Light to moderate snow will continue into Saturday over the Great Lakes, Central Appalachians, and Northeast. This weekend into next week, a series of atmospheric rivers will bring gusty winds, periods of heavy rain, and mountain snow to northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Colder temperatures are in store for the weekend from the Great Lakes to East Coast. Read More >
Overview
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An outbreak of wildfires severely impacted northwestern North Dakota on Saturday, October 5, 2024. A powerful cold front moved across the state early in the day, producing northwesterly winds gusting as high as 78 mph. The combination of very high winds with a very dry air mass and dry fuels contributed to the rapid spread of wildfires across Williams and McKenzie counties.
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 Satellite loop of large wildfires in northwest North Dakota on the afternoon and early evening of October 5, 2024. (Courtesy of Chauncy Schultz) |
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| Webcam image taken from the Tioga Airport at 5:45 PM CDT. (Courtesy of the Federal Aviation Administration) | Webcam image taken from near Ray at 6:10 PM CDT. (Courtesy of the North Dakota Department of Transportation) |
Fires
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| 3D Satellite Depiction of the Elkhorn Fire Burn Scar. (Courtesy of the European Union Copernicus Sentinel Satellite Viewer) |
Satellite Image of the Ray/Tioga Fire Burn Scar. (Courtesy of the European Union Copernicus Sentinel Satellite Viewer) |
Satellite Image of the Bear Den and Elkhorn Fire Burn Scars. (Courtesy of the European Union Copernicus Sentinel Satellite Viewer) |
Photos
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| Ray/Tioga Fire Burn Scar from Above. (Courtesy of the ND Civil Air Patrol) |
Ray/Tioga Fire Damage. (Courtesy of the ND Civil Air Patrol) |
Bear Den Fire. (Courtesy of the ND Civil Air Patrol) |
Elkhorn Fire. (Courtesy of the ND Civil Air Patrol) |
Radar and Satellite
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| Radar Imagery of smoke plumes from Minot radar, KMBX on 10/5/2024. | Satellite Imagery of Fire Hotspots and Smoke Plumes on 10/5/2024. |
Wind Reports
HIGHEST WIND REPORTS ON 10/5/2024 Location Speed Time/Date Minot Air Force Base 78 MPH 1254 PM 10/05 Williston Airport 78 MPH 0230 PM 10/05 Beach 76 MPH 0215 AM 10/05 Tioga 75 MPH 0335 PM 10/05 Garrison 75 MPH 0428 PM 10/05 Minot Airport 74 MPH 0349 PM 10/05 5 NW Alkabo 72 MPH 1256 PM 10/05 Blaisdell 71 MPH 1240 PM 10/05 2 WSW Arnegard 70 MPH 0210 AM 10/05 3 W Palermo 68 MPH 0240 PM 10/05 1 S Max 68 MPH 0256 PM 10/05 4 N Fortuna 66 MPH 0120 PM 10/05 3 W Hartland 66 MPH 0332 PM 10/05 Stanley 66 MPH 0335 PM 10/05 10 S Antler 66 MPH 0443 PM 10/05 8 N Grenora 65 MPH 1243 PM 10/05 7 S Sawyer 64 MPH 1200 PM 10/05 5 W Coulee 64 MPH 1202 PM 10/05 8 S Alkabo (NDAWN) 64 MPH 0155 PM 10/05 Carrington ND AWOS 64 MPH 0435 PM 10/05 Bismarck Airport 64 MPH 0442 PM 10/05 Minot 63 MPH 1154 AM 10/05 Crosby 63 MPH 0155 PM 10/05 7 N Emmet 63 MPH 0326 PM 10/05 4 W Parshall 63 MPH 0344 PM 10/05 New Town 62 MPH 1240 PM 10/05 3 N Ray (NDAWN) 62 MPH 0340 PM 10/05 Lostwood 61 MPH 1257 PM 10/05 4 SW Tolley 61 MPH 0149 PM 10/05 Keene 61 MPH 0225 PM 10/05 1 WSW Bowbells 61 MPH 0410 PM 10/05 Harvey ND AWOS 61 MPH 0555 PM 10/05 4 SW Belcourt 61 MPH 0622 PM 10/05 2 W South Fairfield 60 MPH 0227 AM 10/05 11 N Sentinel Butte 60 MPH 0301 AM 10/05 Fortuna 60 MPH 1130 AM 10/05 3 SE Moffit 60 MPH 1147 AM 10/05 J. Clark Salyer 60 MPH 0146 PM 10/05 2 S Alamo (NDAWN) 60 MPH 0155 PM 10/05 3 SSE Bismarck 60 MPH 0246 PM 10/05 Hazen 60 MPH 0255 PM 10/05 Rolla ND AWOS 60 MPH 0315 PM 10/05 Raub 60 MPH 0345 PM 10/05 Dickinson Airport 60 MPH 0358 PM 10/05 Mandan 60 MPH 0415 PM 10/05 3 W Mohall 60 MPH 0428 PM 10/05 Long Lake NWR 60 MPH 0447 PM 10/05 9 S Alkabo 59 MPH 1140 AM 10/05 10 SW Ross (NDAWN) 59 MPH 0145 PM 10/05 Hettinger Airport 59 MPH 0348 PM 10/05 Stanton 59 MPH 0350 PM 10/05 6 SSW Fryburg 58 MPH 0320 AM 10/05 11 SE Wheelock 58 MPH 0321 AM 10/05 9 NW Williston 58 MPH 1151 AM 10/05 6 NNW Charbonneau (NDAWN) 57 MPH 0245 AM 10/05 10 NNW Plaza 57 MPH 1035 AM 10/05 3 NNW Robinson 57 MPH 1145 AM 10/05 4 N Ray 56 MPH 0943 AM 10/05
Environment
During the early morning hours of Saturday, October 5, a strong cold front moved across the state, causing a sharp shift in wind direction from south to west-northwest and producing gusts around 60 to 75 mph. Gusts this strong were short-lived with the frontal passage in the morning, but became much more common and persistent during the afternoon due to a tight pressure gradient associated with strong low low pressure over Manitoba.
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| Surface analysis at 4 PM CDT Saturday, October 5. (Courtesy of the Weather Prediction Center) |
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