textproduct: Grand Forks

KEY MESSAGES

- Wildfire smoke continues to affect air quality.

UPDATE

Issued at 650 AM CDT Fri Jul 17 2026

Overnight thunderstorm activity has pushed mostly east of the FA. Smoke is also returning to the region, overspreading areas generally along and north of Highway 2 behind a cold front. Visibility should improve mid to late morning as daytime mixing increases. All other portions of the forecast remain on track.

..Air Quality

As winds become southerly and then westerly overnight, smoke should move out of the area. That said, forecasting where wildfire smoke will go is pretty difficult, and as the flow turns from the north tomorrow, smoke could return, although not sure how impactful it would be if it does.

AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 1240 PM CDT Fri Jul 17 2026

Flight conditions remain variable across eastern ND and northwest MN due to a lingering layer of stratus (generally MVFR) and surface smoke from wildfires that mixed to the surface behind a passing cold front (vis generally 2-6 sm). The stratus is starting to lift and break up from the west to the east, and all guidance has VFR ceilings returning during the afternoon hours, though satellite trends support the potential for MVFR ceilings to linger longer in MN than guidance indicates. Visibility is much harder to anticipate as smoke concentrations will be highly variable. The thickest smoke is immediately behind the front and this is where IFR visibilities have been reported, however as the front moves southeast smoke is thinning and visibilities are improving and based on that trend VFR should improve through the afternoon/evening. However, additional areas of smoke make continue to rotate through the region aloft and occasionally at the surface tonight into Saturday.

Northerly winds occasionally gusting around 20kt are expected through the afternoon behind the front, decreasing early evening with loss of daytime heating.

FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

ND...None. MN...None.