552  
FXUS63 KFGF 291855  
AFDFGF  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND  
155 PM CDT WED JUL 29 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- POTENTIAL FOR HEAT IMPACTS THIS AFTERNOON WITH HEAT INDICES IN  
THE 90S AND 100S IN EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST INTO WEST-  
CENTRAL MINNESOTA.  
 
- THERE IS A LEVEL 1 OUT OF 5 RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS THURSDAY,  
WITH 1 INCH HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH THE MAIN IMPACTS  
EXPECTED.  

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 142 PM CDT WED JUL 29 2026  
 
EXPANDED THE HEAT ADVISORY FOR THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS ALL OF  
EASTERN ND AS WELL AS NORTHWEST AND WEST-CENTRAL MN. THIS IS DUE  
TO HEAT INDICES ALREADY INTO THE UPPER 90S AND LOW 100S AREA-  
WIDE. THIS IS A RESULT OF HIGHER THAN PREVIOUSLY FORECAST DEW  
POINTS CURRENTLY IN PLACE. ADDITIONALLY, WET BULB GLOBE  
TEMPERATURES INTO THE "EXTREME" (I.E. LEVEL 5 OUT OF 5) CATEGORY  
ARE WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON, OWING NOT ONLY  
TO HIGH TEMPERATURES AND HUMIDITY, BUT ALSO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES  
AND LIGHT WINDS.  
 
UPDATE  
ISSUED AT 552 AM CDT WED JUL 29 2026  
 
ONE AREA OF MID CLOUDS IN SE MANITOBA GENERATED A FEW T-STORMS  
THAT ARE STARTING TO DRIFT EAST OVER ANGLE INLET SO ADDED SOME  
LOW POPS THERE. OTHERWISE PATCHY GROUND FOG BUT IT IS VERY  
PATCHY AND LOW LYING UNLIKE YESTERDAY.  
 
COORD WITH WFO BIS AND OTHER OFFICES AND NO CHANGES FROM  
THINKING YESTERDAY AFTERNOON REGARDING HEAT ADVISORY HEADLINES.  
KEPT IT OUT FOR THE RRV FARGO ON NORTH AS THIS IS WHERE HEAT  
INDICES WILL BE CONFIDENTLY AROUND 100.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 242 PM CDT TUE JUL 28 2026  
   
..SYNOPSIS
 
 
UPPER RIDGING CONTINUES TO BUILD INTO THE PLAINS AND UPPER  
MIDWEST THROUGH TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. A FEW WEAK EMBEDDED VORTS  
WITH SOME MID LEVEL MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE  
AREA ON TOP OF THE RIDGE, BUT NOT EXPECTING MORE THAN ISOLATED  
SPRINKLES. MOST MODEL SOLUTIONS SHOW A STRONGER SHORTWAVE  
RIDING OVER THE TOP OF THE RIDGE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY,  
WITH SOME AMPLIFICATION AS IT DIGS INTO MN. THIS SHOULD HELP  
PUSH A SURFACE TROUGH/WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY INTO THE FORECAST  
AREA. THE UPPER RIDGE BUILDS BACK INTO THE REGION FOR THE  
WEEKEND, WITH ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES CONTINUING. SOUTHWEST  
TO WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT SEEMS TO BE THE CONSENSUS FROM THE  
ENSEMBLE MEMBERS AS WE HEAD INTO NEXT WEEK, WHICH COULD BRING  
A MORE ACTIVE PATTERN ALONG WITH MORE SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES.  
   
..HEAT TOMORROW
 
 
THE WARMING TREND THAT STARTED TODAY WILL CONTINUE INTO TOMORROW  
AS HEIGHTS CONTINUE TO RISE. EVEN WITH SOME SMOKE ALOFT, MOST  
LOCATIONS EXCEPT THE FAR NORTHEASTERN COUNTIES SHOULD GET TO 90  
OR ABOVE TOMORROW. WITH NOT MUCH CHANGE IN DEW POINTS THAT ARE  
CURRENTLY IN THE 60S AND LOW 70S, HEAT INDEX VALUES IN THE  
NORTHERN RED RIVER VALLEY SHOULD GET OVER 100 DEGREES. A BIT  
DRIER AND COULD BE SLIGHTLY BELOW 100 IN THE CENTRAL AND  
SOUTHERN RED RIVER VALLEY, BUT HREF PROBABILITIES OF GETTING  
ABOVE 100 INDEX ARE OVER 60 PERCENT IN THE FARGO AREA. WET BULB  
GLOBE TEMPERATURES ARE ALSO ABOVE 80 DEGREES AND IN THE EXTREME  
CATEGORY FOR PORTIONS OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY. WENT AHEAD AND  
PUT OUT A HEAT ADVISORY FOR MOST OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY  
TOMORROW AFTERNOON.  
   
..MARGINAL SEVERE RISK ON THURSDAY
 
 
MANY OF THE CAMS BREAK OUT SOME CONVECTION ALONG THE MT/ND  
BORDER WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, THEN MOVE IT EAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT.  
THERE IS A LOW CHANCE THAT SOME OF THE CELLS WILL BE HOLDING  
TOGETHER BY THE TIME THEY REACH FAR WESTERN BENSON COUNTY EARLY  
THURSDAY MORNING, BUT MANY OF THE MODEL RUNS JUST HAVE THE  
CONVECTIVE COMPLEX DECREASING IN INTENSITY. WHETHER WE GET ANY  
CONVECTIVE REDEVELOPMENT IN THE AFTERNOON ALONG THE TROUGH AXIS  
WILL DEPEND ON HOW EXACTLY THE MORNING PLAYS OUT. AT THIS POINT,  
THE 50TH PERCENTILE HAS 1000-2500 J/KG OF CAPE OVER ALL BUT OUR  
FAR NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES THURSDAY AFTERNOON, ALTHOUGH DEEP  
LAYER SHEAR IS FAIRLY MID, AROUND 25 TO 30 KTS AT MOST. STILL,  
CAN'T RULE OUT SOME ISOLATED SEVERE CELLS SO WILL CONTINUE WITH  
A MARGINAL RISK FOR THURSDAY.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 142 PM CDT WED JUL 29 2026  
 
WILDFIRE SMOKE IS WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE REGION, ALTHOUGH  
MAJORITY OF WHICH IS ALOFT. THERE IS STILL SOME SMOKE NEAR THE  
SURFACE REDUCING VISIBILITY BETWEEN 4SM-6SM RANGE, AND WILL  
CONTINUE TO BE THE CASE THIS AFTERNOON, AS WELL AS PERHAPS AGAIN  
TOMORROW DURING THE DAY.  
 
OTHERWISE, WINDS ARE FORECAST TO BE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST BETWEEN  
5KT-15KT. THERE IS A LOW CHANCE FOR WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND  
STORMS IN NORTHEAST ND BETWEEN 00Z-12Z. AFTER 12Z, CHANCE  
GRADUALLY INCREASE AREA-WIDE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS,  
PEAKING BY 18Z. AT THIS TIME, DECIDED TO LEAVE OUT PROB30 GROUP  
FOR THIS IF IT WAS BEYOND 12Z, MAINLY DUE TO EXTENT INTO THE  
FUTURE. SUBSEQUENT TAFS ARE LIKELY TO HAVE -TSRA / VCTS FOR  
TOMORROW.  
 

 
   
FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
ND...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR NDZ006>008-  
014>016-024-026>030-038-039-049-052>054.  
MN...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR MNZ001>009-  
013>017-022>024-027>032-040.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...CJ/RIDDLE/JR  
DISCUSSION...JR  
AVIATION...CJ  
 
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