159 FXUS65 KGGW 112103 AFDGGWArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Glasgow MT 303 PM MDT Thu Sep 11 2025
.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGES:
- Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible today through this weekend, some of which may become marginally severe.
WEATHER PATTERN OVERVIEW:
This approaching low pressure system, now moving through Idaho is setting up the regional atmosphere dynamics that support the development of scattered rain showers and isolated thunderstorms. The overall convective forcing for severe storms is rather weak at this time, but may strengthen later this evening over the Yellowstone River Valley with a strengthening low level jet streak. Detail uncertainty is high given the amount of model disagreement. Needed to make many manual forecast adjustments on the fly to bring the grids in line with reality. Any developing storms will need to be closely watched for severe possibility through this evening.
Friday and Saturday may also see marginally severe thunderstorms with more detail (hopefully) getting worked out leading up to those times.
It is still anticipated that Saturday will be the day that the circulation lines up and stalls over southern Montana for a bit, allowing for a more widespread coverage of rainfall. Recent model data has trended to favor our eastern zones with more rainfall, and then less for our western zones during this time.
Early next week, the low pressure center opens into an open wave and gets absorbed into the larger-scale trough in the Canadian Rockies.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE & DEVIATIONS:
Deviated from the NBM with hi-res CAMs for PoPs and winds to line up better with reality.
There is low confidence on storm severity, location, and timing of thunderstorms today and tomorrow. There is moderate confidence on the aforementioned rainfall amounts for this weekend.
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.AVIATION...
UPDATE: 2102Z
FLIGHT CAT RANGE: VFR, MVFR in thunderstorms.
DISCUSSION: Low pressure system now approaching our region is setting off enough showers and thunderstorms that all NE MT TAF sites are under the general threat of occasional passing storms through this TAF cycle. This unstable period will last through this weekend.
WIND: Generally light and variable, becoming erratic and gusty near the stronger storms.
EQUIPMENT: Comms issues with the KSDY observation remain. AMD NOT SKED will remain with the TAF there until transmission of obs becomes more stable.
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.GGW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. &&
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weather.gov/glasgow
NWS GGW Office Area Forecast Discussion