606  
FXUS63 KBIS 191812  
AFDBIS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND  
112 PM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013  
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 112 PM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013  
 
NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES REQUIRED WITH THIS FORECAST UPDATE AS THE  
FORECAST FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON IS WELL ON TRACK AS  
THE BAND OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW LEVEL  
DEFORMATION ZONE CONTINUES TO SLOWLY RETROGRADE WEST. STARTING TO  
GET A FEW BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN JAMES RIVER  
VALLEY...AND WILL BE MONITORING THIS AREA FOR DESTABILIZATION FOR  
POTENTIAL AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. BEING SO CLOSE TO  
THE SURFACE LOW...DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS MARGINAL FOR THIS PART OF  
THE CWA...HOWEVER...IT WOULD BE FAVORED FOR A POSSIBLE WEAK SPIN-  
UP TORNADO/LAND SPOUT WITH THE LOW LEVEL VORTICITY SHOULD SUFFICIENT  
NEAR SURFACE DESTABILIZATION OCCUR. THE FAR WEST AND NORTH CENTRAL  
MAY APPROACH WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND  
THROUGH THE NIGHT. DID INCREASE WINDS...HOWEVER...WILL MONITOR  
OBSERVED TRENDS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON FOR NOW.  
 
IN REGARDS TO HYDRO...DID ISSUE A FLOOD WARNING FOR THE PIPESTEM  
CREEK NEAR PINGREE.  
 
UPDATE ISSUED AT 950 AM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013  
 
BASED UPON THE 13 UTC RAP/HRRR AND RADAR TRENDS...DID LOWER POPS  
ACROSS THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY AS  
THE MAIN BAND OF STRATIFORM RAINFALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW  
LEVEL DEFORMATION ZONE SLOWLY RETROGRADES WEST THROUGH THE DAY.  
THE MAIN QUESTION FOR THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY IS HOW MUCH  
DESTABILIZATION WILL OCCUR WITH ANY BREAKS IN CLOUD COVER THIS  
AFTERNOON. SHOULD THIS OCCUR...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS  
ARE POSSIBLE...A FEW OF WHICH COULD PRODUCE SMALL HAIL. CANNOT  
RULE OUT A SEVERE STORM ACROSS THE VERY FAR SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF  
THE CWA. HOWEVER WITH MARGINAL SHEAR AND UNCERTAINTY IN  
DESTABILIZATION...WILL LEAVE THE SEVERE MENTION OUT FOR NOW.  
 
SEE THE HYDROLOGY DISCUSSION BELOW REGARDING HEAVY RAIN IMPACTS TO  
AREA RIVERS AND STREAMS.  
 
.UPDATE ISSUED AT 700 AM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013  
 
UPDATE TO REFINE POPS TODAY...AS RAIN HAS TEMPORARILY ENDED ACROSS  
THE SOUTHEAST. ADDITIONAL REDEVELOPMENT EXPECTED THERE LATER THIS  
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. ALLOWED THE FLOOD ADVISORY FOR THE  
SOUTHEAST TO EXPIRE AT 6 AM CDT AS HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED. THE  
HEAVIEST RAIN OVERNIGHT FELL IN STUTSMAN COUNTY...WITH A SMALL  
AREA OF 3 TO 4 INCHES BASED ON RADAR ESTIMATES AND OBSERVER REPORTS.  
THE APPLE CREEK NEAR MENOKEN IS FORECAST TO RISE TODAY AND MONDAY  
IN RESPONSE TO THE RECENT AND FUTURE RAINFALL. NOT EXPECTING THE  
LEVEL TO HIT FLOOD STAGE BUT WILL BE MONITORING CLOSELY.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM
 
(TODAY AND TONIGHT)  
 
ISSUED AT 500 AM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013  
 
FORECAST HIGHLIGHT/CONCERN IN THE SHORT TERM PERIOD WILL BE  
RAINFALL AMOUNTS THROUGH TONIGHT.  
 
CURRENTLY...LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL UNITED  
STATES. STRONG EMBEDDED S/WV IMPULSE LIFTING NORTH ACROSS WESTERN  
SOUTH DAKOTA...VISIBLE ON REGIONAL RADAR AND SATELLITE IMAGERY  
WITH CYCLONIC CIRCULATION SITUATED BETWEEN THE BLACK HILLS AND  
PIERRE. ASSOCIATED SURFACE TROUGH OVER CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA WITH  
WRAP AROUND SHOWERS AND STORMS LIFTING NORTH ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL  
AND EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA.  
 
THE LATEST 00Z GFS AND 00Z ECMWF HAVE TRENDED TOWARDS MORE OF A  
CONSENSUS FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS...WITH WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION  
DEVELOPING ACROSS WEST AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA TODAY AND TONIGHT  
AND BEYOND AS THE STRONG S/WV IMPULSE NOW OVER WESTERN SOUTH  
DAKOTA CLOSES OFF AND REMAINS QUASI-STATIONARY OVER SOUTH  
DAKOTA/NORTHERN NEBRASKA THROUGH TONIGHT. MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE  
TO WRAP BACK EAST/FEED INTO THE LOW PROVIDING ADDITIONAL RAINFALL  
UP TO TWO INCHES...LOCALLY HIGHER...FROM THIS MORNING THROUGH 12Z  
MONDAY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TWO THIRDS OF THE CWA.  
 
WITH ANOTHER INCH OR TWO POSSIBLE MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT  
(POSSIBLE MORE NORTH)...WE OPTED TO ISSUE A FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL  
OF WEST AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA WITH ALREADY 1-2 INCHES OF RAIN  
MEASURED SOUTHWEST...SOUTH CENTRAL...AND SOUTHEAST FROM THE PAST  
24-48 HOURS...OR FROM BOWMAN TO BISMARCK AND JAMESTOWN. WHILE ALL  
BUT THE NORTHWEST AND FAR NORTH CENTRAL IS IN THE WPC DAY 1 (06Z  
SUNDAY THROUGH 12Z MONDAY) SLIGHT RISK OF RAINFALL EXCEEDING FLASH  
FLOOD GUIDANCE...THE MOST PRONE AREA IS ACROSS MY SOUTHEAST WHERE  
LINGERING INSTABILITY WILL BE TODAY AND TONIGHT...AND WHERE HEAVY  
RAIN FELL SATURDAY EVENING WITH THE STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS THAT  
MOVED THROUGH PARTS OF THE JAMES RIVER BASIN. CONVECTIVE  
POTENTIAL DECREASES ELSEWHERE AS WE HEAD INTO MONDAY...BUT STILL  
ANTICIPATE HEAVY RAINFALL WITH VERY STRONG FORCING EXPECTED. WITH  
MODELS FLUCTUATING THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS...FELT IT TO BE SAFER  
TO INCLUDE THE ENTIRE AREA IN THE WATCH IN CASE OF FURTHER  
POSITION CHANGES OF THE UPPER LOW.  
   
LONG TERM
 
(MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY)  
ISSUED AT 500 AM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013  
 
THE MAIN FORECAST ISSUE THROUGH THE LONG TERM PERIOD IS CONTINUED  
HEAVY RAIN AND POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING. THE LATEST SUITE OF 19/00Z  
MODELS IS COMING INTO BETTER AGREEMENT REGARDING THE TRACK OF THE  
CLOSED UPPER LOW THROUGH THE REGION. THE CONSENSUS INDICATES A  
PROLONGED PERIOD OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN CONTINUING MONDAY INTO  
TUESDAY...IMPACTING MOST IF NOT ALL OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH  
DAKOTA. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS UP TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED. IN  
ADDITION TO FLOODING CONCERNS ALONG SMALL STREAMS...AND LOW LYING  
AREAS...WILL BE MONITORING RIVERS CLOSELY THIS WEEK...ESPECIALLY THE  
FASTER RESPONDING POINTS SUCH AS APPLE CREEK NEAR MENOKEN. SHOWERS  
ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE SCATTERED TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY.  
ALTHOUGH SOME THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE MONDAY INTO  
TUESDAY...NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED. THE NEXT BEST CHANCE OF  
RAIN WILL BE LATE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. EXPECT COOL TEMPS THROUGH  
TUESDAY...WITH A GRADUAL WARMING TREND INTO THE WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY)  
ISSUED AT 112 AM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013  
 
SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE OVER NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA WILL IMPACT  
THE AREA WITH STRATUS...FOG...RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE  
12 UTC TAF CYCLE. MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS IN MODERATE RAIN AND  
STRATUS FOR KBIS...KMOT AND KDIK. FOR KJMS...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS RE-DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH IFR  
CONDITIONS IN STRATUS THIS MORNING IMPROVING TO MVFR. FOR  
KISN...VFR BECOMING MVFR IN RAIN AND STRATUS THIS AFTERNOON.  
NORTHERLY WINDS GUSTS OF 30-35 KTS POSSIBLE AT KDIK...KMOT AND  
KISN LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT.  
 

 
 
.HYDROLOGY ..  
 
ISSUED AT 950 AM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013  
 
A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL  
NORTH DAKOTA THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT.  
 
SEVERAL FORECAST POINTS ACROSS THE JAMES AND MISSOURI RIVER BASINS  
MAY RISE ABOVE FLOOD STAGE IN THE NEXT 24-48 HOURS. WILL HOLD OFF ON  
ANY WARNINGS FOR NOW TO SEE HOW THE RIVERS AND STREAMS RESPOND AS  
FORECASTS ARE HEAVILY DEPENDENT UPON RAINFALL OVER THE NEXT 48  
HOURS. HOWEVER...FOR THE APPLE CREEK NEAR MENOKEN AND THE BEAVER  
CREEK AT LINTON...MINOR FLOODING MAY BE POSSIBLE BY MONDAY  
EVENING. FOR THE CANNONBALL RIVER NEAR BREIEN...MINOR FLOODING IS  
POSSIBLY BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. FOR THE PIPESTEM CREEK NEAR  
PINGREE...MINOR FLOODING IS POSSIBLE BY MONDAY MORNING...WITH  
MODERATE FLOODING POSSIBLE THEREAFTER. FOR THE JAMES RIVER NEAR  
GRACE CITY...MINOR FLOODING MAY BE POSSIBLE BY WEDNESDAY MORNING.  
 

 
   
BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING FOR NDZ001>005-009>013-  
017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...AYD  
SHORT TERM...NH  
LONG TERM...RK  
AVIATION...NH  
HYDROLOGY...AYD  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab ND Page Main Text Page