Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Sioux Falls, SD

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687 FXUS63 KFSD 220849 AFDFSD Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Sioux Falls SD 349 AM CDT Sun Sep 22 2024 .KEY MESSAGES...
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- Temperatures trend downward to below normal levels for today and Monday. - Temperatures trend back to normal to above normal levels for next week, with limited chances for precipitation through the period.
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&& .DISCUSSION...
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Issued at 348 AM CDT Sun Sep 22 2024 Surface high pressure continues to settle into the region very early this morning. In a cold air advection regime, temperatures have already falling into the 40s over east central SD through the northern James River Valley, with 50s elsewhere across the area. Rainfall has remained south of our CWA overnight, with current radar indicating showers located through east central NE into southern IA. This activity is expected to remain to our south, thus a dry forecast is on tap for area today. The aforementioned surface ridge axis will slide directly over our area through the day, and with a decreasing surface pressure gradient winds will trend downward into the afternoon. WIth 850 mb temperatures running 8-10 degrees C over our area, it will be a cooler day with highs in the upper 60s to around 70. The surface high drifts into the Mississippi Valley tonight, with light winds transitioning to southeasterly overnight on the back side of the high. While there is no strong model guidance indicating fog tonight, with the nearly calm in winds in a southeasterly flow, cannot completely rule out patchy shallow fog in some of the lower lying areas - though confidence is low for this scenario. With the light winds and skies becoming mostly clear overnight, conditions will be optimal for radiational cooling. In response, we are looking for lows in the lower to mid 40s - perhaps into the upper 30s through east central SD where ensembles show a 60% probability of temperatures less than 40 degrees. The southerly flow increases on Monday as the surface high finally moves into the Great Lakes/eastern Canada region as a surface trough approaches from our west. With warm air advection, highs will climb a bit - into the lower to mid 70s. A weak cold front tracks across the region on Monday night into early Tuesday. Not much in the way of sensible weather with this system (other than turning winds around from the northwest). The deterministic ECMWF wants to produce some precipitation with this feature on Tuesday, though this is not supported by any other model. In addition, the ECMWF ensembles indicate a 10% or less chance of receiving a tenth of an inch of precipitation in or area - so will remain with a dry forecast for now. Highs on Tuesday will once again be in the lower to mid 70s. For the remainder of next week into the weekend, models indicate rising upper level heights over our area for mid to late week. This will keep temperatures above normal with deterministic and ensemble guidance favoring highs in the mid to upper 70s through the period. Mainly dry conditions are expected through at least the end of the week, then some uncertainty creeps in by later on Friday and Saturday with models differing in the evolution of a cut off low over the Mississippi Valley. Related to this, the ECMWF solution would bring a chance of rain to our area by Saturday of next week - though this is not supported by other models.
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&& .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z MONDAY/... Issued at 1024 PM CDT Sat Sep 21 2024 VFR conditions will continue into Sunday as a persistent north wind continues. Occasional gusts increase during the daytime hours of Sunday and there may be some risk of a diurnal CU field in the afternoon. By sunset, skies should clear and winds will turn light and variable. && .FSD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...None. MN...None. IA...None. NE...None. && $$ DISCUSSION...JM AVIATION...Dux