496  
FXUS63 KBIS 202357 CCA  
AFDBIS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED KEY MESSAGES  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND  
551 PM CST FRI DEC 20 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- LIGHT SNOW WILL TAPER OFF OVER CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THIS EVENING.  
 
- THERE IS A 20 TO 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN  
ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA ON SUNDAY.  
 
- A WARMING TREND IS EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND THROUGH EARLY NEXT  
WEEK, WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES FAVORED STATEWIDE FROM  
CHRISTMAS EVE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 551 PM CST FRI DEC 20 2024  
 
LATEST RADAR AND SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOW A BAND OF LIGHT SNOW  
TRACKING SOUTHEAST THROUGH CENTRAL ND. ACCUMULATING SNOW HAS  
ALL BUT PASSED MINOT AND BISMARCK AT THIS TIME. WE HAD A RECENT  
REPORT OF 2 INCHES AT MINOT. AN HOUR OR SO EARLIER THIS  
AFTERNOON WE HAD A REPORT OF 2 INCHES IN STANLEY. WILL HAVE TO  
WAIT AND MELT THE SNOW AT THE OFFICE BUT IT LOOKS LIKE WE'LL END  
UP WITH AROUND AN INCH OF SNOW HERE. IT DIDN'T LAST LONG BUT THE  
18Z NAM SHOWED AN AREA OF MODERATE QVEC CONVERGENCE ASSOCIATED  
WITH THE SHORTWAVE TRACKING THROUGH THE AREA, CONGRUENT WITH  
STRONG QG FORCING AT 700MB RIGHT OVER SOUTH CENTRAL ND. BISMARCK  
WAS ON THE BACK EDGE OF THE PRECIP SHIELD, NEAREST TO THE  
MODERATE TO STRONG LAPSE RATES. WE HAD AROUND 30 MINUTES OF  
MODERATE SNOW ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE PRECIPITATION SHIELD FROM  
22-22 UTC, WHICH PROBABLY RESULTED IN A LITTLE OVER A HALF INCH  
OF SNOW.  
 
THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO TAPER AS IT TRACKS SOUTHEAST SO DO NOT  
EXPECT BANDED PRECIP HERE, BUT WITH COLDER TEMPERATURES, SNOW  
RATIOS WILL BE A BIT HIGHER, SO SOME ACCUMS AROUND AN INCH WOULD  
NOT BE UNREASONABLE.  
 
QUIET TONIGHT BEHIND THIS EXITING WAVE AND NOT AS COLD, WITH  
TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE ZERO AROUND  
THE TURTLE MOUNTAINS, TO THE TEENS FAR SOUTHWEST.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 244 PM CST FRI DEC 20 2024  
 
A BAND OF SNOW CONTINUES TO PUSH INTO CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA  
BRINGING FORTH LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AND VISIBILITY  
REDUCTIONS. THIS SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH INTO EASTERN NORTH  
DAKOTA THIS EVENING AS IT WEAKENS. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM ON  
THE BACKSIDE OF THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM RESULTING IN A WARMING  
TREND OUT WEST. THE ARCTIC AIRMASS THAT BROUGHT BELOW ZERO  
TEMPERATURES WILL GET NUDGED EASTWARD AS TEMPERATURES WARM TO  
ABOVE NORMAL OUT WEST TO NEAR NORMAL ACROSS THE CENTRAL HALF OF  
THE STATE. THE EASTERN HALF WILL REMAIN BELOW NORMAL TODAY AND  
TOMORROW. THE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE STATE WILL  
CONTINUE TO SHIFT EASTWARD THIS WEEKEND AS HIGH TEMPERATURES  
GRADUALLY WARM.  
 
SUNDAY, ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE  
REGION RESULTING IN MIXED PRECIPITATION. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR  
FREEZING RAIN, BUT THE PROBABILITIES REMAIN AROUND 20 TO 40  
PERCENT CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH THE  
EVENING. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR SNOW ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL  
BORDER AND RAIN THROUGH THE DAY AS TEMPERATURES WARM UP ABOVE  
FREEZING. FREEZING RAIN PROBABILITIES OF 0.01 OF AN INCH OR MORE  
ARE AROUND 20 PERCENT. THIS WILL RESULT IN A LIGHT GLAZE IF  
FREEZING RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OCCUR. THIS SYSTEM WILL LIKELY BE  
MORE MESOSCALE IN NATURE RESULTING IN AREA OF BANDED  
PRECIPITATION. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS SYSTEM IS STILL TO FAR OUT  
FOR THE CAMS TO RESOLVE.  
 
A WARMING TREND WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEK WHERE ABOVE NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES ARE FAVORED. BROAD RIDGING WILL CREEP INTO THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS NEXT WEEK WITH SHORTWAVE TROUGHS REMAINING WELL  
NORTH OF NORTH DAKOTA. HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO CLIMB  
INTO THE UPPER 20S IN THE NORTHEAST AND MID 40S IN THE SOUTHWEST  
BY CHRISTMAS EVE. THE WHOLE AREA COULD BE IN THE LOWER 30S TO  
LOWER 40S BY CHRISTMAS DAY. AS OF RIGHT NOW PRECIPITATION  
CHANCES REMAIN LOW THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 551 PM CST FRI DEC 20 2024  
 
A BAND OF LIGHTS SNOW CONTINUES TO TRACK SOUTHEAST THROUGH  
CENTRAL ND. ACCUMULATING SNOW HAS ALL BUT ENDED AT KMOT AND  
KBIS WITH MAYBE AN HOUR OF LIGHT SNOW OR FLURRY ACTIVITY. SNOW  
WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS AT KJMS WITH MVFR  
CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES IN LIGHT SNOW. VFR CONDITIONS TO BEGIN  
THE 00Z TAF PERIOD AT KXWA AND KDIK.  
 
MOSTLY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE 00Z TAF PERIOD WITH  
DIMINISHING SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST SURFACE FLOW. MESOSCALE MODELS  
HAVE BACKED OFF ON A BAND OF LOW STRATUS DROPPING SOUTHEAST FROM  
CANADA TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH WE CAN'T RULE IT OUT, LATEST GUIDANCE  
WANTS TO KEEP IT CONFINED NEAR THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER, MOSTLY  
NORTH OF KXWA AND HOVERING AROUND KMOT. FOR NOW WE WENT WITH  
THIS SCENARIO KEEPING MVFR CEILINGS MOSTLY CONTAINED TO KMOT  
OVERNIGHT AND INTO SATURDAY MORNING. WILL SEE HOW TRENDS  
CONTINUE THIS EVENING.  
 

 
   
BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...TWH  
DISCUSSION...JOHNSON  
AVIATION...TWH  
 
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