Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 71, NWS Bismarck, ND

July 15, 1986Hettinger County, Stark County, North Dakota

NWS Bismarck, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 15, 1986, 4:17 AM MDT for Hettinger County, Stark County, North Dakota. It was in force for 43 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jul 15, 1986, 4:17 AM MDT (10:17 UTC)
Expired
Jul 15, 1986, 5:00 AM MDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Bismarck, ND
Area
Whole counties

Counties Hettinger County, ND, Stark County, ND

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 15, 4:20 AM MDTThunderstorm Wind 52Stark, ND

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Rapid City, SD (KRAP), launched 00:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 285 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Rapid City, SD at 00:00Z on 1986-07-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2241 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Rapid City, SD at 00:00Z on 1986-07-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 3 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
2241 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-68 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1661 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
91 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
3.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KBIS 151018
SVRBIS
NDC089-041-151100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
517 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 600 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES OF


SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA...EASTERN STARK AND NORTHERN HETTINGER

AT 410 AM MDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 10 MILES SOUTH
OF DICKINSON NORTH DAKOTA MOVING EAST 40 MILES AN HOUR.

THIS STORM IS ACCOMPANIED BY DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.
>
THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL LIKELY DEVELOP WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 58 MPH
OR HAIL 3/4 OF AN INCH OR LARGER. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES
TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY. REMEMBER THAT LIGHTNING IS A THUNDERSTORMS
MOST DEADLY WEAPON. REPORT ALL SEVERE WEATHER TO YOUR LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AFTER THE STORM PASSES.

REMEMBER THESE STORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE A TORNADO
WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT.

RJR/1016Z

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 15, 1:46 AM MDT, 2 hours 31 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLISTON ND
240 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 1986

...THUNDESTROMS DEVELOPING OVER EASTERN MONTANA...

AT 130 AM CDT WILLISTON RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS
RAPIDLY DEVELOPING OVER EAST CENTRAL MONTANA.  THE STRONGEST STORMS
WERE OVER RICHLAND COUNTY FROM SIDENY TO 15 MILES WEST OF LAMBERT.

AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER SOUTHERN SHERIDAN COUNTY 14 MILES
SOUTH OF PLENTYWOOD.

THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN REPORTS OF FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HEAVY
RAIN.  HOWEVER THESE STORMS WIL PRODUCE SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS
IN ADDITION TO THE RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

KENNEDY
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 1:47 AM MDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT  ...CORRECTED...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLISTON ND
240 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 1986

...THUNDERSTROMS DEVELOPING OVER EASTERN MONTANA...

AT 130 AM CDT WILLISTON RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS
RAPIDLY DEVELOPING OVER EAST CENTRAL MONTANA.  THE STRONGEST STORMS
WERE OVER RICHLAND COUNTY FROM SIDENY TO 15 MILES WEST OF LAMBERT.

AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM WAS OVER SOUTHERN SHERIDAN COUNTY 14 MILES
SOUTH OF PLENTYWOOD.

THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN REPORTS OF FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HEAVY
RAIN.  HOWEVER THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS
IN ADDITION TO THE RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

KENNEDY
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 2:35 AM MDT, 1 hour 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLISTON ND
335 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 1986

...THUNDERSTROMS MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEAST OVER WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA...

AT 330 AM CDT WILLISTON RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS
MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEAST OVER EASTERN MONTANA AND WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA.
THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE OVER SIDNEY MONTANA IN RICHLAND COUNTY
AND JUST SOUTH OF TRENTON IN SOUTHWEST WILLIAMS COUNTY NORTH
DAKOTA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE SHOWN A SLIGHT DECREASE IN INTENSITY
SINCE 3AM CDT.  HOWEVER THE STORMS WILL PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...
POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

KENNE%DY
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 3:50 AM MDT, 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
450 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 1986

...THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA...

AT 440 AM CDT NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WITH INTENSE LIGHTNING WERE LOCATED
OVER WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. THE STRONGEST ACTIVITY WAS FOUND 15 MILES
WEST OF DICKINSON NORTH DAKOTA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..VERY HEAVY RAIN..
HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS WINDS.

THE MOVEMENT OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS| WAS EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Dakota, 1986Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.