428  
FXUS63 KBIS 281149  
AFDBIS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND  
649 AM CDT MON JUL 28 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ACROSS  
SOUTHERN NORTH DAKOTA THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON. A  
SIGNIFICANT DAMAGING WIND THREAT COULD DEVELOP ALONG AND  
SOUTH OF I-94, WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 80 MPH.  
 
- ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE ACROSS  
NORTHERN NORTH DAKOTA THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON. EXPECTED  
HAZARDS INCLUDE HAIL AS LARGE AS PING PONG BALLS AND WIND  
GUSTS UP TO 70 MPH.  
 
- BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED THIS WEEK, WITH HIGHS  
MAINLY IN THE 70S AND LOWS MAINLY IN THE 50S.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 649 AM CDT MON JUL 28 2025  
 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ENTERED WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA  
EARLY THIS MORNING, WITH A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALREADY  
IMPACTING FAR WEST CENTRAL ND. THE EXPECTATION REMAINS THAT  
STORMS WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY THIS MORNING THROUGH THE  
AFTERNOON HOURS, WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR A SIGNIFICANT DAMAGING  
WIND THREAT TO DEVELOP ALONG AND SOUTH OF I94.  
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 437 AM CDT MON JUL 28 2025  
 
SEVERAL INGREDIENTS ARE FORECAST TO BE IN PLACE THIS MORNING AND  
AFTERNOON THAT COULD ALLOW A BOW ECHO/DERECHO TO ORIGINATE IN  
SOUTHWEST OR SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. HOWEVER, THERE IS STILL  
SOME FORECAST UNCERTAINTY IN CONVECTIVE EVOLUTION AND PLACEMENT OF  
THE HIGHEST END SEVERE STORM IMPACTS.  
 
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ONGOING ACROSS NORTHEAST  
MONTANA EARLY THIS MORNING. THESE ARE LIKELY TIED TO MID LEVEL  
IMPULSES EJECTING NORTHEASTWARD OFF THE NORTHERN ROCKIES IN A  
SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT REGIME. ALSO IN PLAY IS AN UPPER LEVEL JET  
STREAK ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA THAT PLACES NORTHEAST MONTANA UNDER  
ITS RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION. THESE FEATURES ARE FORECAST TO MIGRATE  
EASTWARD INTO THE DAKOTAS THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY, WITH A STRONGER  
700 MB WAVE FORECAST TO DEEPEN OVER SOUTHEAST MONTANA BY THE  
AFTERNOON. LEE SURFACE CYCLOGENESIS IS ALSO UNDERWAY IN NORTHEAST  
WYOMING EARLY THIS MORNING, AND ITS FORECAST EAST-SOUTHEAST  
PROGRESSION WILL MAINTAIN A LOW LEVEL EASTERLY FLOW REINFORCING MID  
60S TO MID 70S DEWPOINTS. HIGH PRESSURE OVER ALBERTA/SASKATCHEWAN  
WILL BEGIN PUSHING IN FROM THE NORTHWEST THIS AFTERNOON, SQUEEZING  
THE LOW LEVEL BAROCLINIC ZONE IN THE VICINITY OF THE ND/SD BORDER.  
 
MAINTENANCE AND INTENSITY OF EARLY MORNING CONVECTION ARRIVING FROM  
NORTHEAST MONTANA IS UNCERTAIN. THE DOWNSTREAM ENVIRONMENT IS NOT  
TOO DISSIMILAR FROM WHAT ONGOING CONVECTION IS SAMPLING, WHICH IS  
YIELDING ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS AT TIMES. MUCAPE IS  
SLIGHTLY HIGHER ON THIS SIDE OF THE MONTANA BORDER, AND EFFECTIVE  
BULK SHEAR REMAINS VERY STRONG. BUT CAMS ARE NOT UNIVERSALLY SOLD ON  
UPSCALE GROWTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE STATE THROUGH THE  
DAY, AND THE EXPANDING HIGH PRESSURE FROM CANADA COULD INHIBIT  
DIURNAL GROWTH OF INSTABILITY/BUOYANCY. EVEN A LOWER CAPE SETUP  
COULD ALLOW ISOLATED INSTANCES OF SEVERE WEATHER GIVEN THE EXPECTED  
50 KTS OF DEEP LAYER SHEAR. ALL THIS KEEPS NORTHWEST AND NORTH  
CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AT A MARGINAL RISK (LEVEL 1 OUT OF 5) FOR  
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY.  
 
FARTHER SOUTH, CONFIDENCE IS MUCH HIGHER THAT NOT ONLY WILL  
CONVECTION INITIATE IN SOUTHEAST MONTANA OR SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA  
LATER THIS MORNING, IT WILL POSE A SEVERE THREAT MOVING THROUGH AN  
ENVIRONMENT WITH BOTH HIGH CAPE (AROUND 3000 J/KG) AND HIGH SHEAR  
(50-55 KTS IN THE 0-6 KM LAYER). EVEN THOUGH THE STRENGTH OF  
SYNOPTIC SCALE FORCING CAN BE CLASSIFIED AS MODERATE BUT NOT STRONG,  
THERE SHOULD BE NO ISSUES IN OVERCOMING MLCIN, THOUGH THE INHIBITION  
COULD POTENTIALLY DELAY UPSCALE GROWTH. THE EASTERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW  
DIRECTLY OPPOSING THE WESTERLY STORM MOTION SHOULD ALSO ASSIST IN  
MAINTENANCE OF SEVERE CONVECTION AS IT MOVES THROUGH SOUTHERN ND/  
NORTHERN SD THROUGHOUT THE DAY.  
 
