textproduct: Aberdeen

KEY MESSAGES

- Southerly winds increase Friday, with widespread 30-40 mph gusts expected during the afternoon. There is a roughly 10-30% chance for gusts to reach 45 mph or more over eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota.

- Warm conditions, strong winds, and dry vegetation will lead to elevated fire weather concerns across the entire forecast area Friday.

- On Friday, highs will reach the upper 70s to low 80s. These temperatures are 20-25 degrees above normal, and will approach record highs.

- Rain chances return Friday with a 20-40% chance of light scattered showers over northeastern SD and western MN. Additional chances for showers come Saturday along a cold front, where there is a 20-50% chance to see measurable rain over northeastern SD and western MN.

UPDATE

Issued at 641 PM CDT Thu Oct 22 2026

Aviation discussion updated below for the 00Z TAFs.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 204 PM CDT Thu Oct 22 2026

With an upper-level ridge overhead allowing a warm airmass to sit overhead, abnormally warm temperatures will continue today and into Friday. 850mb temperatures will range from the mid to upper teens Celsius, above the 90th percentile for this time of year. This translates to highs in the upper 70s to low 80s, which will approach daily high records.

Southerly winds are increasing today due to a tightening pressure gradient, and gusts will reach up to 20-30 miles per hour over much of the forecast area this afternoon. The strongest gusts are expected over parts of central and north central South Dakota, where gusts up to 35 miles per hour will be possible. These winds will help to create some elevated fire weather concerns over parts of central and north central South Dakota this afternoon, with Grassland Fire Danger reaching the High category.

Winds will increase further on Friday due to a low-level jet moving up into the region, located over eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota by the afternoon. The low-level jet is expected to reach about 40-50 knots at 850mb, but the warm air advected into the region at that level will help sustain a warm nose aloft. Therefore, those strongest gusts will likely have trouble mixing to the surface. Still, probabilities to hit 45 mile per hour reach between 10-30% over much of northeastern South Dakota (with an isolated area up to 40%). With this in mind, confidence is not high enough for a headline at this time, but a close eye will be kept on observations through the event. As the low-level jet moves in, some scattered rain showers will be possible over northeastern South Dakota and western Minnesota. Little accumulation is expected out of these showers. The strong winds will also push Grassland Fire Danger Friday afternoon up to the High category across the forecast area, and even a few areas of Very High possible. The southerly winds will advect moisture into the region over the next couple of days, bringing dew points up into the mid-50s. It is this moisture that will keep minimum afternoon humidity between 35-50 percent and out of Red Flag Warning Status.

A cold front is set to move through the region Saturday. Out ahead of the front, showers will develop, mainly over northeastern South Dakota and western Minnesota. Guidance has shown somewhat of a easterly shift in the extent of the precipitation in the latest forecast cycle. Therefore, probabilities have taken a bit of a dip, and chances of a tenth of an inch are down to 10-30% in that area. Even chances for measurable precipitation have fallen below 50% for most of the forecast area. Directly behind the front, winds turn northwesterly and increase. Gusts over central and north central South Dakota have a 30-50% chance to reach or exceed Wind Advisory criteria of 45 miles per hour. With the timing of the cold front currently set to occur during the morning time frame, this means that peak winds will also occur during the morning, decreasing as the day continues and the front exits further east.

After the departure of the cold front, the region is set to cool down closer to normal. 850mb temperatures will take a drastic drop from the upper teens Celsius to the positive 2-5 Celsius range, just below the median value for this time of year. Naturally, high temperatures just below late October normals can be expected Sunday and into next week (highs in the upper 40s to low 50s). An upper- level low will move up into the region at the start of next week, providing additional chances for precipitation. From Sunday through Tuesday morning, latest probabilities for half an inch of accumulation sit at around 20-50%, increasing as you move from north to south. Heaviest precipitation is currently expected late Sunday into early Monday. During that time frame, there is some signal for portions of north central South Dakota to see sub-freezing temperatures. Model profiles also show potential for saturation in the DGZ and sub-freezing temperatures through the profile, creating some chances for the first flurries of the season over north central South Dakota Monday morning. The main caveat to this scenario is that with cloud cover expected to be present, temperatures are most likely a bit too low. The upper percentiles that temperatures may trend towards are above freezing, so perhaps the flurries will hold off for the time being. Either way, there is still a fair degree of spread and uncertainty still with this system, and there is plenty of time for timing, precip amounts, and precip type to come further into focus.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 641 PM CDT Thu Oct 22 2026

Terminals KABR,KATY,KPIR,KMBG

VFR conditions are forecast through the TAF period. Low-level wind shear (LLWS) is expected to affect KABR/KATY overnight. There may also be a few -SHRA across northeast SD Friday morning and inserted a PROB30 for KATY. Nothing at KABR for the time being as better chances look to be further east, but this is subject to change. Regardless, minimal impacts to VSBY from any widely scattered -SHRA that may affect KABR or KATY. CIGs forecast to remain VFR during any -SHRA as well. Southerly surface wind gusts from 25 to 35 kts are expected to develop across the region by mid/late morning Friday and persist through late afternoon.

ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

SD...None. MN...None.