517  
FXUS63 KBIS 291145  
AFDBIS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND  
645 AM CDT SUN JUN 29 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- BREEZY TODAY AND MONDAY, WITH SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES AND  
LOWER HUMIDITY.  
 
- OTHER THAN A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND PERHAPS A  
THUNDERSTORM IN NORTHERN PARTS OF THE STATE THIS EVENING, DRY  
WEATHER IS EXPECTED THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON.  
 
- ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES FAVORED WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, WITH  
HIGHS POSSIBLY REACHING 90 DEGREES.  
 
- LOW CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE EVENING  
AND OVERNIGHT HOURS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, THEN MEDIUM  
CHANCES LATE THURSDAY. WIDESPREAD SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT  
EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 644 AM CDT SUN JUN 29 2025  
 
THE FORECAST FOR TODAY REMAINS ON TRACK. CURRENT OBSERVATIONS  
AND TRENDS WERE BLENDED IN FOR THIS UPDATE. EXCEPT FOR SOUTHERN  
DICKEY COUNTY FOR THE NEXT HOUR OR SO, THE CHANCE OF RAIN ACROSS  
FAR SOUTHWEST AND FAR SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THIS MORNING  
HAS ENDED.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 358 AM CDT SUN JUN 29 2025  
 
SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT PREVAILS OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS EARLY THIS  
MORNING. AS OF 330 AM CDT, ONLY LIGHT STRATIFORM RAIN EXTENDING  
NORTH FROM A SOUTH DAKOTA MCC WAS POTENTIALLY FALLING ACROSS FAR  
SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA, BUT IT MAY JUST BE VIRGA. OTHERWISE,  
QUIET WEATHER PREVAILS THIS MORNING, WITH THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE  
STATE UNDER A MOSTLY CLOUDY SKY FROM THE ANVIL OF THE MCC.  
 
A MID TO UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE OVER SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN EARLY  
THIS MORNING WILL DEEPEN AND DIG INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS/UPPER  
MIDWEST THROUGH TONIGHT, WITH THE TROUGH AXIS REACHING WESTERN  
ONTARIO BY MONDAY MORNING. THIS MAY BRING SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS AND  
PERHAPS A FEW THUNDERSTORMS TO NORTHERN PARTS OF THE STATE THIS  
EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. AT THE SURFACE, LOW PRESSURE OVER  
MANITOBA/ONTARIO AND HIGH PRESSURE ALONG THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE  
CANADIAN AND MONTANA ROCKIES WILL TIGHTEN THE SURFACE PRESSURE  
GRADIENT TODAY, ESPECIALLY OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE REGION.  
NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA ARE FORECAST TO SEE WEST-  
NORTHWEST WINDS INCREASE TO AROUND 25 MPH THIS AFTERNOON, WITH GUSTS  
AS HIGH AS AROUND 35 MPH. SLIGHTLY WEAKER WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO THE  
SOUTH, BUT IT COULD STILL BE A BREEZY DAY THERE. THE WESTERLY  
SURFACE/LOW-LEVEL FLOW WILL PUSH THE MORE HUMID AIR MASS OFF TO THE  
SOUTHEAST, AND LOWERING HEIGHTS WILL RESULT IN SLIGHTLY COOLER  
TEMPERATURES FOR MOST AREAS THIS AFTERNOON, WITH FORECAST HIGHS IN  
THE MID 70S TO LOWER 80S.  
 
THE DEPARTING SHORTWAVE ON MONDAY WILL LEAVE BEHIND A TRANSITION  
FROM CYCLONIC TO ANTICYCLONIC NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER THE REGION.  
DETERMINISTIC MODELS ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT A TRAILING  
LONGITUDINAL STREAK OF VORTICITY WILL MARK THIS TRANSITION FROM  
WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA IN THE MORNING TO CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AROUND  
MIDDAY, AND REACHING EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA BY LATE AFTERNOON. AREAS  
THAT REMAIN DOWNSTREAM OF THE VORTICITY STREAK DURING THE AFTERNOON  
COULD SEE DIURNALLY DRIVEN SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A FEW THUNDERSTORMS,  
ALTHOUGH MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES LOOK EXCEPTIONALLY POOR FOR THIS TIME  
OF YEAR (BETWEEN 5 AND 6 C/KM). BY THE TIME ANYTHING DEVELOPS  
THOUGH, THE VORTICITY STREAK MAY HAVE ALREADY SHIFTED COMPLETELY  
EAST OF OUR FORECAST AREA. THEREFORE, THE MOST LIKELY OUTCOME IS A  
DRY MONDAY FOR ALL OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. HIGH  
TEMPERATURES AND DEWPOINTS ON MONDAY WILL BE SIMILAR TO TODAY. IT IS  
EXPECTED TO BE LESS WINDY ON MONDAY THAN TODAY, BUT THE EASTERN HALF  
OF THE STATE WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO SEE BREEZY NORTHWESTERLY WINDS  
AHEAD OF SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SLIDING INTO EASTERN MONTANA AND  
WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA.  
 
