Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 1986
Tornado Warning 6, NWS Bismarck, ND
NWS Bismarck, ND issued this tornado warning at Jul 27, 1986, 7:40 PM CDT for Wells County, North Dakota. It was in force for 35 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 27, 1986, 7:40 PM CDT (00:40 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 27, 1986, 8:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 35 min
- Issued by
- NWS Bismarck, ND
- Area
- Whole counties
County Wells County, ND
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
The nearest sounding before it
Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 120 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 821 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -22 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1441 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 24 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -3 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 83 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBIS 280040 TORBIS NDC103-280115- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 740 PM CDT SUN JUL 27 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 815 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...NORTHERN WELLS AT 735 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 5 MILES WEST OF HARVEY MOVING TO THE EAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR. PERSONS LIVING IN HARVEY SHOULD SEEK COVER IMMEDIATELY. . . . IF A TORNADO IS APPROACHING GET INTO A BASEMENT...IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...GET INTO THE INNERMOST HALLWAY...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE GET INTO A DITCH...GULLY...RAVINE...OR EVEN A LOW LYING SPOT ON THE GROUND. PROTECT YOUR HEAD. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES. KAS 0038Z
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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 27, 3:24 PM CDT, 4 hours 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 225 PM MDT SUN JUL 27 1986 ...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 8 PM MDT... AT 220 PM MDT INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING IN EASTERN FALLON COUNTY OF MONTANA..70 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DICKINSON NORTH DAKOTA. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR AND ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO SLOPE AND BOWMAN COUNTIES OF NORTH DAKOTA BY 3 PM MDT. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WAS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL..STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN.
Special weather statement, Jul 27, 4:54 PM CDT, 2 hours 46 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 455 PM CDT SUN JUL 27 1986 ...TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 9 PM CDT... AT 445 PM CDT THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING IN BOWMAN AND ADAMS COUNTIES IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA..65 MILES SOUTH SOUTH- WEST OF DICKINSON. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. NO REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER HAD BEEN RECEIVED. HOWEVER..THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPfECTED TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER WESTERN TONIGHT AND CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SOME TO BECOME SEVERE. PERSONS IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA SHOULD CONTINUE MONINTORING WEATHER CONDITIONS FOR ANY RAPID CHANGES. STOLTZ
Special weather statement, Jul 27, 6:05 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 600 PM CDT SUN JUL 27 1986 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 9 PM CDT OR 8 PM MDT... AT 6 PM CDT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR HETTINGER IN THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE STATE..OR ABOUT 50 MILES SOUTH OF DICKINSON. THIS STORM WAS MOVING SLOWLY TO THE EAST AND PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN. ANOTHER THUNDER- STORM WAS LOCATED IN BOWMAN COUNTY IN THE EXTREME SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE STATE. OTHER ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN THE THE NORTHWEST PART OF THE STATE..NORTHEAST OF WILLISTON IN BURKE COUNTY. ALL OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY TO THE EAST. CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOPMENT ACROSS WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA TONIGHT. PERSONS LIVING IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA SHOULD KEEP ALERT FOR WEATHER ACTIVITY AND REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER TO THEIR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. KAS
Special weather statement, Jul 27, 6:05 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLISTON ND 605 PM CDT SUN JUL 27 1986 ...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 9 PM CDT... AT 600 PM CDT THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP IN EASTERN MONTANA AND WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. THE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN EAST CENTRAL BURKE COUNTY ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COLUMBUS NORTH DAKOTA..OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN NORTHERN GOLDEN VALLEY COUNTY AND SOUTHERN MCKENZIE COUNTY JUST WEST OF GRASSY BUTTE NORTH DAKOTA. MOVEMENT OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WAS EAST AT 20 TO 25 MILES AN HOUR. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING ACROSS THE WESTERN PART OF NORTH DAKOTA TONIGHT AND CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SOME TO BECOME SEVERE. NIELSEN
Special weather statement, Jul 27, 7:25 PM CDT, 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 725 PM CDT SUN JUL 27 1986 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 9 PM CDT OR 8 PM MDT... AT 720 PM CDT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS IN BURKE COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN THE HARVEY AREA IN CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AND IN WESTERN GRANT COUNTY..SOUTHWEST OF BISMARCK. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND COULD BE PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AS WELL AS DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. PERSONS IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF THE LATEST WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS. CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR THUNDER- STORM DEVELOPMENT IN NORTH DAKOTA TONIGHT. KAS
The office that day
Everything else NWS Bismarck, ND issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 7:03 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Burke | 27 min |
| Jul 27, 9:23 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Billings, Golden Valley | 37 min |
| Jul 27, 10:09 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Billings, Dunn, McKenzie | 66 min |
| Jul 27, 10:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Burke, Divide | 64 min |
| Jul 27, 11:03 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Bottineau | 27 min |
| Jul 28, 12:09 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BIS | Ward | 21 min |
| Jul 28, 12:28 AM CDT | Tornado Warning | BIS | Ward | 32 min |
| Jul 28, 6:11 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Emmons | 49 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 1986Every tornado warning in 1986Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.