268  
FXUS63 KFSD 170900  
AFDFSD  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD  
400 AM CDT FRI JUL 17 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- HOT CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THIS AFTERNOON AND AGAIN SUNDAY  
WHERE HEAT INDICES COULD CLIMB TO AROUND 100, ESPECIALLY WEST  
OF HIGHWAY 81. SATURDAY SHOULD SEE A SLIGHT BREAK FROM THE  
HEAT AS WINDS TURN NORTHERLY BEHIND A WEAK FRONT.  
 
- VERY PATCHY MORNING VALLEY FOG IS POSSIBLE DAILY, BUT  
WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG REMAINS UNLIKELY. FOG COULD REDUCE  
VISIBILITY BELOW TWO MILES AT TIMES.  
 
- WILDFIRE SMOKE WILL RETURN OVER THE WEEKEND. WHILE LOWER  
SURFACE CONCENTRATIONS ARE EXPECTED, ANY SENSITIVE GROUPS  
SHOULD BEGIN TO MONITOR THEIR LOCAL AIR QUALITY.  
 
- PRECIPITATION IS VERY UNLIKELY (LESS THAN 10%) THROUGH  
SATURDAY NIGHT. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWER AND STORM CHANCES  
RETURN SUNDAY EVENING AND NIGHT, BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOW ON  
DETAILS.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 356 AM CDT FRI JUL 17 2026  
 
TAKING A LOOK ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING, MOSTLY CLEAR AND QUIET  
CONDITIONS PERSIST. SIMILAR THE LAST FEW DAYS, A FEW PATCHY SPOTS OF  
AREAS OF VALLEY FOG HAVE DEVELOPED THIS MORNING MAINLY DUE TO  
LIGHTER WINDS AND LINGER LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. WHILE THIS FOG WON'T  
LIKELY HANG AROUND LONG, THERE COULD BE SOME TEMPORARY VISIBILITY  
REDUCTIONS THROUGH MID-MORNING SO MAKE SURE TO DRIVE WITH CARE.  
OTHERWISE, THE FOCUS CONTINUES TO BE ON THE HEAT TODAY. SIMILAR TO  
THE PAST FEW DAYS, HIGHS WILL LIKELY PEAK IN THE LOW TO UPPER 90S  
WITH THE WARMEST CONDITIONS SLIGHTLY OFFSET FROM THE HIGHEST DEW  
POINTS. HOWEVER, WITH A SOUTHWESTERLY WIND IN PLACE AND WEAK WARM  
AIR ADVECTION ALOFT (WAA); WE COULD GET JUST ENOUGH OF A PUSH TO  
BREAK INTO LOW 100 DEGREE HEAT INDEX VALUES ACROSS PARTS OF THE AREA  
THIS AFTERNOON. WITH THIS IN MIND, WENT AHEAD AND ISSUED AN AREA-  
WIDE HEAT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM TO 9 PM SO MAKE SURE TO STAY HYDRATED!  
LASTLY, A COLD FRONT WILL PROGRESS THROUGH THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON  
AND EVENING. WHILE THIS COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO FEW SPOTTY SHOWERS  
MAINLY ALONG THE HIGHWAY-14 CORRIDOR, NOT EXPECTING ANY STRONGER  
ACTIVITY AT THIS TIME.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 1247 PM CDT THU JUL 16 2026  
 
UPPER LEVEL FLOW GOES THROUGH A TOUCH OF A TRANSITION FRIDAY INTO  
EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE FIRST WILL BE A GLANCING BLOW FROM SOME  
STRONGER NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT THAT DROPS SOUTH THROUGH NORTHERN MN.  
THIS WILL BRING A WEAK FRONT INTO THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT INTO  
SATURDAY. AHEAD OF THIS FRONT TEMPERATURES SHOULD WARM QUITE A BIT  
WITH SOME ENHANCED MIXING AS SURFACE WINDS TURN A BIT SOUTHWEST.  
THIS SHOULD LEAD TO HIGHS MORE WIDESPREAD IN THE MID AND UPPER 90S.  
WITH DEW POINTS EXPECTED TO BE IN THE 60S, HEAT INDICES IN THE  
AFTERNOON COULD APPROACH 100 DEGREES.  
 
