Cloudy | South Dakota Weather

Good morning! I'm Aaron Jolly. And welcome to the South Dakota Weather Podcast — it's Tuesday, February 24th. Step outside and that wind will slap you awake faster than coffee. We're at 25 degrees right now, but hold on.. Today gets weird. The wind is the star of this show. Gusts hit 40 miles an hour around 11 A.M. That's strong enough to wrestle your trash cans down the street. But here's the twist: while the wind screams, temperatures actually climb. Eastern South Dakota, you're in for a wild ride. You start at 18 degrees this morning and rocket to 48 by 2 P.M. That's a 30 degree jump in eight hours. Winds shift southwest around 7 A.M., gusting to 20 miles an hour. Tonight you crash to 19 degrees. Wednesday brings reality back with snow likely — under an inch — and highs only hitting 34. Central South Dakota takes the wind's full punch. Gusts to 30 miles an hour around noon. You hit 48 by 4 P.M., then plummet to 23 by 4 A.M. Wednesday's snow arrives as a rain-snow mix. Less than half an inch expected. Western South Dakota, your day runs backward. You peak at 50 around 5 A.M., then slowly slide to 27 by dawn tomorrow. Gusts to 29 miles an hour this morning ease by afternoon. Light snow returns tonight after 11 P.M. Looking ahead: Wednesday's light snow spreads statewide. Most see a dusting to an inch, but narrow bands could drop two to three. Thursday sunshine returns with highs rebounding to the upper 40s and 50s. The weekend? Another cold blast. Saturday struggles to reach 30, with lows near 10. Slight chance of snow both days. One critical note: today's wind creates high to very high grassland fire risk across central South Dakota. Skip any outdoor burning. That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow.