MD 0185 CONCERNING HEAVY SNOW FOR NORTH DAKOTA
Mesoscale Discussion 0185
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1101 AM CST Sun Mar 03 2024
Areas affected…North Dakota
Concerning…Heavy snow
Valid 031701Z – 032100Z
SUMMARY…Heavy snowfall rates between 1-2 inches/hour should
continue through late morning/mid afternoon across portions of
central to northern North Dakota.
DISCUSSION…Over the past hour, surface observations have reported
visibility reductions down to 1/2 to at times 1/4 mile with
corroborating observations from regional web cams. These visibility
reductions are most likely attributable to heavy snowfall rates
rather than blowing snow given the weak winds (generally less than
10 knots) and warm temperatures in the upper 20s to low 30s. Ascent
through a deep layer is evident over central/northern ND owing to
upper-level diffluence ahead of an upper trough axis overlaid with a
plume of isentropic ascent within the 850-700 mb layer. This
combination of synoptic and more focused mesoscale ascent should
continue to promote widespread moderate snowfall across
central/northern ND over the next several hours with heavier rates
up to 1-2 in/hour within more organized snow bands. Lightning
flashes and cooling cloud-top temperatures have been observed over
the past hour within this zone of strong ascent, indicating that
weak convection may locally augment snowfall rates as well.
..Moore.. 03/03/2024
…Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product…
ATTN…WFO…FGF…BIS…
LAT…LON 47299952 46959961 46680002 46470065 46500123 47200227
47900292 48620336 48890344 49060339 49090296 49070213
49070065 49070029 48760014 48419997 47859972 47299952
