885  
FXUS63 KFGF 230450  
AFDFGF  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND  
1050 PM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- SNOW IS EXPECTED SUNDAY AND MONDAY MAINLY NORTH OF HWY 200 WITH  
THE HIGHEST CHANCES FOR 1" OR MORE ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER.  
 
- COLDER AIR FOR NEXT WEEK WITH SUB ZERO WIND CHILLS.  
 
 
   
UPDATE  
 
ISSUED AT 1044 PM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
 
SEEMS LIKE THE LAYER OF LOW CLOUDS IS CURRENTLY STRETCHING FROM  
CARRINGTON TO VALLEY CITY WITH JAMESTOWN INCLUDED. THE CLOUDS  
HAVE LIFTED TO AT LEAST 12000 FEET OVER THE DEVILS LAKE BASIN.  
ITS VERY UNCERTAIN AS TO WHAT THE CLOUD COVER WILL DO. OTHERWISE  
IT LOOKS TO BE A QUIET NIGHT AS THE RADAR SHOWS A BROAD SWATH OF  
LIGHT RETURNS BUT OBSERVATIONS DONT SUPPORT ANYTHING REACHING  
THE GROUND.  
 
 
UPDATE ISSUED AT 534 PM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
 
THERE AN AREA OF OBSCURE LOWER CLOUD DECK OVER THE WESTERN  
PORTION OF THE DEVILS LAKE BASIN. WITH THE CLOUDS FILLING IN  
OVERNIGHT I'M EXPECTING THE TEMPERATURES TO STABILIZE IN THE  
UPPER TEENS TO LOW 20'S. NOT EXPECTING ANY SNOW TONIGHT BUT  
WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME TO HAVE SOME SPORADIC FLURRIES DROP WHERE  
THOSE LOWER CLOUDS ARE.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 137 PM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
   
..SYNOPSIS  
 
A STARK PATTERN SHIFT IS IN STORE FOR THE COMING WEEK WITH A  
CONTINENTAL POLAR AIRMASS EXPECTED TO SLIDE SOUTH INTO THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS. PRIOR TO THIS ARCTIC INTRUSION HOWEVER A COUPLE  
WAVES TRAVERSE THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER AND BRING CHANCES FOR  
ACCUMULATING SNOW THROUGH MONDAY. PRECIP CHANCES DIMINISH FOR  
THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK THOUGH INTERMITTENT FLURRY CHANCES  
REMAIN THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE WEEK WITH A COLD THANKSGIVING  
WEEKEND ANTICIPATED.  
 
-SNOW CHANCES  
 
A WEAK 500MB WAVE IS TRAVERSING SOUTHERN MANITOBA AND WESTERN  
ONTARIO TODAY PRODUCING SOME ELEVATED ECHOS ON RADAR THIS  
MORNING AROUND 10K FT BUT DRY AIR BELOW HAS PREVENTED ANYTHING  
FROM REACHING THE SURFACE. NOT TO SAY ZERO FLAKES HAVE BEEN  
OBSERVED BUT THEY ARE LIKELY FEW AND FAR BETWEEN AMOUNTING TO NO  
MORE THAN A QUICK DUSTING AS ECHOS SCOOT EAST AT 50KTS LEAVING  
LITTLE TIME FOR ACCUMULATIONS. CLOUDY SKIES TONIGHT AS A  
STUBBORN INVERSION TRAPS A HUMID AIRMASS, VIA MELTING SNOW,  
NEAR THE SURFACE KEEPING STRATUS IN PLACE FOR MOST OF NORTHWEST  
MINNESOTA ESPECIALLY ALONG THE EASTERN GRADIENT OF EXISTING  
SNOWPACK. ANOTHER 500MB WAVE THEN TRACKS FROM NEAR CALGARY INTO  
THE WINNIPEG AREA BY THE LATE WEEKEND BRINGING ANOTHER SHOT AT  
PRECIPITATION. THIS WAVE MAY BRING A CHANCE FOR FREEZING  
DRIZZLE SUNDAY MORNING AS THE LOW LEVELS SATURATE BETWEEN -4C  
AND -8C WITH DRY AIR IN THE DGZ PREVENTING ICE CRYSTAL  
FORMATION ABOVE. THIS HIGHEST CHANCES FOR ANY NONFREEZING  
DRIZZLE WOULD BE ACROSS THE DEVILS LAKE BASIN AND INTO NORTHEAST  
NORTH DAKOTA. THE MAIN UNCERTAINTY IS HOW DEEP SFC SATURATION  
CAN DEVELOP WITH THE TOP OF THE LAYER NEAR THE -8C TO -10C  
MARK, RIGHT AT THE THRESHOLD OF WHERE CRYSTAL FORMATION WOULD  
BEGIN. BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON A SATURATING DGZ WOULD END ANY THREAT  
FOR NON SNOW PTYPES WITH A 40% FOR 1" NORTH OF HWY 2 AND UP TO  
70% CHANCE ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER THROUGH MONDAY EVENING.  
 
