171  
FXUS63 KFGF 162008  
AFDFGF  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND  
308 PM CDT TUE SEP 16 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP EARLY THIS EVENING  
OVER PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA. IF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS  
DEVELOP, SMALL HAIL AND LIGHTING WOULD BE THE MAIN THREATS.  
 
- A WET PATTERN WITH PERIODS OF RAIN IS EXPECTED OVER PARTS OF  
EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA INTO NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA  
WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THERE IS A HIGH CHANCE FOR SOAKING  
RAINFALL OVER THAT THREE DAY PERIOD, WHICH COULD CAUSE IMPACTS  
TO OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 308 PM CDT TUE SEP 16 2025  
   
..SYNOPSIS
 
 
WEAK SOUTHWEST FLOW IS CURRENTLY IN PLACE AHEAD OF A DEEPENING  
MID/UPPER LOW (CURRENTLY OVER NORTHWEST WY/SOUTH CENTRAL MT). THIS  
UPPER LOW TRACKS EAST AND STALLS OVER SD/ND AS A REX BLOCK TYPE  
PATTER DEVELOPS, BRINGING A WET PATTERN TO THE REGION, WITH RAIN  
COVERAGE DECREASING AS THE TROUGH SHIFTS EAST SATURDAY.  
TEMPERATURES SHOULD ALSO TREND BACK TOWARDS GENERALLY SEASONAL  
TEMPERATURES INTO SATURDAY (UPPER 60S/LOWER 70S FOR HIGHS). THE  
BREAKDOWN OF THIS UPPER LOW AND TRANSITION TO MORE ZONAL PATTERN  
IN THE NORTHERN PLAINS OCCURS LATE IN THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY  
NEXT WEEK AS RIDGING BEGINS TO REBUILD TO THE WESTERN US. THERE  
IS INCREASING SPREAD WITHIN CLUSTERS IN THE AMPLITUDE OF THAT  
PATTERN SHIFT WHICH COULD IMPACT TEMPERATURE TRENDS AND ANY FAST  
MOVING WEAKER WAVES. IN ANY CASE, WE ARE NOT SEEING AN  
ORGANIZED SIGNAL FOR RAIN/THUNDERSTORMS BEYOND SATURDAY IN THAT  
PATTERN AND TEMPERATURES SHOULD AT LEAST REMAIN SEASONABLY MILD  
WITH SOME CLUSTERS SUPPORTING A TREND TOWARDS ABOVE AVERAGE  
TEMPERATURES (UPPER 70S/LOWER 80S).  
   
..STRONG THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL THIS EVENING
 
 
THE WEAK FRONTAL ZONE THAT COULD BE A FOCUS FOR EVENING THUNDERSTORM  
DEVELOPMENT IS ALREADY FARTHER SOUTHEAST AND THIS HAS SHIFTED THE  
MAIN THETA-E AXIS AWAY FROM OUR CWA. CAPE PROFILES ARE MUCH NARROWER  
IN OUR AREA AND VERY ELEVATED, DUE TO DRIER AIR ABOVE THE SURFACE  
THAT HAS ADVECTED INTO OUR CWA. SHEAR WAS ALREADY WEAKER IN THAT  
REGION OF CONCERN, SO THESE TRENDS LOWER CONFIDENCE IN SEVERE  
THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. LATEST CAMS DO NOT SHOW INITIATION IN OUR  
SOUTHEAST CWA THIS EVENING EITHER, MATCHING THOSE TRENDS. THERE ARE  
STILL SOME LESS ORGANIZED IMPULSES THAT ARE ROTATING THROUGH THE  
WEAK SW FLOW TO THE SOUTH, AND COULD SUPPORT A FEW SHOWERS OR  
THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING/TONIGHT. THE LINGERING AXIS OF ELEVATED  
INSTABILITY (1000-2000 J/KG MUCAPE) IS STILL IN PLACE WITH STEEP MID  
LEVEL LAPSE RATES, SO AN ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORM COULDN'T BE  
RULED OUT (IF INITIATION WERE EVENT TO OCCUR).  
   
..WET PATTERN WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
 
 
THERE IS STRONG ENSEMBLE CONSENSUS ON THE MID/UPPER LOW STALLING  
OVER SD AND SOUTHERN ND WITH DEEP CYCLONIC FLOW ADVECTING DEEPER  
MOISTURE INTO THE REGION, WITH NAEFS PWATS ABOVE THE 90TH PERCENTILE  
(IN THE 1.2-1.6" RANGE). AT LEAST SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED  
ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA, WITH MORE ORGANIZED AREA OF RAIN ROTATING  
AROUND THE UPPER LOW. A DEFORMATION ZONE MAY ALSO HELP ORGANIZE RAIN  
INTO AREAS/BANDS WITH LOCATION/DURATION DEPENDENT ON 700MB LOW  
CENTER. INSTABILITY SHOULDN'T BE HIGH ENOUGH FOR SEVERE RISK AND ML  
SYSTEMS DO NOT SHOW ANY SEVERE RISK IN OUR CWA. HOWEVER THE  
INSTABILITY WILL BE ENOUGH WHEN COMBINED WITH THE STRONGER FORCING  
AND DEEP MOISTURE TO SUPPORT LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN RATES WHERE  
THUNDERSTORMS DO DEVELOP. WETTING RAIN (GREATER THAN 0.1") IS LIKELY  
ACROSS MUCH OF OUR CWA EACH DAY, THOUGH THE SIGNAL FOR HIGHEST RAIN  
TOTALS IS GENERALLY SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 2. NBM QMD 24HR PROBABILITIES  
OF GREATER THAN 0.5" OF RAIN EXCEED 60 PERCENT EACH DAY OVER PARTS  
OF SOUTHEAST ND AND WEST CENTRAL MN, AND 72HR PROBABLES FOR AT LEAST  
1" RAINFALL ARE 80% ACROSS THOSE SAME AREAS.  
 
THE MAIN IMPACTS IN THIS PATTERN WILL BE TO OUTDOOR  
ACTIVITIES/OUTDOOR ACTIVITY PLANNING. EXCESSIVE RUNOFF/AREAL FLOOD  
RISK IS DECREASED IN OUR CWA DUE TO ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS. THESE  
INCLUDE DRIER SOILS THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE AND CROPS OR CROP  
STUBBLE FROM RECENT HARVEST SLOWING DOWN RUNOFF FROM FIELDS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z WEDNESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1238 PM CDT TUE SEP 16 2025  
 
VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD ACROSS  
EASTERN ND AND NORTHWEST MN. THERE ARE A FEW POCKETS OF VERY  
LIGHT SHOWERS/VIRGA MOVING ACROSS NORTHEAST ND AND FAR  
NORTHWEST MN, WHICH SHOULD PROGRESS EAST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.  
ADDITIONAL SHOWERS OR AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP IN  
FAR SOUTHEAST ND AND WEST CENTRAL MN, BUT THE PROBABILITY FOR  
IMPACTS AT TAF SITES IS LOW (LESS THAN 30%). WINDS REMAIN  
LIGHTER (LESS THAN 12KT) THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD DUE TO WEAK  
SURFACE GRADIENT REMAINING IN PLACE. THE TREND SHOULD BE FOR  
WINDS TO BE OUT OF THE WEST-NORTHWEST DURING THE DAYTIME PERIOD  
THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING AND PREVAIL FROM THE NORTHEAST  
AFTER SUNRISE WEDNESDAY.  
 

 
   
FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
ND...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...DJR  
AVIATION...DJR  
 
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