165  
FXUS63 KBIS 081753  
AFDBIS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND  
1253 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR MUCH OF  
WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  
NEAR-CRITICAL TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE PROBABLE  
AGAIN BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. SEE FIRE WEATHER PORTION FOR  
DETAILS.  
 
- MAINLY DRY WITH WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND  
PERIODICALLY BREEZY CONDITIONS THROUGH THE WEEKEND.  
 
- TEMPERATURES TREND COOLER AFTER MONDAY NEXT WEEK, WITH MORE  
FREQUENT CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 1247 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2025  
 
ALL WEATHER ELEMENTS REMAIN ON TRACK FOR THIS AFTERNOON. AS WE  
CONTINUE TO MIX, SOUTHERLY WINDS HAVE INCREASED, GUSTING BETWEEN  
30 AND 40 MPH, WITH A FEW GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH NORTH  
CENTRAL. PERCENT RH VALUES ALSO CONTINUE TO DROP, ALREADY  
RANGING FROM THE UPPER TEENS TO MID 20S. THUS, RED FLAG  
HEADLINES REMAIN VALID. CAMS ALSO REMAIN ON TRACK, STILL FIRING  
OFF CONVECTION AFTER 15-1600 THIS AFTERNOON.  
 
UPDATE  
ISSUED AT 1018 AM CDT THU MAY 8 2025  
 
NO MAJOR CHANGES WITH THIS PRODUCT ISSUANCE. ALL WEATHER  
ELEMENTS REMAIN ON TRACK. LOOKING AT LATEST BUFKIT SOUNDINGS,  
STILL SOLID 20-25 KNOTS WELL WITHIN THE MIXED LAYER MOST AREAS.  
GUSTS WILL RANGE FROM 30-35 MPH, AND ALREADY SEEING SOME OF  
THESE MAGNITUDES NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL, WITH RH VALUES  
ALREADY SUB 40 PERCENT. LATE AFT/EVE CONVECTION IS STILL ON  
TRACK AS WELL.  
 
UPDATE  
ISSUED AT 553 AM CDT THU MAY 8 2025  
 
CLEAR SKIES AND GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS ARE PRESENT, ALTHOUGH  
NORTHWESTERN PARTS OF THE STATE REMAIN A BIT BREEZY THIS  
MORNING. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE RAPIDLY ACROSS MOST OF  
THE STATE DURING THE MORNING HOURS. ALL IN ALL, THE FORECAST  
REMAINS ON TRACK.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 349 AM CDT THU MAY 8 2025  
 
VERY WARM, MOSTLY DRY, AND PERIODICALLY BREEZY CONDITIONS  
WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK AND INTO EARLY  
NEXT WEEK. FOR TODAY, A THERMAL RIDGE CENTERS OVER THE NORTHERN  
PLAINS WITH A TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT AT THE SURFACE  
PRODUCING FAIRLY STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW. THIS WILL RESULT IN VERY  
WARM TEMPERATURES FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR WITH HIGHS REACHING THE  
UPPER 70S TO UPPER 80S. SUBTLE SHORTWAVE ENERGY RIDING THE  
RIDGE WILL LIKELY PRODUCE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS LATER  
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING, WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE AS  
WELL.  
 
FRIDAY WILL BE A BIT COOLER AS HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES FROM WEST TO  
EAST ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA THUS BRINGING NORTHERLY SURFACE FLOW  
TO THE FORECAST AREA. RESULTING HIGHS ARE FORECAST TO BE MOSTLY  
IN THE 70S WITH SOME 80 DEGREE READINGS POSSIBLE NEAR THE ND/SD  
BORDER. SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY WILL SEE THE RETURN OF  
SOUTHERLY FLOW AT THE SURFACE AND BREEZY CONDITIONS.  
SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO REAMPLIFY WITH THE  
THERMAL RIDGE CENTERING OVER THE PLAINS STATES ON SUNDAY. AS A  
RESULT, EXPECT UNPLEASANT TEMPERATURES SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY  
WITH HIGHS FORECAST IN THE 80S ON SATURDAY AND UPPER 80S TO LOW  
90S SUNDAY AND MONDAY. THE EFI REMAINS VERY ANOMALOUS THESE  
THREE DAYS, ESPECIALLY SUNDAY.  
 
MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT THAT A WEST CONUS TROUGH  
WILL BREAK DOWN THE RIDGE DURING THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. AS A  
RESULT, STARTING MONDAY NIGHT AND THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE  
WEEK, NBM IS PRODUCING COOLER TEMPERATURES ALONG WITH PERIODIC  
PRECIPITATION CHANCES. BOTH OF WHICH SEEM REASONABLE AT THIS  
POINT IN TIME. IN ADDITION, CSU MACHINE LEARNING HAS ALREADY  
BEEN HINTING AT SOME SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL MAINLY TOWARDS THE  
MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1247 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2025  
 
GUSTY SOUTHERLY WINDS TODAY WITH THE HIGHER SUSTAINED AND GUSTS  
IN NORTHERN PARTS OF THE STATE, WHERE GUSTS TO AROUND 35 KTS  
ARE FORECAST. WINDS WILL DIMINISH THIS EVENING, BECOMING MORE  
NORTHERLY LATE TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING, THEN EAST OR  
NORTHEASTERLY FRI AFTERNOON. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS,  
ALONG WITH A FEW THUNDERSTORMS, ARE POSSIBLE LATER THIS  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING MAINLY IN THE WEST AND NORTH CENTRAL.  
ERRATIC WINDS MAY ACCOMPANY ANY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS THAT  
OCCUR. VFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE  
PERIOD.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
ISSUED AT 349 AM CDT THU MAY 8 2025  
 
WITH A RIDGE BUILDING OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND DRY SOUTHERLY  
FLOW AT THE SURFACE, EXPECT BREEZY AND VERY DRY CONDITIONS  
TODAY. RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES ARE FORECAST TO DROP TO AS LOW  
AS 15 PERCENT IN THE NORTH AND IN THE 20S FOR MOST OF THE SOUTH,  
WHILE SUSTAINED SOUTH SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS UP TO 25 MPH WITH  
GUSTS TO NEAR 35 MPH ARE ANTICIPATED. AS A RESULT, A RED FLAG  
WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED AS CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE  
EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR MUCH OF WESTERN AND  
CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. MOST AREAS THAT ARE NOT IN THE RED FLAG  
WARNING CAN EXPECT TO SEE NEAR-CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS  
AS WELL. IN ADDITION, A SUBTLE DISTURBANCE RIDING THE RIDGE MAY  
PRODUCE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS MAINLY IN THE WEST AND  
NORTH CENTRAL LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WITH THAT, THERE  
IS ALSO A LOW CHANCE FOR A FEW DRY THUNDERSTORMS. WITH AN  
INVERTED V TYPE SOUNDING, ANY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY  
PRODUCE GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS.  
 
LIGHT NORTHERLY WINDS SHOULD LIMIT ANY FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS  
FOR FRIDAY. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WILL SEE THE REAMPLIFICATION OF  
THE RIDGE AND THE RETURN OF SOUTHERLY SURFACE FLOW. AS A  
RESULT, NEAR-CRITICAL TO CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL  
LIKELY OCCUR BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. MONDAY WILL ALSO BE DRY  
AND BREEZY TO WINDY BEFORE PRECIPITATION CHANCES RETURN MONDAY  
NIGHT AND THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 9 PM CDT /8 PM MDT/ THIS EVENING FOR  
NDZ001>005-009>013-017>022-033-034.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...NH  
DISCUSSION...TELKEN  
AVIATION...NH  
FIRE WEATHER...TELKEN  
 
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