The sun will finally claw its way out from behind the clouds today, but it’s not going to warm us up much. Temperatures will head back into the upper 20s to low 30s this afternoon, which is similar to where they were yesterday and just slightly below average for this time of year.

The sun is here to stay, but the “warm” temperatures are not. Another blast of cold, Arctic air will arrive tonight and hang around through most of the weekend. (And yes, I put warm in quotes. Let’s face it, 29 degrees isn’t warm, but it’s as good as it’s gonna get this week.)

As the cold arrives, scattered clouds and a few flurries will be possible in the North this afternoon and in Sioux Falls and across the South tonight. The wind will also increase to about 15 to 25 mph later today and tonight as the front rolls through.

Tomorrow will be mostly sunny and cold. High temps will range from the mid teens in Sioux Falls to the low 20s across Central South Dakota. On Friday morning, temperatures will drop to around zero and then slowly warm back into the 20s through the weekend and early next week. There will be plenty of sunshine through the weekend and most of next week, just not a lot of heat. Temperatures should get back to about average by next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Today is going to be almost exactly like yesterday: Cloudy with temps in the low to mid 20s. The wind will be from the west at about 5 to 15 mph today.

We will finally get a break from the clouds tomorrow. We’ll warm up a bit, too as highs climb back into the upper 20s to low 30s. That’s still slightly below average for this time of year, but quite a bit warmer than we have been the past several days.

There will be plenty of sunshine through the rest of the week and the weekend, but a blast of cold, Arctic air is going to take our temperatures down. On Thursday, high temps will only reach the mid teens with lows dropping to or even a little below zero by Friday morning. Temperatures will hit rock bottom on Friday morning, then we will gradually work our way back into the 20s through the weekend.

Our long-range models are hinting that we will stay dry with a bit of a warming trend by early to mid next week. There are no signs of snow through at least the middle of next week. Of course, that can always change. If it does, I’ll let you know.

A major winter storm continues to develop this morning and will impact much of our region throughout the weekend. A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for much of South Dakota and parts of Minnesota and Iowa along and south of I-90.

We are starting today with areas of dense fog. Visibility has dropped to less than one-quarter mile in many places and a dense fog advisory is in effect through mid to late morning. With temperature is hanging around the freezing mark this morning, the fog will frost the roads making them slippery at times. Don’t get caught off guard. This afternoon will be cloudy with lingering fog and high temps in the mid to upper 30s.

Areas of light rain will develop this evening and change to freezing rain and sleet as temperatures fall during the night. Roads and sidewalks will become very slippery. Generally, ice accumulation will be around 0.10″ but there could will a few places – Northwestern Iowa, especially – that get between 0.10″ and 0.25″ of ice. By tomorrow morning precipitation will change to snow with snow continuing through tomorrow, tomorrow night and into Sunday. In addition to the snow, strong northeasterly wind gusts from 30 to 40 mph will create blowing snow from late tomorrow afternoon through tomorrow night and well into Sunday.

The heaviest snow will fall along and south of I-90. Accumulation amounts will range from about 3 to 6 inches in Sioux Falls, 6 to 12 inches further south along the Nebraska state line. As of right now, I think the heaviest amounts will be across South Central South Dakota and North Central Nebraska from Gregory to Winner to Valentine. Up to a foot or more of snow is possible there. Amounts will be lighter further north with 2 to 4 inches possible along US Highway 14 with an inch or less likely along and north of US Highway 212.