Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Grand Forks, ND
Issued by NWS Grand Forks, ND
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032 FXUS63 KFGF 252344 AFDFGF Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Grand Forks ND 644 PM CDT Wed Sep 25 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Near critical fire weather is expected Thursday across southeastern North Dakota. There is a 20% that critical fire weather conditions develop. && .UPDATE... Issued at 643 PM CDT Wed Sep 25 2024 Clear skies and limited wind will continue through the overnight hours. No weather impacts are anticipated overnight tonight. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 223 PM CDT Wed Sep 25 2024 ...Synopsis... Quiet weather will continue through the evening and overnight hours due to upper level ridging. While ridging remains the main story through the weekend, there is a shortwave that will pass through on Thursday. As the ridge breaks down early next week, a trough propagates eastward, bringing with it cooler temperatures and very low chances for a few showers. ...Wind and Fire Weather Thursday... As the shortwave progresses eastward, its associated tightening pressure gradient in conjunction with a 40 knot 850 mb jet will promote gusty southerly winds. The area of highest wind looks to be confined to the Devils Lake Basin and far northern Red River Valley. In these areas, there is a 70% chance of seeing wind gusts of 40 mph or higher. Further south, winds are expected to be lighter, as winds aloft will not be as strong due to the more northern placement of the jet. While winds will be lower across the south, they are still anticipated to be breezy, with gusts up to 30 mph. RH values as low as 25% raise concerns for near critical fire weather. The largest limiting factor for critical fire weather is that the driest fuels and lowest RH values are across southeastern ND, while the highest forecasted winds are displaced to the north. Therefore, while critical fire with is not anticipated, there is a 20% chance that they do develop. This is most favored where the driest fuels and RH values can overlap with the higher winds, as the HREF shows when using dual probabilities for RH and sustained winds. ...Weekend and Beyond... Behind the passing shortwave, ridging will continue through Sunday with well above average temperatures. A trough coming off of the Pacific Sunday night into Monday will bring high temperatures down to their seasonal averages, which are in the 50s and 60s. Another period of breezy winds, this time out of the northwest, is anticipated behind the cold front. While the trough will bring enough forcing to provide some showers Monday and Tuesday, the placement and coverage of these are unknown. Therefore, POPs remain under 20% early next week, painting the idea of scattered showers. One other thing to note, breezy winds overnight should at least limit the frost risk. No clear signal exists for widespread frost early next week behind the cold front, but widespread low temperatures on either side of 40 degrees seems likely Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. && .AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 643 PM CDT Wed Sep 25 2024 The two aviation impacts for the TAF period will be low level wind shear at DVL and GFK through at least 12z and increasing winds after 12z tomorrow. As a jet moves through northeast ND overnight tonight, wind shear will likely arise at DVL and GFK. Given the position of the jet, it is more likely to occur at DVL for a longer duration than GFK. Wind gusts will peak by mid to late afternoon, with gusts potentially pushing as high as 35-40 knots at the worst. && .FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ND...None. MN...None. && $$ UPDATE...CJ/Perroux DISCUSSION...Rafferty AVIATION...Perroux