704  
FXUS63 KBIS 111753  
AFDBIS  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND  
1253 PM CDT FRI SEP 11 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- COOLING TREND TODAY INTO THE WEEKEND.  
 
- LOW RAIN CHANCES (~20 PERCENT) TODAY.  
 
- HIGH RAIN CHANCES (~70 TO 100 PERCENT) SUNDAY NIGHT INTO  
MONDAY.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 1250 PM CDT FRI SEP 11 2026  
 
LITTLE TO NO UPDATES NEEDED AT THIS HOUR. THE LATEST NBM WAS  
LOADED INTO THE FORECAST.  
 
UPDATE ISSUED AT 947 AM CDT FRI SEP 11 2026  
 
COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE STATE,  
CURRENTLY IT IS IN THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY. LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS  
ARE NOW VISIBLE IN THE NORTH CENTRAL ON RADAR, SO ADJUSTED THE  
NBM TO REFLECT THAT.  
 
UPDATE  
ISSUED AT 629 AM CDT FRI SEP 11 2026  
 
COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO SETTLE THROUGH THE AREA, AND HAS NOW  
PASSED JUST TO THE SOUTH OF BISMARCK. THIS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH  
THE MORNING, WITH NORTHERLY WINDS CONTINUING TO INCREASE IN ITS  
WAKE. GOING FORECAST CONTINUES TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 357 AM CDT FRI SEP 11 2026  
 
CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACES LOW OVER NORTHERN MANITOBA AND  
SASKATCHEWAN WITH SECONDARY LOW OVER WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA. COLD  
FRONT CONTINUES TO DROP THROUGH NORTHWEST INTO NORTH CENTRAL  
NORTH DAKOTA. UPPER LEVEL ANALYSIS PLACES BROAD RIDGE OVER THE  
MIDWEST, WITH TROUGH OVER THE NORTHWESTERN CONUS RESULTING IN  
WEST/SOUTHWEST FLOW OVER OUR AREA, THOUGH A FEW SHORT WAVES  
SWINGING AROUND LOW ALONG THE NORTHERN MANITOBA/SASKATCHEWAN  
BORDER CONTINUE TO BE NOTED IN THE FLOW.  
 
FOR TODAY, COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO DROP THROUGH THE AREA  
WITH WINDS BECOMING NORTHERLY AND BREEZY IN ITS WAKE. IN  
ADDITION, NOTABLY COOLER AIR WILL MOVE IN BEHIND THE FRONT.  
HIGH TEMPERATURES OVER OUR AREA WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 60S  
OVER NORTHWESTERN NORTH DAKOTA TO THE 80S OVER THE SOUTHERN  
JAMES RIVER VALLEY. A BROAD SHORT WAVE SWINGING AROUND THE UPPER  
LOW TO THE NORTH PUSHES INTO OUR AREA, WHICH MAY RESULT IN SOME  
MODEST AFTERNOON SHOWERS. CHANCES SETTLE TOWARDS THE SOUTH  
TOWARDS EVENING.  
 
ON SATURDAY, SURFACE HIGH PUSHES TOWARDS THE AREA, WITH NOTABLY  
COOLER TEMPERATURES (HIGHS ABOUT 10-15 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE). A  
SHORT WAVE MOVING THROUGH OVERNIGHT MAY RESULT IN SOME RAIN  
SHOWERS OVER SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE AREA. IN THE MEANTIME, A  
COMPACT SURFACE LOW PUSHES ONSHORE OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.  
 
ON SUNDAY, MODEST RIDGING DEVELOPS TO THE WEST AHEAD OF THE  
AFOREMENTIONED LOW, QUICKLY PASSING OVER THE AREA AS THE UPPER LOW  
SLIDES OVER THE ROCKIES AND A LEE SLIDE SURFACE LOW DEVELOPS.  
SYSTEM THEN PUSHES EAST-NORTHEAST OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND  
CANADIAN PRAIRIES, BRINGING WIDESPREAD HIGH RAIN CHANCES  
(~70-100 PERCENT) TO OUR AREA SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. LATEST  
NBM GUIDANCE SHOWS A 50 PERCENT OR GREAT CHANCE OF SEEING A HALF  
INCH OF PRECIPITATION ALONG AND NORTH/EAST OF THE MISSOURI  
RIVER, WITH A 70 PERCENT OR GREATER OVER NORTH CENTRAL NORTH  
DAKOTA.  
 
SYSTEM THEN EXITS THE AREA LATE MONDAY WITH DRIER WESTERLY FLOW  
FOR TUESDAY. THEREAFTER, GUIDANCE IS HAVING TROUBLE WITH SOME  
KEY FEATURES, BUT OVERALL THE PATTERN SUGGEST OCCASIONAL MODEST  
PRECIPITATION CHANCES. AS FOR TEMPERATURES, NBM CONTINUES TO  
EXPRESS LOW CONFIDENCE GIVEN THE NOTABLE SPREAD IN POSSIBLE  
HIGHS/LOWS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1250 PM CDT FRI SEP 11 2026  
 
VFR THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH POSSIBLE MVFR IN THE NORTHWEST THIS  
AFTERNOON. THERE IS ALSO LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE  
NORTHWEST BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOW. WINDS TODAY WILL BE  
NORTHWESTERLY 10 TO 20KTS, INCREASING IN THE NORTH AND EAST  
SATURDAY TO 15 TO 30KTS.  
 

 
   
BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...SMITH  
DISCUSSION...JJS  
AVIATION...SMITH  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab ND Page Main Text Page