Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Grand Forks, ND
NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 10, 1986, 5:35 PM CDT for Traill County, North Dakota. It was in force for 55 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 10, 1986, 5:35 PM CDT (22:35 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 10, 1986, 6:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 55 min
- Issued by
- NWS Grand Forks, ND
- Area
- Whole counties
County Traill 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
Aberdeen, SD (KHON), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 300 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
- 1117 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 492 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 31 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 89 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 197 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 5.5
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KFAR 102235 SVRFAR NDC017-097-MNC027-102330- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FARGO ND 535 PM CDT THU JUL 10 1986 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 630 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF EAST CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...CASS...TRAILL AND THE CITIES OF FARGO/MOORHEAD NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...WESTERN CLAY AT 525 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM BLANCHARD..35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GRAND FORKS NORTH DAKOTA..TO CASSELTON..15 MILES WEST OF FARGO NORTH DAKOTA MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 58 MPH AND/OR HAIL 3/4 OF AN INCH OR LARGER...DEADLY LIGHTNING... AND HEAVY RAINS THAT CAN QUICKLY FLOOD A LOW LYING AREA. THESE STORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE A TORNADO WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING...SO YOU SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...YOU SHOULD GO TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IMMEDIATELY. REPORT ALL SEVERE WEATHER TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AFTER THE STORM PASSES. THIS STORM IS ACCOMPANIED BY INTENSE LIGHTNING. ANDERSEN
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 10, 1:43 PM CDT, 3 hours 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FARGO ND 143 PM CDT THU JUL 10 1986 ...UNCONFIRMED TORNADO SIGHTED IN EAST CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA... AT 1 PM CDT...A REPORT WAS RECEIVED FROM THE PUBLIC OF A POSSIBLE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN NORTH OF COOPERSTOWN NORTH DAKOTA..ABOUT 45 MILES NORTHEAST OF JAMESTOWN. A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL INVESTIGATED THE REPORT..AND FOUND NO DAMAGE. RADAR INDICATES THUNDERSTORMS IN THAT VICINITY..BUT NOTHING SEVERE. THIS MAY HAVE BEEN A COLD AIR FUNNEL..THAT USUALLY DO NOT TOUCH THE GROUND..BUT HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO. IF YOU LIVE IN STEELE COUNTY OF EAST CENTRAL AND SIGHT ONE OF THESE FUNNELS..TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWE#RS WERE SCATTERED OVER EXTREME EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA..NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA..AND OVER THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF SOUTH DAKOTA. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. ARMSTRONG
Special weather statement, Jul 10, 2:02 PM CDT, 3 hours 33 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FARGO ND 143 PM CDT THU JUL 10 1986 ...UNCONFIRMED TORNADO SIGHTED IN EAST CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA... AT 1 PM CDT...A REPORT WAS RECEIVED FROM THE PUBLIC OF A POSSIBLE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN NORTH OF COOPERSTOWN NORTH DAKOTA..ABOUT 45 MILES NORTHEAST OF JAMESTOWN. A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL INVESTIGATED THE REPORT..AND FOUND NO DAMAGE. RADAR INDICATES THUNDERSTORMS IN THAT VICINITY..BUT NOTHING SEVERE. THIS MAY HAVE BEEN A COLD AIR FUNNEL..THAT USUALLY DO NOT TOUCH THE GROUND..BUT HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO. IF YOU LIVE IN STEELE COUNTY OF EAST CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA..AND SIGHT ONE OF THESE FUNNELS..TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUN6DERSHOWERS WERE SCATTERED OVER EXTREME EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA..NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA..AND OVER THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF SOUTH DAKOTA. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR. ARMSTRONG
Special weather statement, Jul 10, 3:14 PM CDT, 2 hours 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FARGO ND 310 PM CDT THU JUL 10 1986 ...TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHERN STEELE AND SOUTHERN GRAND FORKS COUNTIES OF NORTH DAKOTA HAS EXPIRED... AT 3 PM CDT THE TORNADO WARNING OVER PARTS OF STEELE AND GRAND FORKS COUNTIES EXPIRED. HOWEVER..DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER SOUTHEAST AND NORTHEAST STEELE COUNTY. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL BE CROSShING INTO TRAILL COUNTY AT 330 PM CDT..NEAR THE TOWNS OF HATTON AND BLANCHARD..25 AND 35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GRAND FORKS. IF YOU ARE IN OR NEAR ONE OF THESE TOWNS..STAY ALERT FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER IN YOUR AREA. DM
Local storm report, Jul 10, 3:25 PM CDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
STORM REPORTS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FARGO ND
325 PM CDT THU JUL 10 1986
TIME EVENT
1255PM CDT UNCONFIRMED TORNADO 18 MILES NORTH OF COOPERSTOWN ND
RELAYED BY GRAND FORKS AFB.
140 PM CDT HIGHWAY PATROL REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUD 8 TO 9 MILES
SOUTH OF ANETA ND..SOUTHWEST OF SHARON ND IN STEELE
COUNTY.
142 PM CDT LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED SEVERAL FUNNEL CLOUDS 3 MILES
WEST OF FINLEY ND IN STEELE COUNTY.
210 PM CDT FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED BY CO-OP OBSERVER AT SHARON ND
IN STEELE COUNTY.
245 PM CDT TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BETWEEN 240-242 PM CDT 5 MILES NE
OF FINLEY ND IN STEELE COqUNTY. TOUCH DOWN WAS WITNESSED
BY FIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT UNITS. IT WAS IN AN OPEN
FIELD WITH NO APPARENT DAMAGE.
DMThe office that day
Everything else NWS Grand Forks, ND issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 1:51 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | FGF | Grand Forks, Steele | 69 min |
| Jul 10, 4:31 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | FGF | Grand Forks, Steele | 59 min |
| Jul 10, 4:42 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | FGF | Cass | 48 min |
| Jul 10, 5:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Cass | 55 min |
| Jul 10, 6:36 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | FGF | Cass | 54 min |
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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.