FROM A CONCEPTUAL STANDPOINT, THIS IS A CLASSIC SETUP FOR A NORTHERN  
PLAINS DERECHO, ALTHOUGH THE TIMING FOR OUR LOCAL AREA IS A LITTLE  
UNUSUAL (MID MORNING TO LATE AFTERNOON). BECAUSE THE MCS IS FORECAST  
TO ORIGINATE IN OUR AREA, OR PERHAPS JUST TO THE WEST, THERE IS SOME  
UNCERTAINTY IN WHETHER IT WILL EVOLVE INTO A HIGHER-IMPACT  
SIGNIFICANT DAMAGING WIND EVENT (AKIN TO JUNE 20 EARLIER THIS  
SUMMER) BEFORE IT EXITS TO THE SOUTH AND EAST BY EARLY EVENING.  
THERE IS ALSO STILL FORECAST UNCERTAINTY IN THE LATITUDINAL  
PLACEMENT OF THE MCS. WHILE ALL CAMS SEEM TO FAVOR SEVERE STORMS OF  
SOME FLAVOR IN SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT STORMS  
COULD DIVE INTO NORTHERN SOUTH DAKOTA BEFORE REACHING LAKE OAHE. BUT  
IT IS EQUALLY PLAUSIBLE THAT THE MOST INTENSE STORMS COULD REMAIN  
NORTH OF THE BORDER THROUGH THE SOUTHERN JAMES RIVER VALLEY, WITH A  
MAXIMUM NORTHERN EXTENT AS FAR AS I-94. ALL THIS HAS PROMPTED OUR  
MESSAGING OF SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SEVERE STORMS WITH POTENTIAL FOR  
A SIGNIFICANT DAMAGING WIND EVENT ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE  
THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON.  
 
MOST CAMS AND ANALYSES OF WIND/SHEAR VECTOR ORIENTATION FAVOR A  
LINEAR MODE, WHICH ALSO LENDS CONFIDENCE TO THE MESSAGING OF SEVERE  
GUSTS AS HIGH AS 80 MPH. HOWEVER, A FEW RECENT RUNS OF THE HRRR DO  
OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION OF A COUPLE DISCRETE SUPERCELLS  
BLASTING ACROSS SOUTHERN NORTH DAKOTA, WITH UPSCALE GROWTH INTO A  
LINEAR COMPLEX NOT OCCURRING UNTIL STORMS REACH NORTHEAST SOUTH  
DAKOTA LATER THIS AFTERNOON. WE DO NOT THINK THIS IS A LIKELY  
OUTCOME, BUT IT CANNOT BE COMPLETELY DISREGARDED. A DISCRETE STORM  
MODE WOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO PRODUCE GIANT HAIL (AT LEAST TENNIS  
BALL TO BASEBALL SIZE, PERHAPS EVEN SOFTBALL), BUT BECAUSE OF OUR  
CONFIDENCE IN A LINEAR MODE, WE WILL ONLY MESSAGE PING PONG BALLS  
FOR A MOST LIKELY MAXIMUM HAIL SIZE. IT IS ALSO WORTH EMPHASIZING  
THAT THE VERY LOW PROBABILITY OUTCOME OF GIANT HAIL WOULD BE A  
REPLACEMENT FOR THE SIGNIFICANT WIND THREAT AT ANY GIVEN LOCATION  
(THE TWO WOULD NOT OCCUR CONCURRENTLY). REGARDLESS OF STORM MODE AND  
CONVECTION EVOLUTION, TODAY'S TORNADO THREAT IS VERY LOW.  
 
THE THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS FOR ALL OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH  
DAKOTA WILL END BY EARLY EVENING. AN ACTIVE FLOW PATTERN  
TRANSITIONING FROM ZONAL TO NORTHWEST COULD BRING ADDITIONAL ROUNDS  
OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE STATE TONIGHT THROUGH  
TUESDAY. CAMS ARE DECIDEDLY LESS EXCITED ABOUT THE SEVERE POTENTIAL  
ON TUESDAY COMPARED TO TODAY, BUT THE WESTERN HALF OF THE STATE  
COULD HAVE 1000-2000 J/KG CAPE WITH LITTLE TO NO CIN AND 50 KTS OF 0-  
6 KM SHEAR WITH LONG, STRAIGHT HODOGRAPHS. OVER THE COURSE OF THE  
REST OF THE WEEK, THE CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE SAGGING SOUTH INTO THE  
UPPER MIDWEST WILL SHUNT DAILY CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS TO THE  
THE SOUTH AND WEST (BUT STILL COVERING SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA) AND  
KEEP TEMPERATURES BELOW AVERAGE. A SHIFT TO MORE OF A HIGHLY  
AMPLIFIED WAVE PATTERN IS THEN BEING ADVERTISED FOR THE WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z TUESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 649 AM CDT MON JUL 28 2025  
 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRESENT ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN  
NORTH DAKOTA AT THE MOMENT, AND ARE LIKELY TO PROGRESS EASTWARD  
ACROSS MOST OF THE STATE THROUGH THE DAY TODAY. SEVERE  
THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY FOR THE SOUTHERN HALF OF  
THE STATE. A SIGNIFICANT DAMAGING WIND THREAT COULD DEVELOP  
ALONG AND SOUTH OF I94 LATER THIS MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON  
HOURS. ALONG WITH ANY OF THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS, LOWER  
CEILINGS, SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED VISIBILITY, AND ERRATIC WINDS  
ARE EXPECTED. ONCE STORMS CLEAR OUT LATER THIS AFTERNOON OR  
EARLY EVENING, VFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITY SHOULD PREVAIL  
THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD.  
 

 
   
BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...TELKEN  
DISCUSSION...HOLLAN  
AVIATION...TELKEN  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab ND Page Main Text Page