344
FXUS63 KFGF 300052
AFDFGF
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
652 PM CST WED JAN 29 2025
KEY MESSAGES
- ACCUMULATING AND BLOWING SNOW THIS WEEKEND MAY IMPACT THE
REGION. THERE IS A 20 PERCENT CHANCE FOR MINOR WINTER IMPACTS,
MAINLY TO TRAVEL CONDITIONS.
UPDATE
ISSUED AT 651 PM CST WED JAN 29 2025
THERE IS A LOW (20%) CHANCE FOR LIGHT SNOW IN THE LAKE OF THE
WOODS REGION BETWEEN 6:00PM-11:00PM. MODELS ARE SHOWING UP TO
0.2" OF SNOW. THE UNCERTAINTY FOR THIS EVENT LIES IN THE WEAK
FORCING PRESENT (WAA) AND HIGH CLOUD HEIGHTS (+8000FT).
CURRENTLY, CLOUDS ARE OVERCAST OVER NORTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA,
AND EXTEND INTO CENTRAL MINNESOTA. THIS CLOUD COVERAGE WILL
TRANSITION INTO MOSTLY CLOUDY, AND THEN PARTLY CLOUDY
OVERNIGHT. AT DEVILS LAKE, WINDS WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT FROM SOUTH
TO WEST AROUND 3:00AM. GRAND FORKS AND FARGO WILL HAVE A SIMILAR
WIND SHIFT BETWEEN 7:00AM - 9:00AM.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 306 PM CST WED JAN 29 2025
..SYNOPSIS
TODAY, SYNOPTIC SETUP OVER NORTH AMERICA IS COMPRISED OF UPPER
RIDGING INTO THE CANADIAN ROCKIES, BROAD UPPER TROUGHING
EXTENDING OUT OF HUDSON BAY TO EASTERN GREAT LAKES/NORTHEAST
REGIONS, AND A CUTOFF LOW OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST, AS DEPICTED
BY WATER VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGERY.
WITHIN OUR AREA OF EASTERN ND INTO NORTHWEST/WEST-CENTRAL MN,
NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT EXISTS BETWEEN UPPER RIDGING TO THE WEST
AND TROUGHING TO THE EAST, WITH MORE INFLUENCE OF THE UPSTREAM
UPPER RIDGING, MAINLY BY WAY OF WARMER THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES
TODAY AND TOMORROW (ALSO WITH THE HELP OF A DWINDLING SNOWPACK
EXPOSING DARK SOIL FARM FIELDS). LOW LEVEL WARM AIR ADVECTION
MAY BRING LIGHT SNOW TO THE LAKE OF THE WOODS REGION TONIGHT,
WITH A DUSTING NOT TO EXCEED A FEW TENTHS OF AN INCH.
WARM AIR MASS ALOFT, UPPER RIDGING, MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES, AND A
WESTERLY BREEZY THURSDAY WILL HELP PUSH TEMPERATURES WELL ABOVE
AVERAGE; PERHAPS FLIRTING WITH RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES (MOST
ARE LOW 40S AT CLIMATE SITES), WITH A 10% CHANCE OF ACHIEVING.
ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE BRINGS UPPER RIDGING AXIS EASTWARD BY FRIDAY,
WITH A SHALLOW SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING THROUGH THE SOUTHERN TIER
OF CANADIAN PRAIRIE PROVINCES. THIS WILL IN TURN BRING A COLD
FRONT THROUGH OUR AREA LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY BRINGING A
PERIOD OF MARGINALLY GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS AND PERHAPS SOME
LIGHT SNOW/FLURRIES. GIVEN THE RECENT STRETCH OF WELL ABOVE
FREEZING TEMPERATURES (BOTH OBSERVED AND FORECAST) AND LACK OF
APPRECIABLE SNOWPACK, BLOWING SNOW IS NOT ANTICIPATED, ALTHOUGH
PERHAPS SOME ISOLATED POCKETS OF DRIFTING IS STILL POSSIBLE
FRIDAY.
THE MAIN DRIVER OF POTENTIAL WINTER IMPACTS WITHIN THE FORECAST
COMES FROM THE PASSAGE OF A HYBRID SHORTWAVE TROUGH AROUND
SATURDAY-SUNDAY. MORE DETAILS ON THIS CAN BE FOUND BELOW.
BEHIND THIS HYBRID SYSTEM IS HIGH CONFIDENCE IN A RETURN TO
AVERAGE AND/OR BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES STARTING AROUND MONDAY
LASTING INTO NEXT WEEK. DETAILS BEYOND THIS ARE UNCLEAR GIVEN
INCREASING SPREAD IN SYNOPTIC PATTERN BEYOND THIS WEEKEND'S
SYSTEM.
