842  
FXUS63 KFGF 210416  
AFDFGF  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND  
1016 PM CST FRI DEC 20 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY THERE WILL BE A DUSTING TO A HALF AN  
INCH OF LIGHT SNOW COMING TO EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND  
NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA.  
 
- ANOTHER WEAK SYSTEM WILL BRING A CHANCE FOR FREEZING RAIN AND  
SNOW SUNDAY NIGHT. MINIMAL IMPACTS EXPECTED.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 1016 PM CST FRI DEC 20 2024  
 
ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR FLURRIES REMAINS THIS EVENING IN  
SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA, WITH ATTENTION NOW TURNING TO ANOTHER  
VERY WEAK SHORTWAVE APPROACHING NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA. CAMS  
SHOW A SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCE FOR LIGHT SNOW AND FLURRIES ACROSS  
THE NORTHERN RED RIVER VALLEY AND NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA DURING  
THE LATE OVERNIGHT HOURS AND INTO SATURDAY MORNING. QPF REMAINS  
LOW IN THE LATEST GUIDANCE, HOWEVER, WITH AMOUNTS STILL EXPECTED  
TO BE LESS THAN A HALF INCH.  
 
UPDATE  
ISSUED AT 710 PM CST FRI DEC 20 2024  
 
RADAR RETURNS ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA ARE PRODUCING  
VERY LITTLE GROUND TRUTH AS A WEAK SHORTWAVE CONTINUES TO MOVE  
TO THE SOUTHEAST. WE COULD STILL SEE FLURRIES OR PERIODS OF  
LIGHT SNOW IN THAT REGION; HOWEVER, OVERALL THERE WILL BE A  
DECREASE IN ACTIVITY THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE EVENING AND  
OVERNIGHT.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 243 PM CST FRI DEC 20 2024  
   
..SYNOPSIS
 
 
NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WITH ONE WEAK SHORTWAVE TROUGH COMING  
THROUGH TONIGHT AND ANOTHER DIGGING INTO NORTHERN MN TOMORROW.  
ANOTHER CUT OFF LOW WILL COME THROUGH ON SUNDAY, WITH ENSEMBLE  
MEMBERS STILL SHOWING SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE TRACK OF THE  
SYSTEM. THAT WILL MOVE OFF INTO THE GREAT LAKES FOR MONDAY, WITH  
RIDGE BUILDING IN FOR TUESDAY AND THEN SOUTHWEST TO WESTERLY  
FLOW ALOFT AND A WARMER THAN AVERAGE TREND SETTING UP FOR  
CHRISTMAS DAY AND THE REST OF THE WEEK.  
   
..LIGHT SNOW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
 
 
FIRST SHORTWAVE IS CURRENTLY ALONG THE MT/ND BORDER AND IS  
BRINGING SOME LIGHT SNOW TO WESTERN ND ALREADY. SOME MINOR  
IMPACTS DUE TO LOWERED VIS AND SLICK CONDITIONS OUT THERE, BUT  
THERE IS GOOD AGREEMENT ON LIGHT SNOW SKIRTING OUR WESTERN  
COUNTIES AS THE MAIN SHORTWAVE DIGS INTO SD AND THEN IA TONIGHT.  
PRETTY GOOD PROBABILITIES FROM THE HREF FOR A TENTH OF AN INCH  
OF SNOW WEST OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY, BUT QUICKLY GOES DOWN TO  
ZERO PROBABILITY WHEN LOOKING AT AN INCH OR MORE. THIS FITS THE  
FAST MOVING NATURE OF THE WAVE. EQUALLY QUICK MOVING AND EVEN  
WEAKER SHORTWAVE WILL COME DOWN FROM MANITOBA INTO NORTHERN MN  
DURING THE DAY TOMORROW, BRINGING A SIMILAR ROUND OF LIGHT SNOW  
TO NORTHWESTERN MN. AT THIS POINT IT SEEMS LIKE A DUSTING TO A  
HALF AN INCH IS MOST LIKELY AS PROBABILITIES FOR ANYTHING MORE  
THAN AN INCH JUST AREN'T THERE.  
   
..MIXED PRECIPITATION LATE SUNDAY
 
 
CUT OFF LOW COMES OUT LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY NIGHT,  
QUICKLY MOVING EAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES BY THE START OF THE  
WORK WEEK MONDAY. QUITE A BIT OF DIFFERENCES IN TRACK SO  
CONFIDENCE IN DETAILS IS NOT HIGH. PROBABILITIES FOR FREEZING  
RAIN FROM THE NBM ARE PRETTY LOW, ONLY AROUND 5 PERCENT DESPITE  
SEVERAL MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOWING SOME FAVORABILITY FOR A WARM  
LAYER ALOFT. LOOKING AT ONLY THE ECMWF ENSEMBLE PROBS ARE A  
LITTLE HIGHER, BETWEEN 15 AND 20 PERCENT FOR SLEET OR FREEZING  
RAIN, BUT NOT SUPER HIGH. AT THIS POINT NOT CONFIDENT ENOUGH IN  
IMPACTS TO START DEDICATED MESSAGING, BUT WILL CONTINUE TO  
MONITOR.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 530 PM CST FRI DEC 20 2024  
 
VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL ACROSS MOST AREAS TONIGHT AS HIGH  
PRESSURE CONTINUES TO SETTLE INTO THE REGION. LOOKING INTO EARLY  
SATURDAY MORNING, WE COULD SEE CEILINGS FALL ENOUGH TO USHER IN  
SOME MVFR CIGS FOR KDVL. WINDS ARE LIGHT AND VARIABLE EVERYWHERE  
EXCEPT KDVL, WHERE WE ARE SEEING 5-10 KNOT WINDS. OVERALL,  
MINIMAL IMPACTS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH MIDDAY SATURDAY.  
 

 
   
FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
ND...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...LYNCH/JR  
DISCUSSION...JR  
AVIATION...LYNCH  
 
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