(Climate) A hint of winter arrived in South Dakota this week, but it won’t last long. The coldest temperatures of the season were this morning, with single digit air temperatures and sub-zero windchills across most of the state. Some snowfall created some travel issues over the weekend, particularly in the north central and northeast, but there wasn’t much accumulation on the ground with hardly enough to cover the grass in most areas.
Temperatures were well above normal for the week, until this morning. The 7-day mean temperatures were nine to over 15 degrees F above average for Nov 29-Dec 5. Soil temperatures rose in the last week, with 4” depths today reading 30-33F in the north, and as warm as 39F in Minnehaha County. With little to no snow cover, soil temperatures responded quickly to air temperature changes. (Laura Edwards)
(Weather) Forecast Highlights:
Temperatures today will peak in the upper teens to upper 20s across the state as a Canadian high pressure system pushes into the Great Plains. Winds will be light and variable statewide. Tomorrow’s highs will range from the lower 20s across northern SD to the lower 30s over southern SD. Winds will be light and out of the northwest. Wednesday will be the warmest day of the week with western SD seeing 40s and 50s while eastern SD sees 30s and 40s. Winds will generally be out of the south from 5-15 mph. A cold front will then push through SD Wednesday night leading to northwesterly winds and temperatures in the 30s and 40s on Thursday. A low pressure system is expected to move across the region on Friday which could bring accumulating snow to the state. There is a bit of uncertainty to where the snow will actually fall and how much will come so keep your eyes to the forecast as we move through the week. High temperatures on Saturday and Sunday will generally be in the 30s. Minimum RHs will stay above critical thresholds all week.
Potential for critical conditions: Critical conditions are not expected. (Darren Clabo)
(Fire/Fuels) Fuel temperatures should be low enough this week to significantly reduce if not prevent any new ignitions this week. If a fire would start this week, rate of spread and fire intensity should be very low and fires should demonstrate a very low resistance to control actions. No issues anticipated this week. (Jay Wickham)
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