917
FXUS63 KBIS 010215
AFDBIS
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
815 PM CST FRI FEB 28 2025
KEY MESSAGES
- SCATTERED FLURRIES ACROSS NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA
THIS EVENING THROUGH TONIGHT.
- HIGH VARIANCE IN FORECAST HIGH TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY,
RANGING FROM THE MID 20S NEAR THE TURTLE MOUNTAINS TO NEAR 50
IN THE FAR SOUTHWEST.
- TEMPERATURES AROUND 10 TO 20 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE STATEWIDE
SUNDAY AND MONDAY.
- LOW TO MEDIUM CHANCES (20 TO 40 PERCENT) FOR RAIN AND SNOW
MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY, WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING BACK
TO NEAR AVERAGE.
UPDATE
ISSUED AT 815 PM CST FRI FEB 28 2025
GUIDANCE IS STRUGGLING MIGHTILY WITH THE EXPANSIVE LOW/MID
STRATUS COVERING NORTHWEST, CENTRAL, AND SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA
THIS EVENING. THE HRRR AND RAP ARE AT LEAST DEPICTING THE
WESTERN HALF OF THESE CLOUDS, WHICH DOES HAVE LOWER CEILINGS
COMPARED TO THE EASTERN HALF. BUT THE MORE PREDOMINANTLY MID
LEVEL CLOUDS FROM THE TURTLE MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE JAMES RIVER
VALLEY ARE ALMOST ABSENT FROM ALL MODEL GUIDANCE, ASIDE FROM
SOME HINTS IN THE GFS. THE MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE
CLOUDS APPEAR TO BE A MID LEVEL JET STREAK RIDING OVER A LOW
LEVEL BAROCLINIC ZONE. ALSO PRESENT IS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE
EXPANDING INTO NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA, BUT THE ASSOCIATED DRY
NORTHEASTERLY FLOW DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE DETERRING THE MID
LEVEL CLOUDS. MAJOR ADJUSTMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE SKY COVER
FORECAST, WHICH NOW ADVERTISES A MOSTLY CLOUDY SKY ACROSS MOST
OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THROUGH THE NIGHT, AND THERE
IS NOW A MUCH SLOWER DISSIPATING TREND IN CLOUD COVER THROUGH
THE DAY TOMORROW.
FLURRIES ARE BECOMING MORE COMMON ALONG THE HIGHWAY 83 CORRIDOR
NORTH OF BISMARCK. STILL HAVE NOT SEEN VISIBILITY REDUCED BELOW
9 MILES, SO CONFIDENCE REMAINS HIGH IN FLURRIES VS. LIGHT SNOW.
COVERAGE OF FLURRIES WAS BOOSTED TO SCATTERED FOR THIS UPDATE IN
AREAS OF HIGHER CONFIDENCE.
UPDATE
ISSUED AT 555 PM CST FRI FEB 28 2025
THE WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN CANCELLED AS WINDS ARE NO LONGER
MEETING CRITERIA.
A FEW SITES CLOSER TO THE CANADIAN BORDER ARE NOW REPORTING
SNOW AT 9-10 MILE VISIBILITY, AND SIMILAR OBSERVATIONS HAVE
BEEN NOTED UPSTREAM INTO SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN. GIVEN HIGH
CONFIDENCE THAT SNOWFALL WILL NOT BECOME ANY MORE INTENSE THAN
THIS, HAVE CONVERTED THE 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW TO AN
ISOLATED FLURRIES MENTION IN THE FORECAST THROUGH THE NIGHT.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 402 PM CST FRI FEB 28 2025
COLD FRONT HAS PUSHED ACROSS THE CWA AND IS NOW MORE OF A
STALLED BOUNDARY FROM NORTHWESTERN TO SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA. ABUNDANT CLOUD COVER WILL BE FOUND ALONG THIS STALLED
BOUNDARY THROUGH TONIGHT. THERE ARE LIMITED INDICATIONS A WEAK
WAVE ALOFT MAY SEED THIS LOWER LEVEL MOISTURE ALONG THIS
BOUNDARY TONIGHT. THIS COULD LEAD TO A FEW ISOLATED SNOW SHOWERS
ALONG THE BOUNDARY, ALTHOUGH THE CHANCE OF THIS IS LOWER (LESS
THAN 25%) AS A SURFACE HIGH WILL MOVE START MOVING INTO THE
REGION. FOR NOW ADDED SLIGHT CHANCE MENTION. WINDS FROM THIS
FRONT ARE ALSO STARTING TO DIMINISH. THERE ARE STILL SOME AREAS
WITH SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS AT OR NEAR WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA.