-COLDER AIRMASS  
 
BEHIND THESE WEEKEND SNOW CHANCES WE SHIFT FROM PROGRESSIVE  
SHORTWAVE TROUGHING AMID ZONAL FLOW TO A NORTHWEST FLOW PATTERN MORE  
TYPICAL OF MID WINTER. AS EVIDENCED THIS MORNING BY LOWS IN NORTHERN  
BRITISH COLUMBIA, ALBERTA, AND THE SOUTHERN YUKON TERRITORY IN  
THE MINUS 10S TO MINUS 20S, A COLD AIRMASS ALREADY EXISTS TO  
TAP INTO IN NORTH AMERICA AND NORTHWEST FLOW ACROSS THE  
CANADIAN PRAIRIES IS THE IDEAL WAY TO QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY  
TRANSPORT IT SOUTH. DIGGING TROUGHING OUT OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE  
MOVING INTO THE HUDSON BAY REGION WILL PROVIDE SINKING VIA  
NEGATIVE VORTICITY ADVECTION ON ITS BACKSIDE HELPING TO PREVENT  
MODIFICATION (WARMING) OF THE AIRMASS ON ITS WAY SOUTH. CURRENT  
PROBABILITIES OF SUB 0 LOWS ARE 40% FOR ANY GIVEN MORNING  
BEYOND TUESDAY WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCES IN CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA.  
THROUGH THIS PERIOD WE REMAIN ON THE EASTERN PERIPHERY OF 850MB  
RIDGING KEEPING WINDS FROM GOING CALM ESPECIALLY LATER IN THE  
PERIOD PAST WEDNESDAY. UNFORTUNATELY WE ALL KNOW IT WOULDN'T BE  
SO BAD WITHOUT THE WIND BUT FACTORING IT IN WE ARRIVE AT WIND  
CHILLS POTENTIALLY AS LOW AS THE MINUS TEENS BY THE END OF THE  
WEEK.  
 
THANKFULLY ASIDE FROM THE COLDER TEMPERATURES THERE DOES NOT APPEAR  
TO BE ANY NOTABLE PRECIPITATION CHANCES TO DISRUPT THANKSGIVING  
TRAVEL IN THE IMMEDIATE REGION. CONSIDERING HAVING AN EXTRA BLANKET  
OR TWO IN THE CAR JUST FOR GOOD MEASURE IS NEVER A BAD IDEA HOWEVER.  
WINTER HAS ARRIVED AT LEAST FOR THE NEAR TERM.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 534 PM CST FRI NOV 22 2024  
 
THE CEILINGS SHOULD STAY VFR FOR MOST OF THE AREA. NEAR KDVL  
THERE IS AN ISOLATED AREA OF CEILINGS BETWEEN 1300FT AND 1600FT  
WHILE EVERYWHERE ELSE IS VFR. NOT QUITE SURE IF THESE LOWER  
CLOUDS WILL MOVE WEST WITH THE TROUGH OR NOT. BUT CLOUDS SHOULD  
FILL IN OVERNIGHT FOR OVERCAST SKIES. WINDS WILL BECOME LIGHT  
AND VARIABLE AS THE TROUGH PASSES THROUGH AND SHIFT THE WINDS TO  
THE EAST STARTING TOMORROW AFTERNOON TO EVENING TIMEFRAME.  
 
 
   
FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
ND...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
UPDATE...MM  
DISCUSSION...TT  
AVIATION...MM  
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