265  
FXUS63 KFGF 021909  
AFDFGF  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND  
109 PM CST SUN MAR 2 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- A LARGE SYSTEM IS SET TO IMPACT THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES  
EARLY THIS WEEK WITH A RANGE OF POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS.  
 

 
   
UPDATE
 
 
ISSUED AT 109 PM CST SUN MAR 2 2025  
 
ONLY A FEW PATCHES OF MID LEVEL CLOUDS REMAIN ACROSS THE FA,  
HELPING THE TEMPERATURE RISE INTO THE 40S TODAY FOR MOST  
LOCATIONS.  
 
UPDATE  
ISSUED AT 916 AM CST SUN MAR 2 2025  
 
WITH SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUING TO PUSH WELL SOUTH AND  
EAST OF THE FA, SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW WILL HOLD OVER THE AREA  
TODAY. THAT WILL KEEP SOUTH WINDS IN THE 5 TO 15 MPH RANGE WITH  
PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. MADE A FEW SKY COVER ADJUSTMENTS  
TO MATCH UP TO CURRENT CONDITIONS, OTHERWISE NO OTHER CHANGES  
ARE NEEDED AT THIS POINT.  
 
UPDATE  
ISSUED AT 704 AM CST SUN MAR 2 2025  
 
STRATUS DECK CONTINUES TO SHIFT THROUGH NORTHWESTERN MN AND  
NORTHEASTERN ND THIS MORNING TOWARD THE EAST. AREAS UNDERNEATH  
THE CLOUDS ARE IN THE 20S, WHILE OUTSIDE OF THE CLOUD DECK TEMPS  
ARE IN THE TEENS. EXPECTED PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES TODAY,  
WITH DAYTIME HIGHS IN THE 40S.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
ISSUED AT 317 AM CST SUN MAR 2 2025  
   
..SYNOPSIS
 
 
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A DEEP TROUGH PUSHING INTO CALIFORNIA  
EARLY THIS MORNING. AS WE PROGRESS THROUGH THE DAY, THIS TROUGH WILL  
PROPAGATE EAST INTO CALIFORNIA AND THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST. AT THE  
SAME TIME, THE UPPER LEVEL JET SEPARATES, LEADING TO SPLIT FLOW OVER  
THE WESTERN US. THE SOUTHERN JET EXIT REGION WILL LEAD TO  
CYCLOGENESIS IN THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES ON MONDAY, FORMING A COLORADO  
LOW THAT WILL TRACK INTO THE MIDWEST. MOISTURE ADVECTING NORTHWARD  
OUT OF THE GULF WILL BLOSSOM INTO WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION, AIDED BY  
DEFORMATION AND ISENTROPIC LIFT. A TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL  
INCREASE WINDS TUESDAY, PEAKING TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY  
WEDNESDAY. NBM WIND GUST PROBABILITIES SHOW A 50% CHANCE OF VALUES  
EXCEEDING 40 MPH, PARTICULARLY IN THE RED RIVER VALLEY.  
 
BEYOND THE EARLY WEEK SYSTEM, NORTHWEST FLOW WILL REESTABLISH ITSELF  
OVER THE REGION. TOWARDS THE WEEKEND, RIDGING BUILDS INTO THE  
NORTHERN PLAINS. THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF DISAGREEMENT IN THE  
TIMING/STRENGTH OF THIS FEATURE. HOWEVER, EVEN TAKING THE LOWER END  
OF NBM TEMPERATURE GUIDANCE, VALUES ARE 15 DEGREES OR MORE ABOVE  
AVERAGE FOR EARLY MARCH, WITH MEAN VALUES PUSHING 50 DEGREES AS FAR  
NORTH AS THE HIGHWAY 2 CORRIDOR.  
   
..MIDWEEK SYSTEM
 
 
OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS, ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE HAS SHOWN A WIDE VARIETY  
OF SOLUTIONS REGARDING THE EVENTUAL EVOLUTION OF THIS SYSTEM,  
RESULTING IN HIGH UNCERTAINTY IN POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO THE FA.  
CLUSTER ANALYSIS THIS MORNING SHOWS MORE CLARITY IN THE TRACK, WITH  
SOME DIFFERENCES IN THE STRENGTH OF THE SYSTEM. THE VAST MAJORITY OF  
GUIDANCE KEEPS THE HIGHEST QPF WELL SOUTH AND EAST OF THE FA. THE  
NBM REFLECTS THIS WELL, WITH PROBABILITIES FOR 0.25" OF  
PRECIPITATION OR MORE AT 50% FROM SOUTHEAST ND INTO WEST CENTRAL MN.  
PROBABILITIES RAPIDLY DROP OFF TO THE NORTH, WITH CHANCES FOR EVEN  
JUST A FEW HUNDREDTHS UNDER 30%. ONE THING THAT COULD COMPLICATE  
PRECIPITATION TOTALS IS THAT SEVERAL LONGER RANGE CAMS ARE  
DEVELOPING A BAND OF HEAVIER PRECIPITATION TUESDAY TIED TO THE  
NORTHWARD ADVECTING WARM FRONT. WITH FGEN IN PLACE AND THE SLOWING  
NORTHWARD PROPAGATION OF THE FRONT, THIS COULD LOCALLY INCREASE QPF  
TOTALS. THIS CAN BE INVESTIGATED BETTER LATER TODAY AS HREF AND  
OTHER CAMS GET WITHIN RANGE.  
 
AN ADDED LAYER OF COMPLEXITY TO THE FORECAST WILL BE PRECIPITATION  
TYPE. GENERALLY SPEAKING, MOST AREAS BESIDES THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE  
PRECIPITATION SHIELD SHOULD START AS RAIN. AS TEMPERATURES SLOWLY  
FALL AND EVAPORATIVE COOLING ALOFT AIDS IN DROPPING TEMPERATURES  
WITHIN THE COLUMN, SNOW WILL BECOME THE PREDOMINATE PRECIPITATION  
TYPE FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST. IN BETWEEN THE CLEAR CUT AREAS OF  
RAIN AND SNOW, A WARM NOSE ALOFT MAY RESULT IN A BRIEF PERIOD OF  
FREEZING RAIN. SNOWFALL TOTALS ARE UNCERTAIN, BUT DUE TO THE LIMITED  
QPF AND WARM TEMPERATURES, ACCUMULATIONS WOULD REMAIN LIMITED.  
CURRENT PROBABILITIES FOR 2" OR MORE OF SNOW FROM THE NBM ARE 20%,  
RUNNING FROM SOUTHEASTERN ND INTO WEST CENTRAL MN.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 109 PM CST SUN MAR 2 2025  
 
NO IMPACTS EXPECTED AT THE TAF SITES FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS.  
 

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

 
 

 
 
UPDATE...GODON  
DISCUSSION...RAFFERTY  
AVIATION...GODON  
 
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