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000
FXUS63 KBIS 060033
AFDBIS

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
633 PM CST THU MAR 5 2015

.UPDATE...
ISSUED AT 629 PM CST THU MAR 5 2015

HIGH CLOUDS CONTINUE TO STREAM OVER UPPER RIDGE BRINGING
INCREASED CLOUD COVER MAINLY TO WESTERN PARTS OF THE AREA.
OTHERWISE...QUIET WEATHER CONTINUES. UPDATES HAVE BEEN SENT.

&&

.SHORT TERM...(THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY)
ISSUED AT 335 PM CST THU MAR 5 2015

A DRY WARM FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO PIVOT EAST ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES ARE ALREADY IN THE 40S ACROSS
SOUTHWESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. TEMPERATURES WILL INCREASE BY A FEW
DEGREES OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO...THEN BEGIN TO FALL THIS
EVENING WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING.

WEAK SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL CREST ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT
LEADING TO CONTINUED DRY CONDITIONS AND MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. NEAR
NORMAL LOWS IN THE TEENS TO 20S ARE FORECAST.

WEAK WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY LEADING TO
WARMER FORECAST HIGHS THAN WHAT WAS OBSERVED TODAY. HOWEVER...A
FAST-MOVING SHORTWAVE IN NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT IS FORECAST TO
GENERATE A CHANCE OF SNOW FROM THE TURTLE MOUNTAIN REGION TO THE
DEVILS LAKE BASIN FRIDAY AFTERNOON. NEW SNOW ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD
REMAIN AROUND ONE-HALF AN INCH OR LESS. WESTERN AND PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA SHOULD REMAIN DRY THROUGH FRIDAY.

.LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY)
ISSUED AT 335 PM CST THU MAR 5 2015

THE LONG TERM PERIOD BEGINS FRIDAY NIGHT WITH A NORTHWEST UPPER
LEVEL FLOW PATTERN WHICH WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. ALTHOUGH
THE ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL BE SOUTH AND EAST OF OUR AREA...THE
NORTHWESTERLY UPPER LEVEL FLOW WILL ACT AS A QUASI-STATIONARY
BOUNDARY THAT WILL SEPARATE COLDER AIR OVER NORTHEASTERN NORTH
DAKOTA FROM MILD PACIFIC AIR OVER THE SOUTHWEST. LOOKING AT LOWS IN
THE TEENS AND 20S FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY NIGHT...WITH THE LARGEST
TEMPERATURES RANGES IN THE DAYTIME: HIGHS IN THE 30S NORTH AND EAST
OF THE MISSOURI RIVER...WITH HIGHS IN THE 40S SOUTH AND WEST.

EMBEDDED SHORTWAVES TRAVELING THROUGH A 90KT UPPER LEVEL JET FROM
BRITISH COLUMBIA INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS WILL PROVIDE A POTENTIAL
FOR INTERMITTENT RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY
NIGHT. THE MODELS HAVE HAD A HARD TIME PEGGING ANY SPECIFIC
PRECIPITATION CHANCES AND THUS HAVE KEPT CHANCES ON THE LOW END.

THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW TRANSITIONS FROM NORTHWESTERLY TO MORE WESTERLY
EARLY TO MID NEXT WEEK AS A FLATTENING RIDGE BUILDS EAST ACROSS THE
ROCKIES INTO THE GREAT PLAINS. THIS SHOULD BE A VERY MILD AND DRY
PERIOD WITH LITTLE IF ANY CHANCE OF MOISTURE. HIGHS MONDAY AND
TUESDAY SHOULD BE ABOVE AVERAGE - MAINLY IN THE 40S NORTH AND EAST
OF THE MISSOURI RIVER...AND IN THE 50S TO THE SOUTH AND WEST.

UNCERTAINTY FOR MID TO LATE IN THE WEEK...WITH THE MODELS SHOWING
SIGNS OF DEVELOPING AN UPPER LEVEL LOW/TROUGH OVER THE WEST COAST
WITH DIFFERING LARGE-SCALE PATTERN SOLUTIONS FOR THE CENTRAL PART OF
THE COUNTRY.

&&

.AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY EVENING)
ISSUED AT 629 PM CST THU MAR 5 2015

LCL MVFR CIGS WILL BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON OVER PORTIONS OF
NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA WITH SOME -SN POSSIBLE. OTHERWISE...VFR
CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE.

&&

.BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

$$

UPDATE...JJS
SHORT TERM...TM
LONG TERM...JV
AVIATION...JJS