910  
FXUS63 KBIS 241741  
AFDBIS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND  
1241 PM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. EXPECTED HAZARDS INCLUDE HAIL UP TO  
GOLF BALL SIZE AND DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 70 MPH, WITH A TORNADO  
OR TWO POSSIBLE.  
 
- SMOKE FROM DISTANT WILDFIRES WILL MAKE SKIES HAZY AND MAY  
BRING REDUCED SURFACE VISIBILITY TONIGHT.  
 
- VERY HOT CONDITIONS WILL RETURN THROUGH THE WEEKEND, WITH  
DANGEROUS HEAT INDEX VALUES AROUND 100 TO 105 DEGREES EXPECTED  
THIS WEEKEND.  
 
- THE COMBINATION OF HOT, DRY, AND BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL CREATE  
NEAR-CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TODAY AND AGAIN ON  
SUNDAY, MAINLY IN THE SOUTHWEST AND PARTS OF THE SOUTH  
CENTRAL.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 1241 PM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
 
ISSUED A HEAT ADVISORY FOR SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. MORE DETAILS  
ON THAT WILL BE IN THE FULL FORECAST PACKAGE WITHIN THE NEXT  
COUPLE HOURS. A CLUSTER OF SHOWERS AND OCCASIONAL THUNDERSTORMS  
IS PRESENT IN WEST CENTRAL ND. IT HAS REMAINED PRETTY TAME TO  
THIS POINT, BUT INTENSIFICATION IS POSSIBLE OVER THE NEXT FEW  
HOURS, WHILE ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS ALSO POSSIBLE. SOME  
STORMS MAY BE SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING, THOUGH  
DETAILS FOR THAT TOO WILL BE IN THE MAIN UPDATE.  
 
UPDATE  
ISSUED AT 949 AM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
 
LOW LEVEL STRATUS THAT HAD DEVELOPED EARLIER THIS MORNING OVER  
MUCH OF THE SOUTH CENTRAL, INCLUDING THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY, IS  
RAPIDLY ERODING. THEREFORE, MORNING STRATUS SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY  
IMPACT ON HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY, AS WELL AS SEVERE WEATHER  
POTENTIAL. ANOTHER THING IS SMOKE. YESTERDAY'S HIGHS WOUND UP  
ABOUT FIVE DEGREES SHORT ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA DUE TO THICK  
ELEVATED SMOKE. DESPITE BOTH THE HRRR AND RAP SMOKE MODELS  
SUGGESTING SIMILAR CONCENTRATIONS, SMOKE DOESN'T APPEAR AS THICK  
THIS MORNING ON GEOCOLOR SATELLITE, ON VARIOUS WEBCAMS, AND  
VISUALLY AT THE OFFICE. THEREFORE, UNSURE IF THERE WILL BE  
ENOUGH SMOKE TO INHIBIT TEMPERATURES IN A MEANINGFUL WAY TODAY.  
IF NOT, SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY THIS  
AFTERNOON. IF SO, THINGS ARE A BIT MORE QUESTIONABLE ACROSS THE  
CWA.  
 
UPDATE  
ISSUED AT 642 AM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
 
LOW CLOUDS, MIST, AND PATCHY FOG CONTINUE TO BE FOUND ACROSS THE  
SOUTHCENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST. THIS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE HAS BECOME  
QUITE ROBUST, ALTHOUGH FOG REPORTS HAVE BEEN LIMITED. MAINTAINED  
PATCHY FOG AND LOW CLOUDS THROUGH AT LEAST MID MORNING.  
OTHERWISE, MORNING THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOSTLY REMAINED IN SOUTHER  
CANADA. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE CURRENTLY IN MONTANA ALONG THE  
SURFACE TROUGH AND WARM FRONT. PERHAPS THESE MOVE INTO  
NORTHWESTERN ND THIS MORNING AS THE MENTIONED TROUGH MOVES  
EASTWARD AND MUCAPE REMAINS MODEST. WIND WOULD BE THE MAIN  
THREAT WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM THAT DEVELOPS THIS MORNING.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 405 AM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
 