DRY WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON UNDER  
ANTICYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT AND BROAD SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE  
CENTRAL CONUS. A DEAMPLIFICATION OF THE UPSTREAM WESTERN CONUS RIDGE  
WILL ALLOW WARMER TEMPERATURES TO RETURN, WITH FORECAST HIGHS  
SOLIDLY IN THE 80S ON TUESDAY. A WEAK DISTURBANCE EMBEDDED IN THE  
NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT COULD SPARK A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AS  
IT PASSES THROUGH THE REGION TUESDAY EVENING INTO THE NIGHT.  
MOISTURE AND BUOYANCY APPEAR LACKING, WITH ENSEMBLE MEAN MUCAPE  
FORECAST TO BE LOWER THAN 1000 J/KG. HOWEVER, DEEP LAYER SHEAR COULD  
BE AS HIGH AS 35 TO 45 KTS, WHICH COULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR A STRONGER  
STORM WITH JUST A FEW HUNDRED J/KG CAPE. CSU MACHINE LEARNING  
GUIDANCE PAINTS A LOW PROBABILITY (5 PERCENT) OF SEVERE HAIL OVER  
SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA FOR THIS TIME PERIOD. BUT THE PROBABILITY OF  
ANY SHOWER OR STORM AT ANY GIVEN LOCATION IS ONLY AROUND 10 TO 20  
PERCENT.  
 
FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY, THE SYNOPTIC SCALE UPPER RIDGE AXIS IS  
FORECAST TO SHIFT FROM THE HIGH PLAINS TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. IN  
RESPONSE, THE NBM HAS INCREASED BOTH ITS DETERMINISTIC MAXIMUM  
TEMPERATURE FORECAST AND ENSEMBLE DISTRIBUTION THEREOF EACH OF THESE  
DAYS. LOWER 90S HAVE NOW ENTERED THE FORECAST IN SOME PARTS OF THE  
WESTERN HALF OF THE STATE. THE DETERMINISTIC NBM OUTPUT IS ACTUALLY  
HEAVILY SKEWED TO THE COOLER SIDE OF THE DISTRIBUTION, WITH THE 75TH  
PERCENTILE SHOWING 90S EVERYWHERE ON WEDNESDAY AND MID 90S TO LOWER  
100S ON THURSDAY. HOWEVER, THE ADVERTISED SOUTHEASTERLY SURFACE FLOW  
AND DEWPOINTS RISING BACK INTO THE 60S WOULD FAVOR A SLIGHTLY  
"COOLER" OUTCOME. THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE THAT CONVECTION FORMING  
ACROSS CENTRAL MONTANA WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON COULD MAKE IT INTO  
WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA WEDNESDAY NIGHT, WITH MAINTENANCE BEING  
SUPPLIED BY A STRENGTHENING LOW LEVEL JET. SHOULD THIS HAPPEN,  
SEVERE WEATHER APPEARS UNLIKELY ON THIS SIDE OF THE STATE BORDER. BY  
THURSDAY NIGHT, ENSEMBLES TRANSITION FLOW ALOFT BACK TO  
SOUTHWESTERLY AS THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS APPROACHES THE MISSISSIPPI  
RIVER. IN TURN, NBM POPS INCREASE TO AROUND 30 TO 50 PERCENT  
THURSDAY EVENING INTO FRIDAY MORNING. ENSEMBLE MEAN MUCAPE IS  
CONSIDERABLE OVER THIS TIME PERIOD, AT AROUND 2000-3000 J/KG. BUT  
MEAN DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS ONLY CURRENTLY FORECAST AROUND 25 TO 30 KTS.  
 
ENSEMBLE SOLUTIONS BEGIN TO DIVERGE MORE NOTICEABLY ON THE FOURTH OF  
JULY THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND, WITH 3 OR 4 DISTINCT REGIONAL  
SYNOPTIC PATTERNS SHOWING UP IN CLUSTER ANALYSIS WITH VARYING  
PROBABILITY, INCLUDING SOUTHWEST FLOW, NORTHWEST FLOW, ZONAL FLOW,  
AND TOP OF A RIDGE. TEMPERATURES ARE FAVORED TO REMAIN NEAR TO ABOVE  
AVERAGE OVER THIS TIME PERIOD, AND THE NBM MAINTAINS DAILY LOW TO  
MEDIUM CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z MONDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 644 AM CDT SUN JUN 29 2025  
 
VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL THROUGH THE FORECAST  
PERIOD. THERE IS A LOW CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND PERHAPS A  
THUNDERSTORM IN NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA LATE  
THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EVENING. THE PROBABILITY OF A SHOWER  
OR STORM MOVING OVER A TERMINAL IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO MENTION IN  
THE TAFS AT THIS TIME. WEST-NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO  
AROUND 15-20 KTS THIS AFTERNOON, WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 30 KTS  
ACROSS THE NORTH.  
 

 
   
BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...HOLLAN  
DISCUSSION...HOLLAN  
AVIATION...HOLLAN  
 
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