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Mild With Scattered Showers This Weekend… Flood Threat Continues

Friday, March 22, 2019

It is going to be another sunny, mild day. A weak cold front passed through overnight and that will knock today’s high temperature down a couple of degrees from our 55 degree high yesterday, but temps will still reach the upper 40s to low 50s this afternoon. It will be cooler with highs in the low to mid 40s across Central and Northern South Dakota where we still have a significant amount of snow on the ground.

Saturday will start with some sunshine, but clouds will increase during the afternoon as a storm system moves out of the Rocky Mountains and onto the plains. While whis system will primarily impact areas well to our south, Saturday night, Sunday and early Monday will be cloudy with scattered showers. A few places could get a little light snow or freezing drizzle as temperatures drop into the low 30s late Sunday night into Monday morning. Overall precipitation should be relatively light, around one-tenth of an inch, maybe up to two-tenths in a few spots. Despite the clouds and showers, the weekend will be mild. High temps will reach the mid 50s on Saturday, cooling to the low 50s on Sunday. Cooler air behind the system will drop highs into the low 40s by Monday. Of course, temperatures will be considerably cooler – in the 40s – across Central and Northern South Dakota where there is still snow on the ground.

After Monday, temperatures will warm considerably. High temps will be back in the 50s Tuesday. Sioux Falls amd locations along and south of I-90 could soar into the mid to upper 60s by Wednesday. Even parts of Northern South Dakota could reach the low 50s by the middle of next week.

We continue to closely monitor the flooding situation. Many points along the southern Big Sioux River, the southern James River, the Redwood River, and most other rivers and creeks will continue to rise through the weekend and into early next week. Many are at or will soon be at major flood stage with a few at near record levels. While many rivers are expected to crest this weekend or early next week, additional crests expected next week as more snow melts. For the latest flood warnings go to KSFY.com or check out our KSFY Weather App. We will continue to monitor the flooding and will bring you updates as the situation develops.

A Dry, Warmer Week Ahead

Monday, March 18, 2019

The week ahead is going to be dry and considerably warmer. Afternoon high temps will reach the 40s in most places almost every day this week with some places climbing into the 50s by the weekend.

Today will be partly to mostly cloudy with high temps ranging from the low 40s along and south of I-90 to the mid to upper 30s across Central and Northern South Dakota. Temperatures will be a bit cooler where there is still a considerable amount of snow on the ground.

A weak system will slide across the region late tonight into tomorrow morning bringing scattered light snow showers to parts of Central and Northern South Dakota. Clouds associated with this system will hang around for most of the day tomorrow, but temperatures will be fairly similar to today.

The rest of the week will be sunny with gradually warming temperatures. High temps will reach the mid 40s on Wednesday and gradually climb into the low 50s by Friday. Once again, places with snow on the ground will remain slightly cooler. Obviously that trend will change when the snow melts.

The upcoming weekend will be mostly cloudy with scattered showers, but it will also be mild. High temps will reach the low to mid 50s on Saturday and Sunday. While I think the precipitation this weekend will come mostly in the form of rain, there could be some snow in places where morning temperatures drop into the low 30s.

Snow Tonight and Tomorrow, Tracking Weekend Winter Storm

Wednesday, March 06, 2019

We are tracking two systems that will bring snow to parts of our region over the next several days. The first system will impact areas along and south of a line from Sioux Falls to Pierre to the Northern Black Hills tonight and tomorrow. The second system will be more powerful, more widespread and impact most of our region late Friday night, Saturday and Sunday.

Today will be partly cloudy, slightly warmer and not as windy as yesterday. High temps will reach the mid-to-upper teens this afternoon with wind from the northwest at only 5 to 15 mph.

Our first system will kick in this evening as snow develops across Southwestern South Dakota and Western and Central Nebraska. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for parts of Southern South Dakota along the Missouri River and Nebraska state line from late tonight through tomorrow and a Winter Storm Warning has been issued for parts of South Central and Southwestern South Dakota from late this evening into tomorrow afternoon. Snow will move east through the night, moving into Sioux Falls sometime after 3 am. Light to moderate snow will continue tomorrow morning, gradually decreasing tomorrow afternoon. Snow accumulation of around an inch will be possible along and north of a line from Spencer, IA to Sioux Falls to Pierre to the Northern Black Hills. Amounts will be heavier south of that line. 3 to 5 inches will be possible around Yankton, Vermillion, Gregory and Winner with locally heavier amounts of 6 inches or more possible across parts of South Central South Dakota.

The second system we are tracking will be more powerful, more widespread and will likely have a significant impact on travel across our entire region throughout the weekend. This is definitely a concern considering the number of people that will be traveling for the Summit League basketball tournament.

As of right now, all of our data is suggesting that snow will develop across Western South Dakota and western Nebraska sometime Friday evening. Snow will move east through the night with snow likely across most of South Dakota, Southwestern Minnesota and Northwestern Iowa by daybreak Saturday.

Snow is likely and could be heavy at times Saturday, Saturday night into Sunday. The only forecast change overnight is that both of our primary long range models are suggesting the system will be a bit colder. That means all snow and no rain for most, however, there could still be some parts of northwestern Iowa that get a little rain/snow mix on Saturday.

By Saturday night, strong northwesterly wind gusts will increase and that will create blowing and drifting snow Saturday night and all day Sunday. Conditions should improve Sunday night into Monday morning.

It is still early and there will be tweaks and changes to the forecast as this system develops. Over the next 24 hours or so we will get more specific with the potential track and snowfall amounts. That said, keep a very close eye on the forecast and be prepared to make changes. It is looking more and more likely that a significant winter storm system will impact most of our region this weekend.

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