SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The official start of autumn arrives next week and right on cue, the weather patterns will be changing in KELOLAND.

While this latest round of rainfall in the KELOLAND is welcome news, it was spotty and patchy in nature, just like so many others this summer. But summer ends next week, and the start of fall rain could be a whole new story.

If you want to build of forecast of widespread showers and thunderstorms here in the plains, you normally start with a jet stream trough in the Rockies. As you can see, that’s exactly the pattern indicated on the European model starting the middle of next week.

The particulars of this pattern can be hammered out in the forecast, but for those areas suffering from long-term drought, this is by far the most optimistic signal to reach eastern KELOLAND in quite some time.

For starters, the European model’s interpretation is already giving us a bullish 60 to 80% chance of getting an inch or more of rain in large regions of whole states, including portions of South Dakota.

This is the type of pattern we needed in June when the rain failures occurred.

It would not be surprising to see severe weather out of the pattern too, but again, the specifics are a challenge to call at this point.