CANCELLED THE ADVISORY WHERE WINDS HAVE DIMINISHED, ALTHOUGH IT
WILL REMAIN THROUGH LATE THIS AFTERNOON IN SOUTH CENTRAL AND
SOUTHEASTERN PORTIONS, MAINLY FOR SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS. WITH
THIS MENTIONED SURFACE HIGH MOVING ACROSS THE EAST LOWS TONIGHT
WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO TEENS EAST TO THE
LOWER TO MID 20S WEST. STALLED BOUNDARY COULD LINGER THEN PUSH
EAST ON SATURDAY. THIS COULD LINGER SOME PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY
SKIES ALONG THIS BOUNDARY. SURFACE HIGH SHOULD LIMIT CHANCES
FOR PRECIPITATION WITH THIS CLOUD COVER, THUS KEPT THE FORECAST
DRY FOR NOW ALTHOUGH A FEW FLURRIES ARE POSSIBLE. TEMPERATURES
ALONG AND EAST OF THIS BOUNDARY WILL REMAIN NEAR TO SLIGHTLY
ABOVE NORMAL, WHILE TEMPERATURES IN THE WEST REMAIN IN THE 40S
TO LOWER 50S. WINDS SHOULD ALSO REMAIN LIGHT AND GENERALLY
SOUTHERLY. SKIES BECOME MAINLY CLEAR FOR SATURDAY NIGHT, WITH
LIGHT WINDS CONTINUING. LOWS SATURDAY NIGHT LOOK TO BE IN THE
20S, WITH SOME TEENS NORTHEAST. A BROAD RIDGE THE SETS IN FOR
SUNDAY BRINING A WARM AND MAINLY DRY DAY. LOOK FOR HIGHS IN THE
40S TO MID 50S, WITH FAR NORTHEASTERN AREAS IN THE UPPER 30S.
SUNDAY NIGHT REMAINS DRY AND MILD, WITH LOWS IN THE 20S.
MONDAY SEES ANOTHER MILD DAY AS THE BROAD RIDGE TRANSITIONS TO A
LARGE TROUGH PATTERN. MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT, THIS
LARGE TROUGH PATTERN COMBINED WITH A LARGE SURFACE LOW IN THE
CENTRAL PLAINS COULD BRING ABOUT COOLER, MORE NORMAL LIKE,
TEMPERATURES AND THE NEXT CHANCES FOR SNOW. MOST CLUSTERS SHOW
SPLIT FLOW WITH THIS SYSTEM, AND 60% OF CLUSTERS KEEP THE
PRECIPITATION TO THE SOUTH. THE REMAINING 40% OF CLUSTERS GIVE A
BROAD CHANCE OF MAINLY LIGHT SNOW WITH THE INVERTED SURFACE
TROUGH AND PASSAGE OF THE SPLIT WAVE. NBM PUTTING IN 20 TO 40%
CHANCE FOR MAINLY SNOW AND MAINLY ON TUESDAY AS A RESULT. A
GENERAL NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN THEN SETS UP FOR MID TO LATE
WEEK. THIS PATTERN LOOKS TO SUPPORT MORE NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE
NORMAL TEMPERATURES. PERHAPS A WEAK WAVE OR TWO BRINGS AT LEAST
SLIGHT CHANCES FOR LIGHT PRECIPITATION IN THIS PATTERN,
HOWEVER, CONFIDENCE IN TIMING AND LOCATION WITH ANY WEAK WAVE
RIGHT NOW IS LOW AND A MAINLY DRY FORECAST IS CURRENTLY
PUBLISHED.
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY/
ISSUED AT 815 PM CST FRI FEB 28 2025
MVFR CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS PARTS OF WESTERN
AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. SOME
TERMINALS MAY SEE ALTERNATING PERIODS OF MVFR/VFR OVER THIS TIME
FRAME, WHILE OTHERS REMAIN CONSISTENTLY AT MVFR. IN ADDITION,
KXWA IS THE ONLY TERMINAL WITH AN IFR CEILING, AND THERE IS VERY
LOW CONFIDENCE ON HOW LONG IT WILL REMAIN THIS LOW THERE.
SCATTERED FLURRIES ARE ALSO EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHWEST AND
CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA TONIGHT, BUT VISIBILITY IS EXPECTED TO
REMAIN AT VFR LEVELS. ALL TERMINALS ARE FORECAST TO RETURN TO
PREVAILING VFR CONDITIONS SATURDAY AFTERNOON. NORTHERLY WINDS
WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH THIS EVENING, BECOMING LIGHT AND
GRADUALLY TURNING TO THE EAST AND SOUTH THROUGH SATURDAY
MORNING.
BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NONE.
UPDATE...HOLLAN
DISCUSSION...ANGLIN
AVIATION...HOLLAN
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