FNUS73 KFGF 231346 FWSFGF SPOT FORECAST FOR BALKE MATTER WPA...US FISH AND WILDLIFE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND 846 AM CDT THU APR 23 2009 FORECAST IS BASED ON IGNITION TIME OF 1130 CDT ON APRIL 23. IF CONDITIONS BECOME UNREPRESENTATIVE...CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. ...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING... .DISCUSSION... A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE AREA TODAY. BREEZY SOUTH/SOUTHWEST WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH BEHIND THE SYSTEM. BEST ESTIMATED POSITION OF THE COLD FRONT WILL BE NEAR THE BURN AREA AROUND 4 PM. BY THE TIME OF COLD FRONT PASSAGE TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE MID 70S. LIKEWISE...MINIMUM HUMIDITIES WILL RANGE AROUND 30 PERCENT. ANY LOCALIZED CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE OR DEWPOINTS WILL CAUSE CORRESPONDING CHANGES IN HUMIDITIES...AND CONDITIONS MAY APPROACH CRITICAL CRITERIA AS A RESULT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON ALONG WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. OTHERWISE...RAIN OR A RAIN/SNOW MIX WILL OCCUR BEHIND THE FRONT TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. .TODAY... SKY/WEATHER.........MOSTLY SUNNY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. MAX TEMPERATURE.....76-81. MIN HUMIDITY........26-31 PERCENT. WIND (20 FT)........SOUTH WINDS 11 TO 16 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH EARLY IN THE MORNING. GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS EXPECTED NEAR THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. MIXING HEIGHT.......300-1600 FT AGL INCREASING TO 2400-4000 FT AGL IN THE AFTERNOON...THEN DECREASING TO 1900 FT AGL LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. MIXING WINDS........SOUTHWEST 16 TO 22 MPH. TIME (CDT) 11 AM 1 PM 3 PM 5 PM SKY (%).........37 44 52 60 WEATHER COV..... SCTTRD SCTTRD SCTTRD WEATHER TYPE....NONE RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR TEMP............62 71 76 78 RH..............36 31 32 33 20 FT WIND......S 15 S 16 S 14 S 10 20 FT WIND GUST.25 25 20 15 .TONIGHT... SKY/WEATHER.........MOSTLY CLOUDY. CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. MIN TEMPERATURE.....40-45. MAX HUMIDITY........77-82 PERCENT. WIND (20 FT)........NORTH WINDS 12 TO 17 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH. GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS EXPECTED NEAR THUNDERSTORMS. MIXING HEIGHT.......800-2400 FT AGL. MIXING WINDS........NORTHWEST 14 TO 23 MPH INCREASING TO NORTH 25 TO 33 MPH IN THE LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. TIME (CDT) 7 PM 9 PM 11 PM 1 AM 3 AM 5 AM SKY (%).........68 73 77 80 82 83 WEATHER COV.....CHANCE CHANCE CHANCE CHANCE CHANCE CHANCE WEATHER TYPE....RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR TEMP............76 67 58 53 48 44 RH..............33 44 58 69 74 79 20 FT WIND......S 9 SE 10 E 14 NE 17 NE 17 N 16 20 FT WIND GUST.15 15 20 25 25 20 .FRIDAY... SKY/WEATHER.........CLOUDY. CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. MAX TEMPERATURE.....46-51. MIN HUMIDITY........55-60 PERCENT. WIND (20 FT)........NORTH WINDS 13 TO 18 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH. MIXING HEIGHT.......2100-3600 FT AGL INCREASING TO 4100-4900 FT AGL IN THE AFTERNOON. MIXING WINDS........NORTH 25 TO 33 MPH DECREASING TO 18 TO 23 MPH LATE IN THE MORNING. TIME (CDT) 7 AM 9 AM 11 AM 1 PM 3 PM 5 PM SKY (%).........84 87 90 92 93 93 WEATHER COV.....CHANCE CHANCE CHANCE CHANCE CHANCE CHANCE WEATHER TYPE....RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR RNSHWR TEMP............42 43 45 47 48 48 RH..............82 79 73 65 63 60 20 FT WIND......N 15 N 16 N 17 N 18 N 17 N 16 20 FT WIND GUST.20 20 25 25 25 20 $$ FORECASTER...HOPKINS REQUESTED BY...LINDY MCNEILUS TYPE OF REQUEST...PRESCRIBED .TAG 20090423.BALKE.01/FGF