257  
FXUS63 KBIS 221144  
AFDBIS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND  
544 AM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- THERE IS A 60 TO 90 PERCENT CHANCE OF ACCUMULATING SNOW THIS  
WEEKEND IN THE NORTH, WITH CHANCES DECREASING TOWARDS THE  
SOUTH. THERE IS A 60 PERCENT CHANCE OF AT LEAST 2 INCHES OF  
SNOW ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER.  
 
- BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THIS WEEKEND  
AND INTO NEXT WEEK. HIGHS WILL MAINLY BE IN THE 20S AND 30S,  
AND LOWS MAINLY IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO TEENS ABOVE ZERO.  
MONDAY WILL BE COLDER, WITH HIGHS IN THE TEENS AND 20S AND  
OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE AND BELOW ZERO.  
 
- EVEN COLDER TEMPERATURES WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THE  
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY WEEKEND, WITH FORECAST DAYTIME HIGHS IN  
THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE SOME LOCATIONS, AND OVERNIGHT LOWS  
BELOW ZERO. WELL BELOW ZERO WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES ARE ALSO  
POSSIBLE.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 539 AM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
 
NO FORECAST UPDATES. AFD UPDATED FOR 12Z AVIATION DISCUSSION  
(BELOW).  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 350 AM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
 
CURRENTLY, BROAD UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE CENTRAL CONUS EARLY  
THIS MORNING, WITH A LARGE UPPER LOW OVER CENTRAL CANADA.  
RESULTANT FLOW OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS IS ZONAL BETWEEN THESE  
TWO FEATURES, WITH SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE DRIFTING EAST ACROSS  
THE STATE. MID LEVEL WAA SPREADING ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL  
ND, WITH CURRENT TEMPERATURES IN THE TEENS EAST WITH 20S WEST  
CLOSER TO THE SFC WARM FRONT.  
 
EMBEDDED MID LEVEL IMPULSE SLIDING EAST OVER FAR SOUTH CENTRAL  
CANADA, COUPLED WITH A COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY DROPPING INTO  
NORTHERN NORTH DAKOTA, WILL BRING A CHANCE FOR SOME LIGHT SNOW  
TO FAR NORTHERN ND THIS MORNING. CAA WILL THEN PUSH SOUTH ACROSS  
WESTERN AND CENTRAL ND THIS AFTERNOON, RESULTING IN DAYTIME  
HIGHS IN THE 20S NORTH, BUT MILD SOUTHWEST (AROUND 40) AND  
SOUTH CENTRAL (LOW/MID 30S) WHERE THE CAA ARRIVES LATER.  
 
FOR TONIGHT, ANOTHER EMBEDDED IMPULSE WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION  
FROM THE WEST, INTERACTING WITH A SUBTLE BAROCLINIC ZONE TO  
BRING A SWATH OF LIGHT SNOW TO PARTS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL  
AREAS OF THE STATE. BEST CHANCES WILL BE WEST-CENTRAL AND  
NORTHWEST, WITH LESSER CHANCES TO THE EAST. LIGHT SNOW WILL ALSO  
BE MORE FAVORABLE THIS EVENING, WITH DIMINISHING FORCING  
OVERNIGHT AS A MID LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE WESTERN DAKOTAS  
AND A RIDGE OF SFC HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS SOUTHWARD INTO CENTRAL  
ND.  
 
RIDGE AXIS MOVES SLOWLY EAST ON SATURDAY AS A STRONG UPPER LEVEL  
JET ASSOCIATED WITH A LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN CONUS  
LIFTS EAST-NORTHEAST INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. EMBEDDED ENERGY  
EJECTING OUT OF THE UPPER TROUGH WILL MORPH INTO A CLOSED LOW  
OVER FAR SOUTH CENTRAL CANADA SAT NIGHT INTO SUNDAY, WITH AN  
ASSOCIATED INVERTED SFC TROUGH DRAPED OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS  
AND THE SOUTHERN CANADIAN PROVINCES OF SASKATCHEWAN AND  
MANITOBA. MODELS HAVE CONTINUE THEIR TREND OF KEEPING THE  
HEAVIER QPF/ACCUMULATING SNOW MAINLY TO OUR NORTH, WITH THE NBM  
AND WPC GUIDANCE NOW ONLY SHOWING 1-2 INCHES ACROSS MY NORTHERN  
TWO-TIER COUNTIES SAT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT.  
 
CAA ON SUNDAY ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE SFC TROUGH WILL SEE BREEZY  
NORTHWEST WINDS, WITH DAYTIME HIGHS SUNDAY TRENDING COOLER FROM  
SATURDAY, THEN MUCH COLDER FOR MONDAY WHEN HIGHS ARE FORECAST  
ONLY IN THE TEENS AND LOW 20S. OVERNIGHT LOWS SUN NIGHT WILL BE  
IN THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE, WITH WIND CHILLS IN THE SINGLE  
DIGITS AND TEENS BELOW ZERO. RIDGE OF SFC HIGH PRESSURE LOOKS TO  
BRING EVEN COLDER OVERNIGHT LOWS FOR MON NIGHT/TUES AM, WITH  
LOWS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE AND BELOW ZERO.  
 
NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL THEN DOMINATE THROUGH NEXT WEEK AND  
THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY WEEKEND, MAINTAINING BELOW AVERAGE  
TEMPERATURES. ENSEMBLES AND NBM ARE HINTING AT A COUPLE OF COLD  
AIR SURGES, ONE AROUND THANKSGIVING DAY AND ANOTHER OVER THE  
WEEKEND. WHILE WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE FAVORED (ALONG  
WITH WELL BELOW ZERO WIND CHILLS), NBM 25/75 PERCENTILE SPREADS  
REMAIN 10-20 DEGREES, SO STILL PLENTY OF UNCERTAINTY A WEEK TO  
10 DAYS OUT REGARDING HOW COLD TEMPERATURES WILL GET. MULTIPLE  
SHORTWAVES WILL ALSO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION NEXT WEEK, EACH  
BRINGING THE CHANCE FOR SOME LIGHT SNOW AND A PERIOD OF ELEVATED  
WINDS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SATURDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 539 AM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
 
VFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY EXPECTED AT ALL TERMINALS THIS  
FRIDAY MORNING. LIGHT SNOW IS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE CANADIAN  
BORDER THIS MORNING, BUT SHOULD REMAIN NORTH OF KXWA AND KMOT.  
MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS WILL BEGIN TO MOVE INTO NORTHWESTERN NORTH  
DAKOTA LATE THIS AFTERNOON, SPREADING SOUTH AND EAST THROUGH  
THE EVENING. ALONG WITH THIS, CHANCES FOR LIGHT SNOW WILL  
INCREASE THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING, WITH THE BEST  
CHANCES AT KXWA. OTHERWISE, LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS ARE  
EXPECTED TO PERSIST OVERNIGHT, BEFORE ORGANIZING OUT OF THE  
NORTH THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  
 

 
   
BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...NH  
DISCUSSION...NH  
AVIATION...NH  
 
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