INCREASED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL BRING LOW CLOUDS AND PERHAPS  
SOME PATCHY FOG ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN PORTIONS  
THIS MORNING. SURFACE TROUGH WITH BROAD RIDGING ALOFT WILL  
BRING A FEW DIFFERENT WEATHER IMPACTS TODAY. TO START, SPC HAS  
MAINTAINED THE SLIGHT RISK FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN ND,  
WHILE EXPANDED THE MARGINAL RISK INTO MOST OF THE STATE EXCEPT  
THE SOUTHWEST. OVERALL THE SETUP REMAINS SIMILAR TO PREVIOUS  
DISCUSSIONS. SURFACE TROUGH WILL MOVE THROUGH TODAY, WITH A WEAK  
COLD FRONT REPLACING A WEAK WARM FRONT THIS AFTERNOON AND  
EVENING. MODEST INSTABILITY AND SHEAR WILL BE FOUND ALONG THESE  
FRONTS BRINGING ALL HAZARDS OF SEVERE WEATHER POSSIBLE, IF A  
STOUT CAP CAN BE BROKEN. THE LIKELY MAIN THREAT WILL BE WIND.  
INVERTED V SOUNDINGS, HIGH DCAPE VALUES, AND MODEST TO HIGH 0 TO  
3 KM SHEAR ALL INDICATE WINDS OF 70 MPH POSSIBLE, WITH PERHAPS  
HIGHER WINDS DEPENDING ON WHAT STORM MODE DEVELOPS. CURRENT  
THINKING IS STORMS ARE MULTI CLUSTER TODAY, WITH A BRIEF WINDOW  
FOR SUPERCELLS. ANY SUPERCELLS COULD BRING LARGE HAIL TO GOLF  
BALL IN SIZE. SPC HAS INTRODUCED AN INTENSITY LEVEL 1 FOR HAIL  
IN THE SLIGHT RISK AREA, INDICATING HAIL 2 INCHES OR GREATER IS  
POSSIBLE. THIS WOULD BE VERY CONDITIONAL ON ROTATING SUPERCELLS  
AND TIMING OF THE HIGHER SHEAR INFLUENCING THESE. THIS HIGHER  
SHEAR MAY BE DELAYED TO BEHIND THE SURFACE TROUGH, THUS KEPT  
WITH GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL FOR TODAY. A TORNADO OR TWO ALSO  
REMAINS POSSIBLE ALTHOUGH ARE STILL CONDITIONAL ON A SURFACE  
BASED SUPERCELL STORM MODE AND SOME INTERACTIONS WITH EITHER  
STORMS OR REMNANT BOUNDARIES FROM THIS MORNINGS CONVECTION IF  
ANY. STP VALUES AROUND 1 ARE ALSO FOUND FOR A LIMITED TIME THIS  
AFTERNOON. THUS WILL MAINTAIN MENTION OF A TORNADO OR TWO  
POSSIBLE, ALTHOUGH CHANCES STILL REMAIN LOW. TIMING WISE, SOME  
THUNDERSTORMS ARE CURRENTLY ALONG THE COLD FRONT IN SOUTHERN  
CANADA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD CLIP NORTHERN ND THIS MORNING,  
ALTHOUGH SHOULD REMAIN ELEVATED. AS THIS FRONT AND SURFACE  
TROUGH MOVES THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING, LOOK FOR BETTER  
CHANCES OF SEVERE WEATHER IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN ND ESPECIALLY  
IN THE MORE MOISTURE RICH AREAS FROM THIS MORNING. THIS IS AGAIN  
ASSUMING THE CAP CAN BE BROKEN TODAY. THE INITIAL THUNDERSTORMS  
SHOULD PUSH EASTWARD BY EARLY TO MID EVENING. SOME CAMS HAVE  
ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS REDEVELOPING ALONG THE STALLED  
BOUNDARY LATER THIS EVENING INTO THE EARLY OVERNIGHT HOURS.  
ALTHOUGH INSTABILITY ALONG THIS BOUNDARY LOWERS, SHEAR WILL  
REMAIN HIGH. CHANCES FOR THIS REDEVELOPMENT APPEAR LOW AT THIS  
TIME, ALTHOUGH ANY SORT OF LOW LEVEL JET COULD BE ENOUGH TO  
OVERCOME THE LOWER LIFT ALONG THE STALLED BOUNDARY THUS HAVE  
PLACED IN SOME SLIGHT POPS FOR THIS.  
 
THE NEXT AREAS OF CONCERN FOR TODAY ARE HOT TEMPERATURES AND  
THE POTENTIAL FOR NEAR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. WARM  
FRONT MOVING THROUGH WILL BRING WARMING TEMPERATURES FORECAST IN  
THE 90S TO LOWER 100S FOR MUCH OF THE STATE TODAY. HOWEVER,  
HRRR SMOKE SHOWING ABUNDANT WILDFIRE SMOKE BOTH ALOFT AND AT THE  
SURFACE MOVING IN BY THIS AFTERNOON AND LINGERING THROUGH  
TONIGHT. LOCAL RESEARCH SUGGESTS ABUNDANT VERTICALLY INTEGRATED  
SMOKE COULD IMPACT TEMPERATURES 5 TO 10 DEGREES. FORECAST HRRR  
VERTICALLY INTEGRATED SMOKE VALUES TODAY APPEAR TO BE MODEST YET  
MAY IMPACT HIGH TEMPERATURES, THUS HAVE LOWERED THEM A FEW  
DEGREES FROM THE NBM. THIS LOWERING ALSO LOWERS APPARENT  
TEMPERATURES TODAY ENOUGH TO CREATE UNCERTAINTY ON HEAT PRODUCTS  
FOR TODAY. THUS WILL HOLD OFF, ALTHOUGH SOME SOUTH CENTRAL  
AREAS WILL GET CLOSE TO HEAT INDEX VALUES NEAR 100 DEGREES.  
THESE HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS, COMBINED WITH INCREASED WESTERLY  
WINDS FROM THE MENTIONED FRONT COULD BRING SOME NEAR CRITICAL  
FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS TO SOUTHWESTERN AND SOUTH CENTRAL  
PORTIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE NUMBER OF HOURS OF  
THESE NEAR CRITICAL CONDITIONS COMBINED WITH REPORTED PARTIALLY  
GREEN FUELS HAS CAUSE TO HOLD OFF ON ANY FIRE WEATHER PRODUCTS  
AS WELL FOR TODAY.  
 