..POTENTIAL WINTER IMPACTS THIS WEEKEND
GETTING INTO SATURDAY, A STRONG UPPER TROUGH/LOW IS ADVERTISED
BY MOST ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE MOVING THROUGH THE CANADIAN PACIFIC
COASTLINE, WITH A STRONG MID/UPPER JET IN ITS BASE TO THE SOUTH.
THIS JET WILL HELP PROVIDE ENERGY FOR THE SYSTEM AS IT MIGRATES
GENERALLY DUE EAST ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TIER OF CANADA AND
NORTHERN TIER OF THE CONUS. MOST ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE ALSO BRINGS A
SYSTEM THAT SHOULD ALREADY BE WEAKENING AS IT MOVES EAST INTO
SOUTH-CENTRAL CANADA, LIMITING THE AMOUNT OF FORCING INTO OUR
AREA. STILL, A WELL DEVELOPED SYSTEM WILL BRING FORCING FOR
ASCENT TO BRING ACCUMULATING SNOW.
SOME UNCERTAINTY EXISTS WITH RESPECT TO SYNOPTICS LIKE
INFLUENCE OF PROBABLE DRY SLOT WRAPPING AROUND THE MID/UPPER
CIRCULATION, WIND/MIXING POTENTIAL, IN ADDITION TO TYPICAL
MESOSCALE FORCING UNCERTAINTIES.
AS OF NOW, MAJORITY OF GUIDANCE KEEPS MOST ACCUMULATED PRECIPITATION
NORTH OF THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER. THE INTERDECILE RANGE FOR
SNOW ACCUMULATION (AKA 80% CHANCE OF VALUES OCCURRING WITHIN
THIS RANGE) IS GENERALLY BETWEEN A DUSTING TO 4 INCHES NORTH OF
THE I-94 CORRIDOR, HIGHEST NEAR INTERNATIONAL BORDER. THERE IS
ALSO OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME OF THIS PRECIPITATION TO COME IN THE
FORM OF LIGHT FREEZING LIQUID, WHICH BRINGS POTENTIAL FOR SOME
LIGHT ICING.
WITH THIS, P-WSSI NOTES UP TO A 30% CHANCE FOR MINOR IMPACTS
(ANALOGOUS TO ADVISORY-TYPE IMPACTS) MAINLY NEAR LAKE OF THE
WOODS DUE TO ACCUMULATED SNOW, WITH LESS THAN 5% ON MODERATE
(ANALOGOUS TO WARNING-TYPE IMPACTS). IT ALSO HIGHLIGHTS A 10%
CHANCE FOR MINOR IMPACTS DUE TO BLOWING SNOW WITHIN EASTERN ND
INTO THE RED RIVER VALLEY, BUT WILL BE DEPENDENT UPON NEW SNOW
AS CURRENT SNOWPACK IS NOT BLOWABLE. THUS TOTAL COMBINED CHANCE
FOR MINOR IMPACTS IS AROUND 20%.
AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/
ISSUED AT 651 PM CST WED JAN 29 2025
CURRENTLY, CLOUDS ARE OVERCAST OVER NORTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA,
AND EXTEND INTO CENTRAL MINNESOTA. CLOUD HEIGHTS IN THIS REGION
RANGE FROM 8000FT TO 10000FT. IN THE FARGO AREA, CLOUD COVERAGE
RANGES FROM FEW TO SCATTERED AT 20000FT. CLOUDS WILL MOVE
EASTWARD OUT OF OUR REGION BY 09Z, TRANSITIONING FROM OVC TO
BKN THEN SCT. WINDS WILL SHIFT FROM SOUTH TO WEST STARTING IN
DEVILS LAKE AROUND 09Z GFK/FAR AROUND 13Z, AND TVF AROUND
15Z. THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE FOR REDUCED VISIBILITY AT DEVILS
LAKE BETWEEN 05Z-11Z ASSOCIATED WITH FOG, HOWEVER WINDS MAY BE
TOO HIGH AT THIS TIME FOR FOG TO FORM (~6KTS - 9KTS). SIMILAR
REDUCED VISIBILITIES MAY BE PRESENT IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
BETWEEN 14Z-18Z.
FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
ND...NONE.
MN...NONE.
UPDATE...GODON/GOSNEY
DISCUSSION...CJ
AVIATION...GODON/GOSNEY
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