Sunny and Comfortable Through the Weekend

High pressure will keep us sunny and comfortable through the rest of the week and the upcoming weekend. Today will be sunny with highs ranging from the mid 70s in Sioux Falls to the upper 70s along the James Valley to the low 80s across Central and Western South Dakota. That is just slightly below our average high temperature for this time of year.

The weekend will be about the same with plenty of sunshine and high temps in the 70s. Central and Western South Dakota will be a bit warmer with highs reaching the mid 80s by Sunday.

The one and only chance of rain on the 7 Day Forecast will come in the form of scattered showers and thunderstorms late Sunday and Sunday night across Central and Northern South Dakota.

Our pattern will begin to shift early next week as southerly flow brings back the heat and humidity. By next Tuesday and Wednesday high temps return to the upper 70s to low 80s in Sioux Falls while much of Central and Western South Dakota soar back into the 90s.

Sunny, 80s and 90s Through the Weekend

Our sunny, warm trend will continue today, tomorrow and through the weekend. High temps will range from the upper 80s in Sioux Falls to the mid 90s across central South Dakota this afternoon. There will likely be a bit of haze in the sky at times today. That haze is smoke from all of the wildfires out west. The smoke won’t have much of an impact on our weather other than giving us beautiful, red/orange sunsets and perhaps limiting our afternoon high temperature by degree or two.

Tomorrow will be sunny and a bit warmer with highs reaching the upper 90s to near 100 degrees across much of central and western South Dakota. That trend will continue through the weekend with sunshine and highs in the 80s to 90s on both Saturday and Sunday.

Temperatures will cool slightly by early next week. Our next chance of showers and thunderstorms will roll in with a system Tuesday night into Wednesday. That’s almost a week away, I’ll have updates on the rain potential as we get closer.

Heat & Humidity Returns

The heat and the humidity will return today. High temps will reach the 90s with heat index values soaring to the mid to upper 90s this afternoon.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop across central and northern South Dakota later today and move east this evening and overnight. While thunderstorms will not be widespread, those that do develop will have the potential to become severe. Hail and straight-line wind gusts will be the main threat.

The rest of the weekend will be slightly cooler with scattered showers and thunderstorms possible on both Saturday and Sunday.

Sunny Today, Scattered Storms Tonight and Tomorrow

Today will be almost exactly like yesterday. Mostly sunny with afternoon high temps ranging from the low 80s in Sioux Falls to the mid 80s along the James River to the low 90s across central and western South Dakota.

Our next system will bring thunderstorms to central and northern South Dakota late this afternoon into this evening. Some storms could be severe with hail and straight-line wind gusts being the main threat. Storms will develop and move southeast through the night and into tomorrow.

In Sioux Falls, thunderstorms are possible tomorrow morning with some redevelopment in the afternoon. Rain and clouds will gradually decrease by mid to late afternoon. There could be one or two strong to severe storms tomorrow. Severe chances will depend on the amount of sunshine we get. More sunshine tomorrow will give us more energy for a severe storm or two. If we stay overcast most of the day, the energy and the severe potential will be limited.

The front that brings storms tomorrow will also bring cooler air for the rest of the week. Thursday and Friday will be mostly sunny with high temps only reaching the mid to upper 70s. Temperatures will remain below average through the weekend with scattered showers and thunderstorms possible on both Saturday and Sunday. Stay tuned for updates on the weekend forecast.

Heavy Rain Possible Later Today and Tonight

We will start with a little sunshine this morning but clouds will increase later today with showers and thunderstorms likely this afternoon and tonight.

Some storms could be strong to severe especially across south central and southeastern South Dakota. Large hail, strong straight-line wind gusts and even an isolated tornado will be possible. Right now the focal point for severe storms is along and south of I-90 with increasing potential close to and south of the South Dakota/Nebraska state line. I’ll be tweeting updates on the severe weather thought out the day. For the latest severe risk map, check out the tweets in the right hand column at KSFY.com.

An even bigger threat will be the potential for more heavy rain. Rainfall amounts of one to two or more inches will be possible across eastern South Dakota, southern Minnesota and northern Iowa through tomorrow morning. This includes places that were inundated with rain earlier this month. Keep an eye on the weather today, especially if you live in an area that is prone to flash flooding.

The rain will end tomorrow morning and then it will be smooth sailin’ through the weekend. The sun will be back on Thursday afternoon with sunshine and high temps in the low to mid 80s through the weekend. It will be a bit humid through the weekend, but with cooler than average temperatures the heat index won’t be a big issue. An isolated thunderstorm is possible late Sunday afternoon into Sunday night.