


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Aberdeen, SD
Issued by NWS Aberdeen, SD
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880 FXUS63 KABR 260232 AAB AFDABR Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Aberdeen SD 932 PM CDT Wed Jun 25 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Showers and thunderstorms return to the area this evening through Thursday morning, with the highest chances (50-75%) over central SD. There is a marginal risk (level 1 out 5) for severe storms along and west of the Missouri River with the main threat being wind gusts to 60 mph and brief heavy downpours. - Severe storm chances return Friday/Friday night, with a slight risk (level 2 of 5) for severe weather across most of central and northeast South Dakota. - Heat and humidity return late this week through the weekend with additional chances for precipitation possible. && .UPDATE... Issued at 925 PM CDT Wed Jun 25 2025 The forecast appears to be in good shape. Thunderstorms are developing across the far southern forecast area along a stalled out frontal boundary, while ongoing convection over UNR`s forecast area ever so slowly makes its way toward the western/southwestern edge of this CWA. Given the set-up of 500-1000J/kg of MUCAPE and 25-30kts of deep layer shear over a surface boundary for forcing and a stout upper level jet streak (100+knots) for lift, should see thunderstorm potential persist throughout the night, and mainly south of U.S. Highway 212. Cloudy conditions overnight should help keep temperatures up. But, overall, lows in the mid to upper 50s should suffice. UPDATE Issued at 634 PM CDT Wed Jun 25 2025 See below for an aviation forecast discussion for the 00Z TAFs. && .SHORT TERM /THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT/... Issued at 254 PM CDT Wed Jun 25 2025 As of 230pm skies are overall cloudy, with the thickest/lowest clouds over the eastern CWA closer to the low. Low stratus/fog has reduced visibilities to around and less than 1/2 mile over the higher elevations of the Prairie Coteau (very localized). Radar indicates lingering light rain, pushing northeast, over Deuel/Grant/Big Stone counties with overall dry conditions across the rest of the CWA. Quite the heavy rain we have had since early this morning over portions of northeastern SD. Rainfall reports have ranged from 3-6 inches over portions of Grant, Day, Roberts, and Spink counties, with the highest report of 6.3" near Garden City in Codington County. Southwest flow continues aloft as the Northern Plains is sandwiched between a trough to our west and a ridge to our east with a mid level high over the southeastern U.S. Short term models continue to show waves of mid level energy in this southwest flow moving in over the Northern Plains, with the strongest waves of energy over MT/ND (associated with a deeper shortwave trough), this evening and a continuous line of energy from NE, through southeastern SD, into MN through Thursday morning. At the surface, the front will continue to hover over the SD/NE border through the overnight as another low travels across this boundary. This shortwave over MT/ND will shift east/northeast through the night to help move this low and frontal boundary to the east/northeast, with the low over southeastern SD/northwestern IA (and its trailing cold front through NE) by 12Z. We also have quite the ongoing monsoonal moisture as 12Z sounding showed a saturated column pretty much from the surface through 200mb with the freezing height at 12.7K feet! NAEFs indicates mean specific humidity about 2-3 standard deviations above climo from 500- 925mb, highest over southeastern SD into MN through Thursday morning. Also, this morning`s PWAT value was 1.76" with the record for this day standing at 1.85", so we are well over the 90th percentile. NAEFS indicates PWAT values around 1.50" up to 2.00", with the highest value over far southeastern SD. This runs about run 2-3 standard deviations above climo. With the synoptic setup plus a deep warm cloud layer and low level moisture advection, all of this led to heavy rainfall over far northeastern SD into west central MN (and training). CAMs indicates additional showers and thunderstorms moving in off the high terrain from the west and southwest with this front/low and expected to move into central SD late this afternoon into this evening, with this precip spreading east/northeastward across the CWA through the night. However these models are struggling on exact placement/timing between each other and on how this next round of precip will track. So kept the pops broadbrushed ranging between 30 to 80%, highest over our southern half of the CWA. These may need to be adjusted through the night. Latest HREF indicates instability remaining on the marginal side (up to 1000 j/kg over central SD) and shear around 30 kts. With this, SPC has backed off on the marginal threat and now is only highlighting this risk mainly along and west of the Missouri River, with the main threat being strong winds up to 60 mph. As the storms track east/northeast into the eastern CWA they should remain below severe limits, due to the lack of instability. Latest run of the models show the precip should exiting our far eastern CWA by the midday. An additional few hundredths to a half inch of rainfall (highest over south central SD) is possible this evening through Thursday morning. However, any stronger storm could produce heavier rainfall amounts. Dry conditions expected Thursday night into Friday morning. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... Issued at 254 PM CDT Wed Jun 25 2025 We start the long term Friday morning with westerly flow aloft that will continue through Sunday evening before a trough moves in from the northwest. This trough will build south and move west to east across SD Monday, exiting the region Monday evening into early Tuesday morning. We stay on the downwind side of a ridge through the end of the period. SPC has a slight risk (level 2 out of 5) for scattered severe thunderstorms for central SD and areas west of the James River Valley. ML lapse rates are between 7.5 and 8.5 C/km with MLCAPE values between 1500 and 2500 J/kg and bulk shear between 35 and 45 kts. Far eastern SD and western MN are in a marginal risk (level 1 out of 5) for isolated severe storms. In this area, storms are expected more in the evening, with MLCAPE values between 1000 and 2500 J/kg, bulk shear in the 25 to 40kt range, and slightly lower lapse rates, between 7 and 8 C/km. A bit of a LLJ sets up Friday night over eastern SD and may help support elevated overnight storms. Main threats will be large hail and damaging wind gusts. Storms may be possible again Saturday later afternoon and evening with ample instability, though shear is more on the marginal side. Confidence for storms on Saturday is low at this time. Highs through the period are expected to be in the upper 80s to low 90s with Saturday as the hottest day. This will be about 5-10 degrees above normal. Winds are not expected to be anything out of the ordinary through the period, although wind gusts may become erratic in and around thunderstorms. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z THURSDAY/... Issued at 634 PM CDT Wed Jun 25 2025 Terminals KABR,KATY,KPIR,KMBG Cigs will remain between MVFR/IFR (with even drops to LIFR) due to the low stratus clouds (and possibly fog) at KABR/KATY/KMBG through, at least, 15Z Thursday of the TAF period. VFR conditions at KPIR are forecast to drop to MVFR (low probability of reaching IFR) overnight, before improving back to VFR Thursday morning. Currently, there are no showers or thunderstorms near any terminals. But, guidance suggests there is a low probability of late night/early morning showers and/or weak thunderstorms passing by/over the KPIR and KATY terminals. Prob30`s are preliminarily in place there to account for this potential. && .ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...None. MN...None. && $$ UPDATE...10 SHORT TERM...MMM LONG TERM...13 AVIATION...10