315  
FXUS63 KFGF 311552 CCA  
AFDFGF  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND  
942 AM CDT SAT MAY 31 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- HEAVY SMOKE TODAY THROUGH AT LEAST SUNDAY EVENING WITH  
POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO ALL POPULATION GROUPS.  
 
- ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS MONDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING FOR PARTS OF  
SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA.  
 
- 40% CHANCE FOR MORE THAN 1 INCH OF RAIN EARLY NEXT WEEK  
SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA.  
 
 
   
UPDATE  
 
ISSUED AT 938 AM CDT SAT MAY 31 2025  
 
SMOKE CONTINUES ACROSS THE REGION THIS MORNING WITH VISIBILITIES  
RANGING BETWEEN 0.5 MILES AND 2 MILES INTERMITTENTLY, PARTICULARLY  
IN THE WESTERN REGIONS OF THE CWA. WIDESPREAD SMOKE WILL CONTINUE  
THROUGH THE DAY. SMOKE IS NOT DENSE ENOUGH TO WARRANT A DENSE SMOKE  
ADVISORY BASED ON WEBCAMS AND OBSERVATIONS NOT SUPPORTING 1/4SM  
VISIBILITY, BUT WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THROUGH THE DAY TO SEE IF  
IT IS NECESSARY. THE PROBABILITY FOR THIS IS VERY LOW (10%) AS  
MIXING SHOULD RAISE THE VISIBILITY AT LEAST SOMEWHAT THIS AFTERNOON.  
 
UPDATE  
ISSUED AT 635 AM CDT SAT MAY 31 2025  
 
SURFACE SMOKE IS ALREADY STARTING TO BE OBSERVED ACROSS PARTS OF  
EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA THIS MORNING, WITH DEVILS LAKE REPORTING 1  
MILE VISIBILITY AND LANGDON DOWN TO 0.5 MILES. LOOK FOR  
WIDESPREAD SMOKE AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. HIGH TEMPERATURES MAY BE  
IMPACTED SLIGHTLY WHERE THE SMOKE IS MOST DENSE. AT THIS TIME,  
TEMPS REMAIN ON TRACK, WITH NO ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 503 AM CDT SAT MAY 31 2025  
   
..SYNOPSIS  
 
RIDGING PREVAILS ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES, WITH AN AXIS EXTENDING  
NORTHEASTWARD INTO PORTIONS OF ALBERTA AND SASKATCHEWAN. A COMPACT  
H5 LOW CONTINUES MOVING SOUTHWARD INTO SOUTH DAKOTA THIS MORNING,  
WITH THE NORTHERN PLAINS BEING DOWNSTREAM OF THE AFOREMENTIONED  
RIDGE. NORTH TO NORTHEAST WINDS PREVAIL ALOFT, BRINGING MULTIPLE  
LAYERS OF WILDFIRE SMOKE INTO MUCH OF EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND  
NORTHWEST/WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA. SURFACE SMOKE COULD BECOME DENSE  
ENOUGH TO IMPACT VISIBILITY AT TIMES, POSSIBLY AS LOW AS 1 MILE OR  
LESS. GIVEN THE APPROACHING RIDGE AXIS, WE ARE ALSO LIKELY TO SEE  
WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES TODAY THROUGH MONDAY AS THE RIDGE  
TRAVERSES THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND UPPER MIDWEST. AFTERNOON HIGHS  
HAVE A 10 PERCENT CHANCE TO EXCEED 90 DEGREES TODAY ACROSS THE  
NORTHERN RED RIVER VALLEY, WITH A 70 PERCENT CHANCE ON SUNDAY. A  
COLD FRONT BRINGS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND  
EVENING, WITH ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE. FOR TUESDAY ONWARD,  
LOOK FOR A RETURN TO NEAR AVERAGE TEMPERATURES, WITH HIGHS IN THE  
70S AND LOWS IN THE UPPER 40S TO LOW 50S.  
   