BY FRIDAY NIGHT WINDS WILL TURN MORE NORTHERLY WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR  
A BIT OF A BREAK FROM THE HEAT FOR MANY. HIGHS WILL LIKELY RANGE  
FROM THE MID 80S IN SOUTHWEST MN TO THE MID 90S CLOSER TO THE  
MISSOURI RIVER.  
 
AS THE NEXT WAVE APPROACHES THE CANADIAN BORDER SUNDAY, SURFACE  
WINDS WILL TURN SOUTHERLY AND BRING HOTTER TEMPERATURES BACK TO THE  
AREA. THE HOTTEST WILL BE WEST OF I-29 WHILE EAST OF I-29 THE RETURN  
FLOW WILL BE SLOWER TO SET UP. THE COMBINATION OF TEMPERATURES AND  
HUMIDITY MAY PUSH HEAT INDICES ABOVE 100 NEAR AND WEST OF HIGHWAY 81.  
 
AHEAD OF THIS WAVE LATER SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING SOME MID  
LEVEL MOISTURE AND WEAK INSTABILITY MAY ALLOW FOR SOME ACCAS  
SHOWERS/VERY ISOLATED THUNDER. WILL HAVE TO WATCH TRENDS THROUGH THE  
DAY SUNDAY AS THIS MID LEVEL MOISTURE COULD LINGER AND BRING SOME  
ENHANCED CUMULUS AND SPOTTY SHOWERS THROUGHOUT THE DAY. VERY LOW  
CONFIDENCE IN THIS RIGHT NOW HOWEVER.  
 
AS THIS WAVE MOVES THROUGH ND INTO MN SUNDAY NIGHT ANOTHER FRONT  
WILL SAG SOUTH AND MAY HAVE ENOUGH FORCING, INSTABILITY AND MOISTURE  
TO ALLOW ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS TO DEVELOP, MAINLY  
NORTH OF I-90. CONFIDENCE REMAINS A BIT LOW, BUT AN ISOLATED SEVERE  
STORM WILL BE POSSIBLE.  
 
MONDAY IS A TOUGH CALL ON TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION CHANCES.  
MODEL AGREEMENT ON SURFACE FRONTAL POSITION NOT REAL HIGH AND THIS  
WILL PLAY A DECENT ROLE IN HOW HOT IT GETS. MONDAY COULD BE ANOTHER  
DAY WITH HEAT INDICES ABOVE 100, ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF I-90. WILL BE A  
BIT OF A WAIT AND SEE, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING HOW TEMPERATURES HAVE  
BEEN COMING UP SHORT OF EXPECTATIONS FOR SEVERAL DAYS NOW.  
 
TUESDAY INTO THURSDAY SHOULD SEE SPOTTY CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND  
STORMS WITH NEAR TO A BIT BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES, GENERALLY  
HIGHS IN THE 80S AND LOWS IN THE UPPER 50S TO MID 60S.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1221 AM CDT FRI JUL 17 2026  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL THIS PERIOD, WITH CLEAR SKIES  
AND WINDS THAT ARE LIGHT AND VARIABLE. FRIDAY AFTER SUNRISE WINDS  
BECOME SOUTHERLY AROUND 10 KTS. BY MID-DAY A COLD FRONT WILL  
APPROACH KHON AND PROGRESS THROUGH THE REGION TO THE SOUTHEAST.  
BEHIND THE FRONT WINDS BECOME NORTHERLY AND GUSTS INCREASE TO 15 KTS.  
 
FRIDAY AFTERNOON AS THE COLD FRONT ADVANCES THERE IS A LOW CHANCE  
(15%) FOR LIGHT SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. SEVERE WEATHER  
IS NOT ANTICIPATED. STORMS LOOK TO REMAIN NORTH OF I-90 AND INTO  
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA BY EVENING. SHOWERS END NEAR THE END OF THE  
PERIOD.  
 

 
   
FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
SD...HEAT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM CDT THIS  
EVENING FOR SDZ038>040-050-052>071.  
MN...HEAT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM CDT THIS  
EVENING FOR MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-098.  
IA...HEAT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM CDT THIS  
EVENING FOR IAZ001>003-012>014-020>022-031-032.  
NE...HEAT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 9 PM CDT THIS  
EVENING FOR NEZ013-014.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...05/MEYERS/AJP  
DISCUSSION...08  
AVIATION...AJP  
 
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