000
FXUS63 KBIS 280025
AFDBIS

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
625 PM CST TUE JAN 27 2015

.UPDATE...
ISSUED AT 620 PM CST TUE JAN 27 2015

FOR EVENING UPDATE MAIN CHANGE WAS TO INCREASE CLOUD COVER AS HIGH
CLOUDS CONTINUE TO STREAM OVER UPPER RIDGE INTO THE AREA.
OTHERWISE...MAINLY QUIET WEATHER CONTINUES AFTER A DAY OF RECORD
SETTING TEMPERATURES OVER MANY PARTS OF THE REGION. ONLY OTHER
CONCERN IS THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME LOW CLOUDS/FOG SNEAKING INTO
THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY...BUT AT THIS TIME LOOKS AS IF THIS SHOULD
STAY OFF TO THE EAST THOUGH WILL KEEP AN EYE ON IT.

&&

.SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY)
ISSUED AT 324 PM CST TUE JAN 27 2015

RECORDS HIGHS HAVE ALREADY BEEN BROKEN ACROSS WESTERN AND SOUTH
CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON. HERE ARE THE OBSERVED HIGH
TEMPERATURES AS OF 3 PM CST.

LOCATION          TUE HI TEMP  TUE HI TEMP
                  OBSERVED     RECORD
                  3 PM CST

DICKINSON         62 (RECORD)  51 IN 2008
WILLISTON         53 (RECORD)  47 IN 1931
BISMARCK          52 (RECORD)  48 IN 2008
MINOT             49           55 IN 1906
JAMESTOWN         41           47 IN 1989

MILD TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGING
CRESTS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS. ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES WILL
CONTINUE OVERNIGHT WITH FORECAST LOWS RANGING FROM THE UPPER 20S
EAST TO THE 30S WEST.

A COLD FRONT WILL THEN SWEEP ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA FROM NORTH TO SOUTH
WEDNESDAY. THE SHORT-RANGE MODELS HAVE BACKED OFF ON PRECIPITATION
CHANCES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM. AS A RESULT...TRIMMED CHANCE
POPS BACK TO SLIGHT CHANCE POPS NORTH. FURTHERMORE...WINDY
CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP WEST AS HIGH PRESSURE SURGES INTO
THE REGION WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. MARGINAL WIND ADVISORY CONDITIONS
WILL BE POSSIBLE SOUTHWEST WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...CONFIDENCE
IS LOW IN WIND ADVISORY CONDITIONS DEVELOPING. WILL THEREFORE HOLD
OFF ON ISSUING AN ADVISORY AND HIGHLIGHT THIS THREAT IN THE HWO FOR
NOW.

.LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY)
ISSUED AT 324 PM CST TUE JAN 27 2015

CHANCES FOR SNOW AND COOLER TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE WEEKEND WILL
HIGHLIGHT THE LONG TERM.

CHANCES FOR LIGHT SNOW WILL ACCOMPANY A SHORT WAVE MOVING ACROSS THE
STATE...WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. THE CURRENT 12Z
MODEL RUN PROVIDES GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE PLACEMENT OF THE SHORT
WAVE/SNOW. LITTLE ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED.

AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH BEGINS MOVING SOUTHEASTWARD FROM ALBERTA LATE
FRIDAY INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. COOLER TEMPERATURES AND CHANCES
FOR SNOW ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE STATE. THE OVERALL TIMING/LOCATION
OF THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH HAS GOOD AGREEMENT IN THE 12Z MODEL
PACKAGE. HOWEVER...THE 12Z ECMWF IS LIGHTER ON QPF THEN THE 12Z
GFS/GEM...WHICH ARE MORE AGGRESSIVE ACROSS THE STATE. AT THIS
POINT...UNCERTAINLY REMAINS ON LOCATIONS/SNOWFALL AMOUNTS. THE
MODELS DO AGREE ON SNOWFALL POTENTIAL DIMINISHING BY SUNDAY
NIGHT...WHILE BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WILL PERSIST THROUGH
MONDAY.

&&

.AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY EVENING)
ISSUED AT 620 PM CST TUE JAN 27 2015

VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA
THROUGH TONIGHT. WIDESPREAD MVFR CIGS WITH LCL IFR CIGS WILL THEN
SPREAD INTO THE AREA IN WAKE OF A COLD FRONT FROM NORTH TO SOUTH
WEDNESDAY MORNING INTO MID-DAY.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...

ISSUED AT 324 PM CST MON JAN 26 2015

RELATIVELY LIGHT RAINS...BETWEEN A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH TO
NEAR ONE-HALF INCH FELL ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN QUARTER OF THE
STATE THIS PAST WEEKEND. THIS MODEST RAINFALL HAS PRODUCED
UNUSUALLY HIGH AMOUNTS OF RUNOFF. SOME STREAMS REMAIN AT LEVELS
WELL ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. THE AFFECTED STREAMS
INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...THE KNIFE RIVER...HEART RIVER...
CANNONBALL RIVER...BEAVER CREEK NEAR LINTON...AND THE LITTLE
MISSOURI RIVER. WHILE NO REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT FLOODING HAVE BEEN
RECEIVED...SEVERAL REPORTS OF MINOR ICE JAMS INDICATE THAT ICE IS
MOVING AT SOME LOCATIONS AND IT IS LIKELY THIS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL
LATE IN THE WEEK.

NOT ONLY ARE SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS RUNNING HIGH...BUT SEVERAL
RESERVOIRS ARE RISING IN RESPONSE TO INCREASED INFLOW. SHORELINE
CONDITIONS AS RESERVOIR AND RIVER LEVELS RISE DETERIORATE AND CAN
POSE A SIGNIFICANT HAZARD FOR ACCESS. ANGLERS ARE URGED TO
CAREFULLY CHECK THE ICE BEFORE VENTURING OUT WITH A VEHICLE.

&&

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

$$

UPDATE...JJS
SHORT TERM...TM
LONG TERM...AC
AVIATION...JJS
HYDROLOGY...AJS