURTHER NORTH WHICH WILL KEEP THE BEST CHANCES FOR  
MEASURABLE (>0.01") PRECIP OVER NORTHERN SD. LREF PROBABILITIES  
HAVEN'T CHANGED TOO MUCH IN THE 12Z RUN, KEEPING ~50%  
PROBABILITIES OF 24 HR QPF EXCEEDING 0.01" ALONG THE ND/SD BORDER  
WITH PROBABILITIES DROPPING OFF AS YOU GO FURTHER SOUTH. A MORE  
PROGRESSIVE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN SETS UP FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH  
DETERMINISTIC RUNS DEPICTING SOME KIND OF TROUGH FEATURE MOVING  
OVER THE REGION IN THE MONDAY/TUESDAY TIME FRAME FOLLOWED BY  
UPPER LEVEL RIDGING FOR CHRISTMAS DAY. THOUGH THE DETERMINISTIC  
RUNS DIVERGE ON EXACT TIMING, LOCATION, AND STRENGTH OF THESE  
FEATURES. IN GENERAL THOUGH -- TEMPERATURES EARLY NEXT WEEK  
(THROUGH CHRISTMAS DAY) WILL BE ABOVE AVERAGE, KEEPING ANY NOTIONS  
OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS FIRMLY IN OUR DREAMS.  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT)  
ISSUED AT 914 PM MST THU DEC 19 2024  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD.  
 
 
   
UNR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
SD...NONE.  
WY...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
UPDATE...WONG  
DISCUSSION/KEY MESSAGES...WONG  
AVIATION...7  
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