545  
FXUS63 KFGF 230422  
AFDFGF  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND  
1022 PM CST SUN DEC 22 2024  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- WINTRY MIX WITHIN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA INTO WEST-CENTRAL  
MINNESOTA AFTER SUNSET INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING MAY IMPACT  
TRAVEL CONDITIONS FROM LIGHT ICING. THERE IS A 40% CHANCE OF A  
GLAZE OF ICE THROUGH MONDAY MORNING.  
 
- WARMING UP FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEK.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 951 PM CST SUN DEC 22 2024  
 
THE REFLECTIVITIES CONTINUE TO TAKE MORE OF A SSE TRACK, BUT THE  
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS STILL HOLDING UP. MAY NEED AN  
EXTENSION ONCE WE REEVALUATE CONDITIONS IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS.  
FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK.  
 
UPDATE ISSUED AT 716 PM CST SUN DEC 22 2024  
 
STARTING TO SEE THE AREA OF MIXED PRECIPITATION MAKE ITS WAY  
INTO SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA. USE CAUTION OUT AND ABOUT AS  
THINGS ARE EXPECTED TO BE SLICK WHERE THIS MIXED PRECIP FALLS.  
FORECAST REMAINS ON TRACK.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 315 PM CST SUN DEC 22 2024  
   
..SYNOPSIS
 
 
WATER VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGERY THIS AFTERNOON REVEALS AN  
ELONGATED, LOW AMPLITUDE SHORTWAVE TROUGH WITHIN ND/MT, WITH A  
MODEST BUT PRESENT MID LEVEL JET HELPING FORCE AND PROPAGATE  
THIS EAST- SOUTHEAST. RADAR AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS/REPORTS  
CONFIRMS AN AREA OF FREEZING RAIN WITHIN WEST AND CENTRAL ND.  
RADAR RETURNS ARE SHOWING UP IN EASTERN ND INTO MN, ALTHOUGH A  
NOTABLE DRY LAYER ROOTED AROUND 800 MB IS PREVENTING THESE  
LEADING RADAR RETURNS FROM REACHING THE GROUND.  
 
FORECAST GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SUGGEST THIS DRY LAYER SHOULD  
SATURATE AS THE MAIN WAVE MOVES THROUGH SOUTHEAST ND INTO  
CENTRAL MN, ALLOWING A WINTRY MIX TO REACH THE GROUND, INCLUDING  
FREEZING LIQUID. THIS CONTINUES THE POTENTIAL FOR LIGHT ICING IN  
THESE LOCATIONS TONIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING. ADDITIONALLY,  
RECENT GUIDANCE IS SUGGESTING THE POSSIBILITY OF FREEZING  
DRIZZLE ELSEWHERE THROUGH THE MORNING ON MONDAY. MORE ON THE  
POTENTIAL FOR LIGHT ICING AND ASSOCIATED UNCERTAINTY CAN BE  
FOUND BELOW.  
 
LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TRAPPED UNDERNEATH AN INVERSION WILL ALSO  
PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOG WITHIN PORTIONS OF OUR AREA,  
INCLUDING THE POSSIBILITY OF DENSE FOG. LATEST GUIDANCE LIKE  
HRRR AND HREF HOLDS RELATIVELY HIGHEST CHANCE (40%) FOR DENSE  
FOG WITHIN EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA ALONG AND WEST OF THE RED RIVER  
VALLEY TONIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING. HOWEVER, AS IS COMMON WITH  
FOG, CONFIDENCE IS LOW ON LOCATION AND COVERAGE OF DENSE FOG.  
 
GETTING INTO NEXT WEEK, ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE WANTS TO PROPAGATE  
UPPER RIDGING AND SPLIT FLOW EAST INTO THE CENTRAL CONUS BY  
LATE NEXT WEEK. AS IT DOES THIS, SOME ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE FAVORS  
EMBEDDED WEAKER SHORTWAVE TROUGHS WITHIN THE FLOW TO MOVE  
THROUGH THE NORTHERN PLAINS/UPPER MIDWEST, WHICH MAY BRING BRIEF  
PERIODS OF LIGHT PRECIPITATION. THIS REGIME ALSO FAVORS WARMER  
THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES, INCLUDING TEMPERATURES NEAR OR JUST  
ABOVE FREEZING. THIS WILL INFLUENCE PRECIPITATION TYPE, AND  
ADDITIONAL BOUTS OF WINTRY MIX OR EVEN PLAIN RAIN WILL BE  
POSSIBLE.  
 
ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE DIFFERS IN EXACTLY HOW SPLIT FLOW MOVES INTO  
THE CENTRAL CONUS AS WELL AS HOW THE UPPER RIDGE BREAKS DOWN AND  
PROPAGATES EASTWARD. BUT ONE CLUSTER OF GUIDANCE DOES REVEAL  
BROAD SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER THE PLAINS AND MIDWEST BY LATE  
NEXT WEEK, WITH UPPER TROUGHING NOW ATTEMPTING TO DIG INTO THE  
WESTERN CONUS. THIS MAY PROMOTE A LARGER SYSTEM TO DEVELOP AND  
MOVE THROUGH THE CENTRAL CONUS. UNCERTAINTY IN POTENTIAL  
IMPACTS IS LARGE FROM THIS POTENTIAL SYSTEM LATE NEXT WEEK, NOT  
ONLY DRIVEN BY DIFFERENCES IN SYNOPTIC EVOLUTION WITHIN ENSEMBLE  
GUIDANCE, BUT ALSO WITH TEMPERATURES HOVERING AROUND FREEZING  
LEADING TO UNCERTAINTY IN PRECIPITATION TYPE.  
 
...POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROM ICING TONIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING..  
 
DESPITE THE SHORTWAVE AND ITS ASSOCIATED PRECIPITATION ALREADY  
WITHIN CENTRAL ND, UNCERTAINTY LINGERS WITH RESPECT TO COVERAGE  
OF LIGHT ICING. AS THE WAVE MOVES INTO CENTRAL MN, SYNOPTIC  
FORCING STARTS TO WEAKEN AS THE MODEST JET MAINTAINING THE WAVE  
STARTS TO LESSEN. THIS BRINGS UNCERTAINTY IN HOW MUCH PRECIP  
MAY ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO PUNCH THROUGH THE DRY 800 MB LAYER.  
THERE IS EVIDENCE OF MID LEVEL CONDITIONAL INSTABILITY ABOVE 700  
MB WHICH INTRODUCES MORE SHOWERY-TYPE PRECIPITATION, AGAIN  
LOWERING CONFIDENCE IN COVERAGE. IN OUR AREA, WE ALSO HAVE  
DEEPER LOW LEVEL COLD LAYER UNDER WARM NOSE ALOFT. THIS MAY  
PROMOTE SLEET IN ADDITION TO FREEZING RAIN. LASTLY, AS THE WAVE  
MOVES EAST INTO MINNESOTA, COOLER AIR FILTERING IN BEHIND THE  
DEPARTING MID LEVEL FORCING WILL HELP KEEP THE LOWEST 1 KM  
SATURATED.  
 
THE DEPARTING WAVE ALSO TAKES AWAY ICE NUCLEI ALOFT,  
INTRODUCING POTENTIAL FOR FREEZING DRIZZLE. GUIDANCE DIFFERS IN  
HOW DEEP THIS LOWEST, SUPERCOOLED LIQUID LAYER LINGERS OVER OUR  
AREA, WITH SOME WHISKING MOISTURE AWAY BY MID MORNING, WHILE  
OTHERS HOLD ONTO SUFFICIENTLY DEEP MOISTURE THROUGHOUT THE DAY  
MONDAY.  
 
LOOKING AT THE 12Z HREF SPECIFICALLY, NEIGHBORHOOD PROBABILITY  
OF ICING 0.01" OR MORE IS AROUND 40% NEAR THE SD BORDER/TRI  
STATE AREA TONIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING.  
 
THUS, WILL CONTINUE TO MESSAGE POTENTIAL FOR LIGHT ICING WITHIN  
SOUTHEAST ND INTO WEST-CENTRAL MN VIA THE SPECIAL WEATHER  
STATEMENT, BUT IF CONFIDENCE INCREASES IN MORE WIDESPREAD ICING,  
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MAY BE WARRANTED. DESPITE THE  
UNCERTAINTY, WE ARE ALSO MESSAGING TO BE PREPARED FOR  
POTENTIAL OF IMPACTED TRAVEL CONDITIONS FOR THE MONDAY MORNING  
COMMUTE.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1022 PM CST SUN DEC 22 2024  
 
CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE OVERNIGHT INTO MONDAY.  
CEILINGS WILL DECREASE TO IFR/LIFR AT ALL TAF SITES BY AROUND  
12Z MONDAY, WITH LOWER VSBYS POSSIBLE AROUND DVL. WINDS WILL BE  
OUT OF THE NORTH, OR VARIABLE, ALL UNDER 10 KNOTS. INTO MONDAY  
EVENING, WINDS WILL SHIFT SOUTHERLY BUT STILL BE LIGHT FOR THE  
TAF PERIOD.  
 

 
   
FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
ND...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR NDZ038-  
039-049-052-053.  
MN...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR MNZ003-  
024-027>032-040.  
 

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...AH  
DISCUSSION...CJ  
AVIATION...AH  
 
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