Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Issued by NWS Sioux Falls, SD
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502 FXUS63 KFSD 192058 AFDFSD Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD 258 PM CST Wed Nov 19 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - A warm-up is expected over the weekend, with highs in the upper- 50s to possibly the low-60s on both Saturday and Sunday. - Much colder air may arrive closer to the Thanksgiving travel period, with the chance for below average temperatures increasing by Tuesday night. - Our next best chance of rain will be Monday night into Tuesday, with a low (20-30%) chance of measurable rainfall mainly along and east of Highway-75. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 250 PM CST Wed Nov 19 2025 A stubborn stratus deck has left areas along and east of I-29 under cloudy and chilly conditions while areas west of there have been sunny and mild. This stratus deck will gradually erode from west to east through the remainder of the afternoon, though areas east of I- 29 may not see some clearing until after the sun sets. Sunshine and some warm air advection at 850 mb has led to highs in the upper-50s to low-60s over south-central South Dakota, with temperatures gradually decreasing with eastward extent. Additional stratus will move in from northwest to southeast through tonight behind a weak cold front moving across the area. These low clouds will likely linger through tomorrow morning across the area, though clouds should slowly clear the area from west to east heading into the afternoon as a surface high pressure system drifts into the region. Can`t rule out some sprinkles with the low cloud cover late tonight into tomorrow morning, but any activity should remain patchy in nature. Temperatures will be cool overall due to the cloud cover, but still in the mid-40s to low-50s, which is still slightly above average for this time of year. Tomorrow night, an upper-level trough will move into the south- central Plains, but should be far enough south of the area to keep us dry. Still can`t rule out some sprinkles/drizzle along the Highway-20 corridor under the clouds associated with this system, but most of us should stay dry. Rain will continue to stay to the south of our area through Friday, but we`ll stay mainly cloudy south of Highway-18 due to the northern edge of the cloud shield scraping by the area. Highs on Friday look to be in the mid-40s to low-50s once again. Warm air advection increases Friday night ahead of another frontal boundary that will sweep across the area heading into Saturday. Some guidance tries to bring some showers to areas along Highway-14 with the frontal passage during the day on Saturday, but with the best upper-level support well to our north, rain looks unlikely at this time. Saturday and Sunday look to be quite warm for this time of year, with highs in upper-50s across most of the area with some 60s possible along the Missouri River Valley and into south-central South Dakota. Enjoy it while it lasts, because a big cool down is on the way! It starts with an upper-level low located over the Desert Southwest Saturday night that will eject northeastwards into the day Sunday, reaching the central Plains by Monday. Another upper-low and its associated trough looks to slide across the northern Rockies around the same time. Guidance indicates these two systems will phase or nearly phase into each other Monday night into Tuesday and help send a cold front through the area. Precipitation chances are currently confined to areas along and east of Highway-75 with this system, with ensemble probabilities of measurable rainfall around 20-30% in those areas. This system is still a few days out, so timing and areas with the best rain chances may shift with future forecasts. More significant will be the colder temperatures likely ushered in with this system, with lows dropping to the 20s by Tuesday night and highs only in the 30s on Wednesday. Colder temperatures look to be in store heading into Thanksgiving morning, with temperatures potentially in the teens to low-20s. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/... Issued at 1147 AM CST Wed Nov 19 2025 An IFR to MVFR stratus deck continues to reside mainly along and east of I-29 to start the period, with some additional stratus building in just west of the main deck. This will be stubborn to clear out, but should lift above 2000 ft in the mid-afternoon and scatter out at the TAF sites around sunset. The return to VFR conditions will be relatively short-lived though as additional stratus settles in overnight behind a passing cold front, moving in from northwest to southeast across the area. This will bring the return of MVFR CIGs to KHON and sub-2000 ft CIGS to KFSD and KSUX late tonight/early tomorrow morning, which all looks to continue through the end of the period. Can`t rule out some patchy fog tonight after the initial stratus scatters out, but confidence was not high enough to include in the TAFs at this time. Also can`t rule out some patchy sprinkles/drizzle with any low clouds through the period, but once again not high enough of a chance to include in the TAFs. Southerly winds gusting up to 20 kts at times will diminish tonight and gradually turn to the northwest as a cold front moves across the area. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...None. MN...None. IA...None. NE...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...Samet AVIATION...Samet