486  
FXUS63 KFGF 111129  
AFDFGF  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND  
629 AM CDT MON AUG 11 2025  
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- WILDFIRE SMOKE WILL IMPACT AIR QUALITY AND VISIBILITY ACROSS  
MUCH OF THE AREA TODAY.  
 
- THERE IS A 1 OF 5 RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HAZARDS COULD INCLUDE DAMAGING WIND  
GUSTS TO 60 MPH AND HAIL UP TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER. AN ISOLATED  
BRIEF TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT.  
 
- THERE IS A 1 OF 5 RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY  
EVENING, WITH ADDITIONAL SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE  
THURSDAY AFTERNOON.  
 
 
   
UPDATE  
 
ISSUED AT 629 AM CDT MON AUG 11 2025  
 
NEAR SURFACE WILDFIRE SMOKE CONTINUES TO IMPACT VISIBILITY THIS  
MORNING, WITH VISIBILITY GENERALLY RANGING FROM 2-5 MILES  
ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. HRRR SMOKE GUIDANCE KEEPS WILDFIRE  
SMOKE IN THE AREA THROUGH MUCH OF THE MORNING AND EARLY  
AFTERNOON BEFORE CLEARING BECOMES POSSIBLE DURING THE EVENING.  
THIS WILL DEPEND UPON THE TIMING OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT,  
WITH WINDS EXPECTED TO SHIFT TO THE WEST.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 353 AM CDT MON AUG 11 2025  
   
..SYNOPSIS  
 
H5 TROUGH MOVES ACROSS THE AREA TODAY, ALONG WITH A COLD FRONTAL  
PASSAGE THIS AFTERNOON. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING, WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TO SEVERE  
STORMS. NEAR SURFACE SMOKE IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH MUCH OF  
THE DAY AND INTO THE EVENING UNTIL THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE  
AREA. LOOK FOR COOLER HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 70S TUESDAY, ALONG  
WITH BREEZY NORTHWEST WINDS. A SHORTWAVE RIDGE FORMS AHEAD OF OUR  
NEXT SHORTWAVE PASSAGE LATE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ALONG AND AHEAD OF A SURFACE BOUNDARY  
WEDNESDAY EVENING AND OVERNIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. STRONG TO  
SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEASTERN NORTH  
DAKOTA WEDNESDAY EVENING, THEN ONCE MORE ON THURSDAY AS THE BOUNDARY  
PROGRESSES EASTWARD.  
   
..SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING  
 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE STARTING AROUND MIDDAY WITH  
STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  
THERE WILL BE LIMITED INSTABILITY AS MLCAPE VALUES STRUGGLE TO  
EXCEED 2000 J/KG AS MOISTURE POOLS AHEAD OF A THETA-E GRADIENT  
BOUNDARY. THE BOUNDARY WILL SERVE AS A POTENTIAL AXIS OF  
DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDING ENOUGH LIFT TO ALLOW CLUSTERS OF  
THUNDERSTORMS TO FORM. SHEAR PROFILES SUPPORT THE MENTION OF  
SUPERCELLS OR HYBRID CLUSTERS DURING THE MID TO LATE AFTERNOON, WITH  
THIS SUPPORT EXTENDING INTO THE EARLY EVENING. SOUNDINGS INDICATE A  
SHALLOW LAYER OF RELATIVELY DRY AIR AT THE SURFACE, ALONG WITH DCAPE  
VALUES GENERALLY IN THE RANGE OF 700 TO 900 J/KG. IF A SUPERCELL IS  
ABLE TO FORM, HODOGRAPHS SUPPORT SPLITTING, WITH RIGHT-MOVING STORMS  
POTENTIALLY CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF TORNADOES. HAZARDS THIS  
AFTERNOON AND EVENING COULD INCLUDE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH,  
BRIEF TORNADOES, AND HAIL UP TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER.  
   
..SEVERE THUNDERSTORM RISK WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY  
 
MOISTURE LEVELS GRADUALLY INCREASE WEDNESDAY, WITH CONDITIONAL  
CHANCES FOR SEVERE STORMS WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY  
MORNING. INSTABILITY WILL BE MINIMAL ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA, WITH  
MAINLY THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF NORTH DAKOTA SEEING THE CHANCE TO  
REACH 1500 J/KG OF MUCAPE AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING H5 SHORTWAVE.  
HEADING INTO THURSDAY, ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL HAVE  
ACCESS TO AN INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE, WITH MUCAPE  
APPROACHING 3000-4000 J/KG AND DEEP LAYER SHEAR UPWARDS OF 45 KNOTS.  
THE AFOREMENTIONED SHORTWAVE WILL CONTINUE EASTWARD, PROVIDING LIFT  
TO THE REGION ALONG ONE OF SEVERAL THETA-E AXES. EXACT TIMING  
REMAINS UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME; HOWEVER, CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING  
REGARDING THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z TUESDAY/  
 
ISSUED AT 629 AM CDT MON AUG 11 2025  
 
MVFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION THIS MORNING  
WITH OCCASIONAL IFR VISIBILITY BEING REPORTED AT KGFK AND KTVF.  
VISIBILITY AT MOST SITES ACROSS THE AREA RANGES FROM 2-5SM. WHILE  
SOME IMPROVEMENT IS POSSIBLE, NEAR TERM GUIDANCE HOLDS ONTO  
NEAR SURFACE WILDFIRE SMOKE THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY BEFORE  
CLEARING THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON, WITH THE POTENTIAL  
FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD  
FRONT. SOUTHWEST WINDS SHIFT AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH,  
BECOMING NORTHWESTERLY THIS EVENING. WINDS WILL BE IN THE RANGE  
OF 10 TO 15 KNOTS THIS AFTERNOON, WITH GUSTS UPWARDS OF 20  
KNOTS.  
 
 
   
FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
ND...NONE.  
MN...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
UPDATE...LYNCH  
DISCUSSION...LYNCH  
AVIATION...LYNCH  
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