540  
FXUS63 KABR 241846  
AFDABR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD  
146 PM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- MARGINAL RISK (LEVEL 1 OF 5) FOR ISOLATED TO SCATTERED  
(20-30% CHANCE) SEVERE STORMS OVER NORTH CENTRAL SD THIS  
AFTERNOON AND MOVE EAST THIS EVENING. THE PRIMARY THREATS WILL  
BE 1 INCH HAIL AND 60 TO 70 MPH WIND GUSTS. THESE STORMS ARE  
MOST LIKELY TO BE LIMITED TO THE HIGHWAY 12 CORRIDOR AND  
LOCATIONS NORTH.  
 
- INCREASING HEAT/HUMIDITY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. HEAT ADVISORY IN  
EFFECT BOTH DAYS, WITH HEAT INDICES FROM 95 TO 105 DEGREES.  
 
- MARGINAL RISK (LEVEL 1 OF 5) FOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS  
SATURDAY AFTERNOON OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH  
CENTRAL SD. MAIN THREAT WOULD BE WIND GUSTS FROM 60 TO 70 MPH.  
 
- SURFACE WILDFIRE SMOKE MAY MATERIALIZE ACROSS PORTIONS OF  
NORTHERN SD SATURDAY AFTERNOON, ALTHOUGH CONCENTRATIONS  
APPEAR TO REMAIN FAIRLY LOW AT THIS TIME.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 145 PM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
 
STRATOCUMULUS DECK HAS BEEN STUBBORN TO LEAVE THE SOUTHEAST CWA  
EARLY THIS AFTERNOON, BUT HRRR SOUNDING TRENDS SUGGEST GRADUAL  
SCATTERING OUT OF THESE CLOUDS INTO LATE AFTERNOON. INCREASED SKY  
COVER GRIDS FOR A FEW MORE HOURS IN THIS AREA TO REFLECT "MOSTLY  
CLOUDY" WORDING UNTIL LATER IN THE AFTERNOON.  
 
WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH POTENTIAL FOR STRONG/SEVERE STORMS THIS  
AFTERNOON ACROSS ND INTO FAR NORTHERN SD. CAMS CONTINUE TO BE RATHER  
SCANT IN OVERALL COVERAGE, AND WILL ALSO BE DEALING WITH CAPPING  
ISSUES THIS FAR SOUTH. MLCAPE VALUES INCREASE TO AROUND 2000 J/KG  
ALONG THE SURFACE BOUNDARY LATER THIS AFTERNOON. DCAPE VALUES RATHER  
SPORTY FROM AROUND 1400-1800 J/KG. SO, ANY CONVECTION THAT MANAGES  
TO FIRE AND MAKE IT INTO THE NORTHERN CWA IS CAPABLE OF GUSTY WINDS  
PERHAPS OVER 60 MPH. POPS GENERALLY REFLECT 20-30% ACROSS THE  
NORTHERN CWA INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS.  
 
FOCUS THEN SHIFTS TO THE INCREASING HEAT/HUMIDITY THIS WEEKEND AS  
WARMER AIR ALOFT (+32 TO +35C AT 850MB) SPREADS EASTWARD OVER THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS. HIGHS LOOK TO SOAR INTO THE 90S AND LOW 100S, BUT  
AM SLIGHTLY CONCERNED ABOUT SMOKE AND THE POTENTIAL NBM HIGH BIAS  
CAUSING ACTUAL HIGHS TO BE A COUPLE DEGREES SHY OF FORECAST.  
NONETHELESS, IT WOULD STILL APPEAR MUCH OF THE CWA COMES CLOSE, OR  
INTO LOW-END ADVISORY CRITERIA SATURDAY AFTERNOON, AS WELL AS  
SUNDAY. WENT AHEAD AND COLLABORATION A 2-DAY HEAT ADVISORY COVERING  
BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY'S EXPECTED HEAT INDICES FROM 95 TO 105  
ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA.  
 
SPEAKING OF SMOKE FROM EARLIER IN THE DISCUSSION, LATEST RUN OF HRRR-  
SMOKE DOES BRING FAIRLY HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF SMOKE ALOFT TONIGHT  
AND INTO THE DAY SATURDAY. WHETHER OR NOT IT'S ENOUGH TO HOLD  
TEMPERATURES BACK A FEW DEGREES IS YET TO BE SEEN. LATEST VISIBLE  
IMAGERY SHOWS APPRECIABLE THICKNESS ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA WHERE  
CURRENT HRRR-SMOKE OUTPUT SUGGESTS AROUND 100-175 MG/M^2.  
CONCENTRATIONS THIS HIGH IN THE HRRR-SMOKE ARE GENERALLY CONFINED TO  
ND AND NORTHERN MN TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY, SO TOUGH TO SAY IF WE  
SEE THICKNESS ENOUGH TO KEEP TEMPS DOWN SLIGHTLY, WHICH COULD ALSO  
FACTOR INTO REACHING HEAT ADVISORY CRITERIA OR NOT. THERE ARE EVEN  
SOME INDICATIONS THERE COULD BE SURFACE SMOKE TO CONTEND WITH (LOW  
CONCENTRATIONS) OVER THE NORTHERN CWA DURING THE DAY SATURDAY, SO  
INSERTED/EXPANDED MENTION OF THIS IN THE GRIDS/FORECAST.  
 
IT STILL APPEARS THERE IS POTENTIAL (20-30%) FOR A FEW STORMS ACROSS  
THE HIGH PLAINS OF WESTERN SD SATURDAY AFTERNOON, POSSIBLY MOVING  
INTO THE WESTERN CWA LATE IN THE AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING.  
SOUNDINGS REVEAL MOST LIKELY THREAT WOULD BE GUSTY WINDS IN EXCESS  
OF 60 MPH. SPC DAY 2 OUTLOOK STILL HAS MARGINAL RISK OVER THE  
SOUTHWEST CWA TO COVER THIS.  
 
LOOKING AHEAD FURTHER INTO THE FORECAST, HOT TEMPERATURES LOOK TO  
STICK AROUND THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD, WITH INHERITED NBM HIGHS  
RANGING FROM THE UPPER 80S TO UPPER 90S SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY OF  
NEXT WEEK. BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR PRECIPITATION (30-50%) LOOKS TO BE  
WEDNESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH A PASSING SYSTEM. NBM  
PROBABILITY FOR ANYTHING MORE THAN 0.50IN IS ONLY AROUND 20 PERCENT  
OR LESS THOUGH.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1237 PM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
 
TERMINALS KABR,KATY,KPIR,KMBG  
 
MVFR CIGS ARE STUBBORN TO LEAVE KATY AND NOW EXPECT THESE TO  
LINGER INTO MID AFTERNOON BEFORE SCATTERING OUT. ELSEWHERE, VFR  
CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST. BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON, THERE MAY BE  
SOME WIDELY SCATTERED -TSRA/TSRA TRYING TO SNEAK THEIR WAY INTO  
FAR NORTHERN SD. INSERTED A PROB30 FOR THIS POTENTIAL INTO THE  
KMBG TAF, WHERE BRIEF MVFR VSBY IS POSSIBLE IN ANY TSRA THAT  
MOVES THROUGH.  
 

 
   
ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
SD...HEAT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM CDT /NOON MDT/ SATURDAY TO 9 PM CDT /8  
PM MDT/ SUNDAY FOR SDZ003>011-015>023-033>037-045-048-051.  
MN...HEAT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM SATURDAY TO 9 PM CDT SUNDAY FOR MNZ039-  
046.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...TMT  
AVIATION...TMT  
 
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