727
FXUS63 KBIS 251759
AFDBIS
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
1159 AM CST WED FEB 25 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- PATCHY FOG ACROSS NORTHERN NORTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON.
- TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH FRIDAY,
THEN ARE FAVORED TO TREND COOLER THIS WEEKEND.
- MEDIUM TO HIGH (40 TO 60%) CHANCE FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW ACROSS
THE SOUTH FRIDAY TO SATURDAY.
UPDATE
ISSUED AT 1159 AM CST WED FEB 25 2026
A WARM FRONT IS BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA LATE
THIS MORNING, WITH WINDS BEGINNING TO SHIFT FROM SOUTHERLY TO
WESTERLY. STILL A FAIR AMOUNT OF WIDESPREAD LOW STRATUS
ACROSS THE NORTH AND CENTRAL, ALTHOUGH RGB DAY-SNOW FOG
SATELLITE REVEALS THE STRATUS DECK IS STARTING TO BREAK UP IN
PLACES. FOG HAS BEEN IMPROVING THROUGH THE MORNING, WITH SOME
PATCHY FOG STILL OCCASIONALLY REDUCING VISIBILITY ACROSS
NORTHERN NORTH DAKOTA. NO MAJOR CHANGES WITH THIS UPDATE.
UPDATE
ISSUED AT 907 AM CST WED FEB 25 2026
AREA OF LOW STRATUS AND ASSOCIATED PATCHY DENSE FOG CONTINUES TO
DRIFT NORTH THROUGH WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA THIS MORNING. WE DID
ISSUE ANOTHER SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR DIVIDE THROUGH DUNN
COUNTIES, WHERE WE ARE SEEING SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES
THROUGH BOTH AUTOMATED OBSERVATIONS AND WEBCAMS. RAP-BASED
FORECAST SOUNDINGS HAVE CEILINGS LIFTING IN THE WILLISTON AREA
MID TO LATE MORNING, SO WILL SEE HOW THINGS TREND OVER THE NEXT
HOUR OR TWO. THERE ARE SOME MARGINALLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN
SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA UNDER THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE STRATUS
DECK THAT EXTENDS ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA. MAIN CHANGE
WITH THIS UPDATE WAS TO ADJUST FOG GRIDS TO EXPAND AND EXTEND
MENTION OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS.
UPDATE
ISSUED AT 540 AM CST WED FEB 25 2026
THE LOW STRATUS AND FOG CONTINUE IN PORTIONS OF THE WEST AND
SOUTH CENTRAL. IT SEEMS LIKE OVERALL THE FOG IS STARTING TO
LIFT, SO VISIBILITIES ARE ONLY AS LOW AS 4 MILES NOW. AN SPS HAS
BEEN ISSUED AFTER SEEING SOME DENSE SPOTS ON WEBCAMS. IT LOOKS
LIKE IT IS TRYING TO MOVE NORTH AND BACK TO THE EAST. OTHERWISE
THE FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK, AS THE LIGHT SNOW IS STAYING
SOUTH IN SOUTH DAKOTA THIS MORNING.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 200 AM CST WED FEB 25 2026
CURRENTLY NORTHWEST FLOW IS PRESENT OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS.
AT THE SURFACE A HIGH PRESSURE IS SITTING IN THE EASTERN
DAKOTAS. LOW STRATUS CLOUDS HAVE FORMED IN SOUTHWESTERN NORTH
DAKOTA ON THE EDGE OF THE HIGH PRESSURE. SOME OF THESE LOW
CLOUDS ARE ACTUALLY FOG, REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN 2
MILES. THIS SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH THE LATE MORNING UNTIL THE
DIURNAL HEATING INCREASES THE DEW POINT DEPRESSIONS.
TODAY WILL BE NEAR OR ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. A SLIGHT
SHORTWAVE IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW WILL MOVE THROUGH SOUTH DAKOTA
TODAY, LEADING TO CHANCES OF SNOW. MOST OF THE WAVE WILL MISS
NORTH DAKOTA, SO NOW THE CHANCES FOR SNOW ARE MAINLY JUST ALONG
THE SOUTH DAKOTA BORDER. ALMOST NO SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE
EXPECTED, ESPECIALLY WITH TEMPERATURES ABOVE FREEZING IN MOST
OF THOSE AREAS.
THE REST OF THE WEEK WILL BE CONTINUED WARMTH WITH NEAR TO
ABOVE NORMAL HIGHS. THURSDAY WILL BE BREEZY WITH A PASSING LOW
PRESSURE TO THE SOUTH. FRIDAY A CLIPPER SYSTEM WILL MISS THE
STATE TO THE NORTH, BUT A TRAILING COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH
THE STATE. WINDS WILL OF COURSE BE WINDY. TEMPERATURES WILL
START TO COOL FROM NORTH TO SOUTH AFTER 1PM CT. FRIDAY NIGHT THE
SOUTHWEST PART OF THE STATE WILL BE SQUEEZED BETWEEN A SURFACE
RIDGE IN CENTRAL ND, AND A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN WYOMING. THIS
WILL CREATE A BANDED SNOW EVENT. THE BAND OF SNOW WILL END UP
SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTHWEST HALF OF THE STATE, DEPENDING ON HOW
FAR THAT SURFACE RIDGE MOVES SOUTH. CONFIDENCE IS HIGH IN THE
EVENT HAPPENING, THE QUESTION IS JUST WHERE EXACTLY. NBM
PROBABILITIES FOR 2 INCHES OF SNOW ARE 50 TO 70 PERCENT IN THE
SOUTHWEST CORNER, SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE. FOR 4 INCHES, IT
DROPS TO 30 PERCENT. THE FORECAST TREND FOR SNOW TOTALS HAVE
BEEN INCREASING, WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE SITUATION.
IN THE HIGH PRESSURE AND POST COLD FRONT AIR, SATURDAY WILL BE
MUCH COOLER. LOWS WILL BE BELOW ZERO NORTH TO AROUND 10
ELSEWHERE, THEN EXPECT HIGHS WELL BELOW NORMAL. SINGLE DIGITS IN
THE NORTH TO LOWER 20S IN THE SOUTHWEST. SUNDAY LOWS WILL BE
JUST AS COLD, WITH HIGHS WARMING SLIGHTLY MORE THAN SATURDAY'S.
HEADING INTO NEXT WEEK UNCERTAINTY EXPONENTIALLY GROWS FOR
TEMPERATURES. THE NBM SPREADS ARE 30 DEGREES. THIS IS MOSTLY DUE
TO THE MODELS DIFFERING IN A POSSIBLE COLORADO LOW (THAT WOULD
MISS NORTH DAKOTA) AND DIFFERENT UPPER AIR FLOWS. THE RANGE IS
SHRINKING AND IT IS WARMER OVERALL FROM PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS.
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY/
ISSUED AT 1159 AM CST WED FEB 25 2026
MODERATE MVFR TO IFR STRATUS DECK CONTINUES OVER PARTS OF
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON, WITH
SOME PATCHY FOG IMPACTING KXWA AND KMOT TO START THE TAF PERIOD.
SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL BE TURNING WESTERLY AS A WARM FRONT MOVES
THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING, WITH
STRONG WINDS EXPECTED ON THURSDAY. EXPECTING A RETURN TO VFR
CONDITIONS AT ALL TERMINALS BY THIS EVENING, WITH LLWS OVERNIGHT
INCLUDED AT KXWA, KDIK, AND KBIS.
BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NONE.
UPDATE...JONES
DISCUSSION...SMITH
AVIATION...JONES
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