478  
FXUS63 KUNR 090348  
AFDUNR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD  
948 PM MDT WED MAY 8 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- REMAINING COOL AND UNSETTLED WITH SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY AN  
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM THROUGH THURSDAY.  
 
- WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS EXPECTED FOR THE WEEKEND.  
 
- COOL AND UNSETTLED WEATHER RETURNS FOR THE BEGINNING OF NEXT  
WEEK.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
(THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY)  
ISSUED AT 213 PM MDT WED MAY 8 2024  
 
NEARLY VERTICALLY STACKED SURFACE TO 500HPA LOW WILL CONTINUE TO  
SLOWLY MEANDER SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT  
WITH THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PRECIPITATION FALLING WEST AND EAST  
OF THE CWA. NEUTRAL TO WEAK WAA OCCURRING ON THE BACKSIDE OF LOW  
(DEPICTED VIA 700HPA THETA-E ANALYSIS) IS STILL CONTRIBUTING TO  
ISOLATED-SCATTERED SHOWERS ACROSS MAINLY SOUTHWESTERN SD.  
ENSEMBLES SHOW THAT THERE SHOULD BE A SLIGHT DECREASE IN THE  
OVERALL POPS EARLY THIS AFTERNOON WITH A NOTABLE INCREASE IN POPS  
LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING. OF QUESTION IS WHAT  
FORM WILL THE PRECIPITATION TAKE IN THE BLACK HILLS. THE ONLY AREA  
WHERE THE ENSEMBLE MEAN POINTS TO A SOLID SNOW FORECAST IS THE  
NORTHERN BLACK HILLS, GENERALLY ABOVE 6000 FEET. BELOW THAT, WHILE  
THE ENSEMBLE MEANS HAVE HIGHER PROBABILITIES FOR SNOW, THE RAIN  
PROBABILITIES ARE NON-ZERO. THEN...AREAS BELOW HIGHWAY 385 HAVE  
ALL RAIN PROBABILITIES. ENSEMBLES ALSO SHOW LOWERING PROBABILITIES  
HEADING TOWARD 12Z THURSDAY AS TEMP ADVECTION TURNS MORE NEUTRAL  
AND LOW GETS FURTHER SOUTH OF THE AREA.  
 
ATTENTION THEN TURNS TO THE REST OF THURSDAY AS A PRETTY WELL  
PRONOUNCED 700HPA TROWEL MOVES WEST ACROSS THE STATE. UPPER FLOW  
TURNS A BIT MORE NORTHEASTERLY AND 850HPA TEMPS WARM FROM +2 TO +4  
C AT 00Z THURSDAY TO +4 TO +6 C BY 12Z THURSDAY. MUCAPE VALUES  
FROM 250-500 J/KG TRAVERSE FROM EAST TO WEST WITH THIS TROWEL AS  
WELL...MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-90...SO A MENTION OF THUNDER IS  
ALSO WARRANTED WITH THE SHOWERS. THE RISK OF SNOW IN THE HILLS  
ALSO DIMINISHES AS 2 METER TEMPS WARM TO NEAR 40 F BY LATE MORNING  
AND ENSEMBLE PROBABILITIES TURN MORE TOWARD RAIN VS SNOW BY THE  
LATE MORNING. BREEZY CONDITIONS ARE STILL EXPECTED THROUGH THE DAY  
THURSDAY.  
 
FOR THE WEEKEND, 500HPA PACIFIC RIDGE FLOPS INTO THE MIDWEST,  
COMPRESSING THE LOW SOUTH WHERE IT EVENTUALLY BECOMES CUT OFF IN  
THE DESERT SOUTHWEST. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE DROPS SOUTHWARD INTO  
THE REGION...RELAXING THE WINDS WITH 850HPA TEMPS WARMING INTO THE  
TEENS C BY SUNDAY. EXCEPT FOR MINOR CHANCES OF BLACK HILLS  
SHOWERS/THUNDER...IT SHOULD BE A DRY FRIDAY & SATURDAY FOR MUCH OF  
THE AREA. ANOTHER WEAK WAVE DROPS THROUGH THE 500HPA FLOW LATER IN  
THE DAY SUNDAY, SO CAN’T DISCOUNT ANY PCPN CHANCES ASSOCIATED WITH  
THAT FEATURE. A STRONGER TROUGH PASSES THROUGH MONDAY & TUESDAY AS  
BROAD CYCLONIC FLOW DEVELOPS AGAIN OVER MUCH OF THE NORTHERN  
CONUS. THIS WILL LEAD TO A SOGGY START NEXT WEEK WITH EXPECTED  
BELOW NORMAL TEMPS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY NIGHT)  
ISSUED AT 945 PM MDT WED MAY 8 2024  
 
SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS WILL PERSIST OVERNIGHT INTO AT LEAST THE  
FIRST HALF OF THURSDAY. THIS WILL BRING MAINLY IFR CONDITIONS  
OVER NORTHEASTERN WY, THE BLACK HILLS, AND FAR WESTERN SD.  
CONDITIONS WILL SLOWLY IMPROVE THROUGHOUT THE DAY THURSDAY, AND  
THEN VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD TAKE HOLD FOR MOST PLACES TOMORROW  
EVENING.  
 

 
   
UNR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
SD...NONE.  
WY...NONE.  

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION/KEY MESSAGES...HINTZ  
AVIATION...BUNKERS  
 
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