THIS WEEKEND, HOT TEMPERATURES AND DANGEROUS HEAT REMAINS THE  
BIGGEST CONCERN. STALLED FRONT LIFTS BACK NORTH SATURDAY, WHILE  
THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE ALSO LOOKS TO REBOUND SLIGHTLY. THIS COULD  
BE THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE WEEKEND, ALTHOUGH MAY DEPEND ON HOW  
MUCH WILDFIRE SMOKE LINGERS ACROSS THE AREA. WIDESPREAD  
TEMPERATURES FORECAST IN THE 100S COULD LEAD TO DANGEROUS HEAT  
INDEX VALUES ALSO IN THE 100S. STILL APPEARS TO BE A DRYER HEAT  
COMPARED TO LAST WEEKEND, ALTHOUGH COULD STILL AT LEAST HIT  
ADVISORY LEVELS. ALTHOUGH CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING IN A HEAT  
PRODUCT FOR THIS WEEKEND, WOULD STILL LIKE TO SEE HOW SMOKE  
IMPACTS TEMPERATURES TODAY, WHICH COULD PLAY OUT SIMILAR THIS  
WEEKEND. EVEN SO, THOSE WITH OUTDOOR PLANS WILL WANT TO USE  
CAUTION GIVEN THE ELEVATED POTENTIAL FOR DANGEROUS HEAT THIS  
WEEKEND. WEAK INSTABILITY, SURFACE LOW, AND THE MENTIONED  
BOUNDARY COULD BRING AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS EACH  
DAY THIS WEEKEND. AN ISOLATED SEVERE STORM IS POSSIBLE AS WELL  
EACH DAY, ALTHOUGH SEVERE CHANCES LOOK TO BE HIGHER TO OUR SOUTH  
ON SATURDAY, AND TO OUR EAST ON SUNDAY. LIGHT WINDS ON SATURDAY  
SHOULD LIMIT THE FIRE WEATHER THREAT, ALTHOUGH RH VALUES WILL BE  
IN THE TEENS AND 20S. LOW RH VALUES AND PERHAPS SOME INCREASED  
WESTERLY WINDS ARE FORECAST FOR SUNDAY, BRINGING NEAR CRITICAL  
FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS POSSIBLE FOR SOUTHWESTERN PORTIONS  
SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  
 
EARLY TO MID NEXT WEEK, UPPER LEVEL RIDGE LOOKS TO LINGER ACROSS  
THE CENTRAL US BRINGING A SIMILAR PATTERN OF HOT AND GENERALLY  
DRY CONDITIONS. ANY WEAK DISTURBANCES OR FLATTENING OF THIS  
RIDGE COULD BRING SOME ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS,  
ALTHOUGH CURRENT FORECAST HAS GENERALLY LOW POPS. THE DRY NATURE  
OF THIS RIDGE COULD LIMIT THE HEAT RISK DESPITE FORECAST HIGHS  
IN THE 90S TO LOW 100S. LOW TEMPERATURES AT NIGHT WILL ALSO BE  
MILD AND GENERALLY IN THE 60S. FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL ALSO  
GREATLY DEPEND ON ANY DAYS WITH INCREASED WINDS, WITH THE  
CURRENT FORECAST SHOWING GENERALLY LIGHT WINDS TO START NEXT  
WEEK. OVERALL LOOK FOR WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES TO  
CONTINUE NEXT WEEK WITH LOW CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1241 PM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026  
 
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON  
AND EARLY EVENING. SOME STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL  
AND DAMAGING WINDS. ALL TERMINALS COULD BE IMPACTED, THOUGH KBIS  
AND KJMS ARE THE ONLY ONES WITH HIGH ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO  
INCLUDE PROB30S AT THIS TIME. SMOKE TODAY HAS NOT PANNED OUT AS  
WELL AS MODELS HAD SUGGESTED. THEREFORE, BASED ON CURRENT  
CONDITIONS AND UPSTREAM OBSERVATIONS, PULLED SMOKE MENTIONS OUT  
OF TAFS FOR NOW. STILL, VISIBILITY REDUCTIONS AREN'T ENTIRELY  
OUT OF THE QUESTION TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY IF A PASSING COLD  
FRONTAL BOUNDARY CAN BRING MORE SMOKE TO THE SURFACE.  
 

 
   
BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
HEAT ADVISORY FROM 1 PM CDT /NOON MDT/ SATURDAY TO 9 PM CDT /8  
PM MDT/ SUNDAY FOR NDZ017>020-022-023-025-031>033-035>037-  
040>044-046>048-050-051-057>062.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...TELKEN  
DISCUSSION...ANGLIN  
AVIATION...TELKEN  
 
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