446
FXUS63 KFGF 261000
AFDFGF
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
400 AM CST FRI DEC 26 2025
KEY MESSAGES
- SHORT WAVE AND WEAK SFC LOW MOVING ALONG THE INTL BORDER
SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING, FOLLOWED BY A COLD FRONT. LESS
THAN 1 INCH OF NEW SNOW ANTICIPATED WITH THIS SYSTEM IN AREA
WITH NORTHWEST WINDS 25-35 MPH. PATCHY BLOWING SNOW.
DISCUSSION
ISSUED AT 335 AM CST FRI DEC 26 2025
..SYNOPSIS
SOUTHWEST FLOW AT 500 MB FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INTO THE
CENTRAL PLAINS. 500 MB FLOW FROM NORTHERN MINNESOTA WEST ALONG
THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER IS MORE WESTERLY NOW AND THIS ZONAL
FLOW ALOFT WILL ONCE AGAIN OPEN THE GATES TO INDIVIDUAL SHORT
WAVES MOVING FROM THE PACIFIC OCEAN EAST ALONG THE INTL BORDER
REGION.
COLD FRONT WHICH MOVED THROUGH THE AREA LAST EVENING HAS EXITED
THE AREA, WITH NORTHWEST WINDS ALL AREAS. THICKER FOG THAT WAS
IN NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MN HAS IMPROVED AS WINDS TURNED
NORTHWEST AND INCREASE IN SPEED. THE BAND OF FREEZING RAIN AHEAD
OF THE FORNT HAS ALSO MOVED WELL EAST. DID DROP THE WINTER WX
ADVISORY PRIOR TO 9Z FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA. ROAD
CONDITIONS AND OBSEVATIONS INDICATED THE MAJORITY OF THE
FREEZING RAIN AND RESULTANT ISSUES WERE IN THE BISMARCK AREA
NORTHEAST TOWARD GRAND FORKS THEN TOWARD THIEF RIVER FALLS WHERE
0.05 LIQUID WAS COMMON.
THE FREEZING RAIN PART OF THE FORECAST IS GONE. WEAK SFC HIGH
OVER THE AREA IS ALREADY MOVING EAST WITH NEAR CALM WINDS AGAIN
IN WESTERN ND AND CONTINUED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND FOG PRESENT
THERE. SOME FOG IS MOVING INTO WESTERN FCST AREA EARLY THIS
MORNING. NBM AND MODEL BLEND SKY COVER FORECASTS TOO OPTIMISTIC
SO WENT A LOT CLOUDIER THRU TODAY THOUGH SOME CLEARING HOLES
ARE PRESENT IN WESTERN MANITOBA. BUT PREFER TO ERR ON SIDE OF
CLOUDIER GIVEN TIME OF YEAR AND LACK OF ANY COLD, DRIER AIRMASS
MOVING IN.
..WEEKEND
INITIAL SHORT WAVE MOVES EAST THRU FAR SOUTHERN CANADA SATURDAY
WITH WEAK SURFACE LOW MOVING EAST AS WELL. THIS SFC LOW TO BE
NEAR MINNESOTA/ONTARIO BORDER SATURDAY EVENING WITH A NORTHWEST
WIND AND COLDER AIR MOVING IN BEHIND IT OVER THE FCST AREA
SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. INITIALLY ANY PRECIP CHANCES
REGULATED TO FAR NORTHERN AREAS OF MN MORE TIED TO WARM
ADVECTION AND NEAR THE SFC LOW TRACK WHERE WINTRY MIX ONCE AGAIN
POSSIBLE. IMPACTS FROM THIS DONT APPEAR TO BE ADVSIORY LEVEL.
WHAT IS GOING ON BEHIND THIS SYSTEM IS A 500 MB LOW AND TROUGH
WHICH DOES MOVE EAST AND UPPER LOW IS NOW FOLLOWING WHAT THE
CANADIAN GLOBAL MODEL SHOWED A FEW DAYS AGO AS UPPER LOW/TROUGH
DIGS SOUTHEAST THRU NORTH DAKOTA AND INTO SOUTHWEST OR WEST
CENTRAL MN BY LATE SUNDAY. SO WHAT APPEARS TO OCCUR WILL BE A
PERIOD OF LIGHT SNOW WITHIN THE COLDER AIRMASS SUNDAY. QPF IS A
FEW HUNDREDTHS (NBM IS NEAR ZERO WITH WPC QPF SHOWING A FEW
HUNDREDTHS LIKELY BETTER). NET RESULT IS HALF INCH OF SNOW MAYBE
AN INCH WITH THIS SYSTEM SUNDAY. WINDS THOUGH DONT APPEAR TO BE
THAT STRONG...WITH MAX COLD ADVECTION AND 850 MB WIND MAX WELL
SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH OF THE AREA TO THE WEST OF THE DIGGING SHORT
WAVE. DURING THE LIGHT SNOWFALL SUNDAY DATA SUGGESTS SUSTAINED
WINDS 20-25 MPH GUSTS 30-35 MPH. PUTTING THESE INTO THE BLOWING
SNOW TABLE WITH 1 INCH OF NEW SNOW TO BLOW SHOWS 30-40 PCT
CHANCE OF LOW IMPACTS WITH SPROADIC BLOWING SNOW VSBY ISSUES AND
20 PCT CHANCE OF ADVISORY CONDITIONS IN BLOWING SNOW (AREAS
1/2SM OR BELOW VSBY). THIS WOULD BE IN FALLING LIGHT SNOW OR
0-3 HOURS AFTER THE SNOW FALLS. WOULD NEED THE INCH OF NEW SNOW
TO BLOW...IF HALF INCH THE PERCENTAGE CHANCES OF IMPACTS DROP
FURTHER.
BRIEF COLD AIR SURGE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY WITH WEAK CLIPPER TYPE
SYSTEM MOVING THRU MANITOBA INTO NORTHERN MN LATE MONDAY/TUESDAY
FOLLOWED BY A LARGER, LONGER LASTING COLD AIRMASS MID TO LATE
NEXT WEEK.
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY/
ISSUED AT 1114 PM CST THU DEC 25 2025
FREEZING RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO LINGER AT BJI, BUT ALL OTHER TAF
SITES SHOULD SEE IMPROVEMENTS WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR AT THE
LATEST. OTHERWISE, EXPECT MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS TO CONTINUE TO
PREVAIL. SOME SPOTS MAY END UP VFR BRIEFLY AT SOME POINTS
THROUGH THE TAF PERIOD, HOWEVER THE PREDOMINANT CLOUD GROUPING
SHOULD REMAIN BETWEEN 005-015. FOG MAY DEVELOP IN SOME
LOCATIONS, HOWEVER IT LOOKS MORE LIKELY THAT THIS WILL INSTEAD
BE STRATUS THAT CONTRIBUTES TO LOW FLIGHT CATEGORIES. WINDS WILL
BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE TOMORROW AND LAST THROUGH THE EVENING.
FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
ND...NONE.
MN...NONE.
DISCUSSION...RIDDLE
AVIATION...PERROUX
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