278  
FXUS63 KBIS 250558  
AFDBIS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND  
1158 PM CST FRI JAN 24 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH THE AREA TONIGHT WITH GUSTY WINDS  
AND SNOW SHOWERS PRODUCING REDUCED VISIBILITY.  
 
- BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES SATURDAY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT,  
WITH WARMER TEMPERATURES ON SUNDAY.  
 
- WINDY CONDITIONS CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
- MAINLY DRY WEATHER EXPECTED THROUGH THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 1145 PM CST FRI JAN 24 2025  
 
ARCTIC FRONT IS NOW PUSHING INTO NORTH DAKOTA. WILL CONTINUE TO  
MONITOR VISIBILITIES IN SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. GENERALLY  
VISIBILITIES HAVE BEEN DOWN TO THE 1-3SM RANGE, WITH OCCASIONAL  
LOWER VISIBILITIES. WILL EXTEND THE SPS THROUGH AROUND 10 UTC.  
OTHERWISE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES AT THIS TIME.  
 
UPDATE  
ISSUED AT 911 PM CST FRI JAN 24 2025  
 
THE COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO MAKE ITS WAY THROUGH THE AREA,  
CURRENTLY STRETCHING FROM WELLS COUNTY DOWN THROUGH SLOPE  
COUNTY. LIGHT SNOW, GUSTIER WINDS, AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES HAVE  
BEEN REPORTED ALONG AND BEHIND IT, THUS PROMPTING ANOTHER SPS  
FOR THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA THROUGH MIDNIGHT. SOME MORE  
ORGANIZED CELLULAR SNOW SHOWERS HAVE POPPED UP IN NORTHWEST  
MONTANA, THOUGH THE INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS SORT OF  
DEVELOPMENT DECREASES IN STRENGTH ACROSS NORTHWESTERN NORTH  
DAKOTA. THE REST OF THE FORECAST SEEMS TO BE GOING WELL AT THIS  
TIME.  
 
UPDATE  
ISSUED AT 612 PM CST FRI JAN 24 2025  
 
TAKING A LOOK AT UPSTREAM OBSERVATIONS, THE MAIN ADJUSTMENT TO  
THE FORECAST WITH THIS UPDATE WAS INCREASING THE POPS ASSOCIATED  
WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. WE ALSO ISSUED AN SPS FOR THE NORTHERN  
TWO THIRDS OF THE FORECAST AREA, AS THERE HAVE BEEN MANY REPORTS  
UP IN SASKATCHEWAN AND MANITOBA OF REDUCED VISIBILITIES DUE TO  
THE WINDS BLOWING SNOW AROUND, BOTH FROM FALLING SNOW AND  
ALREADY FALLEN SNOW ON THE GROUND. WE'LL REASSESS IN 3 HOURS TO  
SEE IF WE'LL NEED ANOTHER SPS LATER ON TONIGHT. OTHERWISE, THE  
FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK, WITH THE COLD FRONT JUST BEGINNING TO  
MAKE ITS WAY INTO THE AREA.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 247 PM CST FRI JAN 24 2025  
 
CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACES TROUGH/FRONTAL BOUNDARY  
DROPPING THROUGH MANITOBA INTO THE RED RIVER VALLEY,  
SOUTHWESTWARD THROUGH THE CENTRAL PLAINS. UPPER LEVEL ANALYSIS  
PLACES LOW OVER NORTHEAST MANITOBA. NORTHWEST FLOW REMAINS OVER  
OUR AREA WITH A NOTABLE WAVE UPSTREAM OVER SASKATCHEWAN, WHILE A  
WEAKER WAVE MOVING THROUGH OUR AREA IS RESULTING IN A FEW  
FLAKES OF SNOW OVER PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA.  
 
FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT, AFOREMENTIONED  
WAVE AND ITS AFFILIATED COLD BOUNDARY DROP THROUGH THE AREA.  
THIS WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP WINDS GUSTING, AND WILL ALSO BRING  
LOW SNOW CHANCES THROUGH THE AREA. ALTHOUGH THIS SNOW WILL  
REALLY BE QUITE HIT AND MISS WITH LITTLE ACCUMULATION, IT MAY  
COMBINE WITH THE WIND AT TIMES WHILE FALLING TO CREATE BRIEF  
PERIODS OF REDUCED VISIBILITY.  
 
SNOW CHANCES WILL DIMINISH BY SATURDAY MORNING, WITH SOME LOW  
CHANCES LINGERING OVER THE FAR SOUTH. WITH THAT SAID, WINDS WILL  
REMAIN GUSTY AND TEMPERATURES WILL BE NOTABLY COOLER AS THE  
COMPACT COLD AIRMASS PASSES THROUGH. ON SUNDAY, WARMER AIRMASS  
PUSHES OVER THE AREA WITH TEMPERATURES RECOVERING BACK TO NEAR  
TO SLIGHT ABOVE AVERAGE, WHILE DRY CONDITIONS PREVAIL.  
 
FOR THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK, PACIFIC RIDGE REMAINS IN PLACES  
BEFORE GRADUALLY WORKING ITS WAY EAST. THIS ACTUALLY MAKES THE  
TEMPERATURES FORECAST A BIT TRICKY GIVEN WARMER AIRMASS TO THE  
SOUTHWEST AND COOLER TO THE NORTHEAST, AND QUESTIONS TO HOW MUCH  
THIS MAY SHIFT. THIS CONTINUES TO BE REFLECTED IN NBM  
TEMPERATURES SPREADS THAT INCREASE NOTABLY AS THE WEEK GOES ON.  
MAINLY QUIET WEATHER IS EXPECTED.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1145 PM CST FRI JAN 24 2025  
 
A COLD FRONT CURRENTLY MOVES THROUGH THE STATE, BRINGING ABOUT GUSTY  
NORTHWESTERLY WINDS, ISOLATED/SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS, AND PATCHY  
BLOWING SNOW TO MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA. CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES  
ARE EXPECTED TO BE REDUCED TO MVFR/IFR THROUGH THE NIGHT, WITH  
ISOLATED POCKETS OF LIFR VISIBILITIES POSSIBLE BENEATH ANY HEAVIER  
SNOW SHOWERS (ESPECIALLY NEAR KXWA). ONCE THE FRONT HAS FULLY EXITED  
THE AREA BY LATE SATURDAY MORNING, MVFR CEILINGS ARE FORECAST TO  
LINGER, BEFORE LIFTING AND CLEARING IS EXPECTED IN THE EARLY  
AFTERNOON HOURS. NORTHWESTERLY SUSTAINED WINDS FROM 25 TO 30 MPH  
WILL BE POSSIBLE, WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH POSSIBLE. WIND SPEEDS WILL  
ALSO BEGIN TO DECREASE SATURDAY AFTERNOON.  
 

 
   
BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...TWH  
DISCUSSION...JJS  
AVIATION...BESSON  
 
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