..SMOKE IMPACTS THIS WEEKEND  
 
LOOK FOR AN INCREASE IN WILDFIRE SMOKE TODAY INTO SUNDAY. SMOKE IS  
EXPECTED TO MIX TO THE SURFACE THIS AFTERNOON, CREATING A FAVORABLE  
SCENARIO FOR REDUCED VISIBILITY AND AIR QUALITY. HIGH RESOLUTION  
GUIDANCE SHOWS THE HIGHEST CHANCES FOR DENSE SURFACE SMOKE IN  
CENTRAL AND EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA, WITH SLIGHTLY LOWER CHANCES IN  
NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA. VISIBILITY COULD BE REDUCED TO  
1 MILE OR LESS AT TIMES, WITH WIDESPREAD UPSTREAM OBSERVATIONS  
ALREADY SHOWING 1-2 MILES VISIBILITY OVERNIGHT.  
   
..SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING  
 
THERE IS CHANCE FOR ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS MONDAY AS A COLD FRONT  
PUSHES ACROSS THE AREA. SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BRING MODERATE  
MOISTURE RETURN INTO THE REGION AHEAD OF THIS FRONT, ALLOWING  
MODELED MUCAPE VALUES TO CLIMB INTO THE 2000 TO 3000 J/KG RANGE  
MONDAY AFTERNOON. SHEAR AT THE LOW AND MID LEVELS LOOK TO BE  
SUPPORTIVE OF ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. MODE IS  
SOMEWHAT UNCERTAIN, BUT GENERALLY FAVORS A MIXED OR LINEAR MODE.  
AS SUCH, A MENTION OF THUNDERSTORM WINDS TO 60 MPH AND LARGE  
HAIL IS JUSTIFIED, WITH PERHAPS A LOWER (BUT STILL EXISTENT)  
CHANCE OF A TORNADO. THE ORIENTATION OF THE FRONT, ALONG WITH  
THE TRACK OF POTENTIAL THUNDERSTORMS, SUPPORTS THE CHANCE FOR  
VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WITHIN BETTER THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. PW  
VALUES OF 1.5-2.0 INCHES ARE WELL ABOVE AVERAGE, AND WILL  
CHALLENGE CURRENT RECORDS FOR THE REGION. WITH THIS IN MIND,  
FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL WILL BE SOMEWHAT ELEVATED MONDAY EVENING  
AND OVERNIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING, ESPECIALLY FOR WEST CENTRAL  
MINNESOTA. AT THIS TIME, THERE REMAINS A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF 1  
INCH OR MORE PRECIPITATION; HOWEVER, IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT  
ISOLATED TOTALS, DUE TO CONVECTION, COULD BE HIGHER.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z SUNDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 635 AM CDT SAT MAY 31 2025  
 
UPSTREAM OBSERVATIONS THIS MORNING ALREADY SHOW SUBSTANTIAL  
VISIBILITY REDUCTIONS ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AND PARTS OF  
EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA DUE TO SURFACE SMOKE. THIS WILL LIKELY  
BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD THROUGH THE DAY, WITH KGFK AND KDVL  
SEEING THE HIGHEST PROBABILITY FOR GREATER IMPACTS. CURRENTLY,  
IFR TO LIFR CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN REPORTED AT KDVL THIS MORNING.  
THE SMOKE WILL BE THE MAIN IMPACT TO AVIATION TODAY THROUGH  
MONDAY AS NORTHWEST FLOW CONTINUES INTO THE REGION. ADDED TEMPO  
GROUPS TO KGFK AND KDVL, BUT THIS MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED AND/OR  
EXPANDED TO OTHER TAF SITES AS THE DAY PROGRESSES.  
 
 
   
FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
ND...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
UPDATE...LYNCH/PERROUX  
DISCUSSION...LYNCH  
AVIATION...LYNCH  
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab ND Page
The Nexlab MN Page
Main Text Page