145  
FXUS63 KBIS 060331  
AFDBIS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND  
1031 PM CDT SAT SEP 5 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- PERIODS OF ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS  
ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. A FEW STORMS MAY BE  
STRONG TO SEVERE. THE HIGHEST CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS  
ARE FROM SUNDAY NIGHT INTO LABOR DAY.  
 
- UNSEASONABLY WARM AND HUMID THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND, THEN  
TRENDING COOLER.  
 
- WINDY ON TUESDAY, WITH NEAR-CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS  
IN SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 1027 PM CDT SAT SEP 5 2026  
 
THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED OUT OF THE AREA. QUIET WEATHER  
CONTINUES ACROSS THE REGION.  
 
UPDATE  
ISSUED AT 614 PM CDT SAT SEP 5 2026  
 
A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL  
SOUTH DAKOTA AND CONTINUES TO SPILL INTO SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH  
DAKOTA. THIS LINE HAS PRODUCED PING PONG SIZE HAIL AT TIMES IN  
SOUTH DAKOTA. THE NORTH DAKOTA PORTION OF THE LINE PRODUCED  
OUTFLOW WEAKENING THE STORMS BEHIND THE OUTFLOW. ALSO THE ANVIL  
CIRRUS CONTINUES TO INCREASE CIN UPSTREAM OF THE STORMS. THERE  
IS ANOTHER LONE CELL MOVING ACROSS THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER  
THAT IS SUB SEVERE AT THE MOMENT. THERE IS WIDESPREAD  
INSTABILITY, BUT WEAK SHEAR ACROSS THE STATE WHICH HAS LEAD TO  
THESE STRONG MULTICELLULAR STORMS PULSING UP QUICKLY THEN  
FALLING APART CAUSE THERE IS NOT ENOUGH SHEAR TO KEEP STORM  
ORGANIZED. THE CAMS DO NOT REALLY HAVE MUCH DEVELOPMENT THIS  
EVENING INTO TONIGHT AS THESE STORMS WEAKEN.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 220 PM CDT SAT SEP 5 2026  
 
CURRENTLY THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CONUS IS UNDER SOUTHWEST FLOW  
THANKS TO A LARGE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE/HEIGHTS IN THE PACIFIC  
NORTHWEST. THE RIDGE AXIS IS ROUGHLY NORTH/SOUTH OVER WESTERN  
MINNESOTA. AT THE SURFACE A WEAK LOW PRESSURE SITS IN  
SOUTHWESTERN NORTH DAKOTA WITH A WARM FRONT ACROSS THE SOUTH  
DAKOTA BORDER. LINGERING STORMS FROM A LOW LEVEL JET (LLJ) THIS  
MORNING STILL CONTINUE IN FAR NORTH CENTRAL ND. THESE STORMS  
PRODUCED HEAVY RAIN WITH VERY LITTLE STORM MOTION, SO SEVERAL  
FLOOD ADVISORIES WERE ISSUED. THE LATEST ONE WILL EXPIRE AT  
1930Z. THERE ARE SOME BUBBLING CUMULUS CLOUDS, ELEVATED, IN THE  
SOUTH CENTRAL THAT HAVE SOME LIGHT RADAR RETURNS WITH THEM.  
ACCORDING TO OUR 18Z SOUNDING, THERE IS A HEAVY CAPPING LAYER,  
THEN PLENTY OF ELEVATED CAPE.  
 
THE REST OF TODAY SHOULD BE MOSTLY QUIET STORM-WISE AS THE  
SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SLIDES TO THE EAST, AND THERE ARE CURRENTLY  
NO SHORTWAVE IN THE SOUTHWEST FLOW. MOST CAMS HAVE NO STORMS IN  
THE AREA UNTIL THE LLJ KICKS BACK IN AFTER 04Z. THERE IS STILL  
A LEVEL 1 RISK FOR THE EASTERN 2/3RDS OF THE STATE FOR TODAY,  
ALTHOUGH THE NEXT ROUND MAY NOT BE UNTIL AFTER SUNSET AGAIN OR  
UNTIL SUNDAY. TODAY WILL ALSO BE VERY WARM WITH HIGHS IN THE  
MID 90S, THAT IS ROUGHLY 20 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THESE HOT  
TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY, ALTHOUGH MONDAY WILL  
BE IN THE 80S.  
 
THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM RISK WILL CONTINUE ALL HOLIDAY WEEKEND  
WITH A LEVEL 1 RISK THROUGH MONDAY AS THE SOUTHWEST FLOW AND  
WARM TEMPERATURES CONTINUE. SUNDAY THE SURFACE LOW LOOKS TO BE  
IN NORTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA WITH AN AREA OF 2000-4000 J/KG OF  
MUCAPE OVER NORTH DAKOTA WRAPPING AROUND THE LOW. THE SHEAR WILL  
BE MARGINAL WITH AROUND 15KTS IN THE EAST AND 35KTS IN THE  
WEST. MOST CAMS DO NOT HAVE MUCH GOING ON UNTIL AFTER SUNSET  
AGAIN WHEN A POSSIBLE LLJ AND KICK STORMS OFF USING THAT  
ELEVATED MUCAPE. THE AREA OF CONCERNED WOULD BE AROUND HIGHWAY 2  
BETWEEN 6PM AND MIDNIGHT. SUNDAY NIGHT A STRONG AREA OF  
DIFFLUENCE WILL ALSO BE OVER THE STATE STARTING AROUND 1AM, SO  
THERE WILL LIKELY BE OVERNIGHT STORMS.  
 
LABOR DAY A NORTHERN ROCKIES LOW PRESSURE WILL SWING UP TO THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS INTO EASTERN MONTANA. WITH THIS, POSSIBLY A  
WIDESPREAD RAIN EVENT COULD OCCUR THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE  
DAY BEFORE NORTH DAKOTA GETS INTO THE DRY SLOT OF THE LOW.  
MODELS HAVE A MUCH SMALLER AREA OF SEVERE WEATHER, WITH A SKINNY  
AREA OF MUCAPE AROUND 2000 J/KG IN WESTERN ND. SHEAR WILL BE  
PLENTY HOWEVER 40-55KTS. A LIMITATION FOR STORMS IS A STRONG  
WARM LAYER AT 850MB THAT WILL BE A CAPPING LAYER. CAMS OTHERWISE  
HAVE A LINE OF STORMS COMING OUT OF MONTANA IN THE MORNING OFF  
THE FRONT.  
 
THE REST OF THE FORECAST WILL BE A SLOW COOLING TREND WITH  
COOLER AIR WRAPPING INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. AS OF NOW FORECAST  
TEMPERATURES WILL REACH THE 60S AND 70S BY NEXT SATURDAY. NEXT  
WEEK WILL ALSO BE BREEZY TO WINDY, ESPECIALLY TUESDAY AND  
WEDNESDAY WHERE AN ADVISORY OR HIGH WIND WARNING MAY BE NEEDED.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 614 PM CDT SAT SEP 5 2026  
 
VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION. THERE ARE  
THUNDERSTORMS NEAR KBIS, BUT THEY CONTINUE TO DIMINISH. WINDS  
WILL REMAIN OUT OF THE EAST TO SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE NIGHT.  
THERE ARE SOME MODELS BRINGING IN THUNDERSTORMS TOMORROW MORNING  
TO THE KJMS AREA AND THE KXWA AREA LATER IN THE MORNING.  
 

 
   
BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...JOHNSON  
DISCUSSION...SMITH  
AVIATION...JOHNSON  
 
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