Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Bismarck, ND
NWS Bismarck, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 31, 1987, 6:59 PM MDT for Mercer County, Oliver County, North Dakota. It was in force for 61 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 31, 1987, 6:59 PM MDT (00:59 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 31, 1987, 8:00 PM MDT
- In force
- 61 min
- Issued by
- NWS Bismarck, ND
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Mercer County, ND, Oliver 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, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 83 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
- 3020 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -31 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1599 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 27 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 23 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 66 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 1.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBIS 010100 SVRBIS NDC057-065-010200- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 659 PM MDT FRI JUL 31 1987 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 800 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...EASTERN MERCER AND OLIVER AT 650 PM MDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WSA LOCATED IN SOUTHERN MERCER COUNTY OF NORTH DAKOTA...45 MILES NORTHWEST OF BISMARCK MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. AT 650 PM MDT WINDS GUSTS TO 80 MPH WERE REPORTED AT BEULAH NORTH DAKOTA...45 MILES NORTHWEST OF BISMARCK. IF YOU ARE IN AN AREA THREATENED BY THE STORM..GO TO A REINFORECED SHELTER AND PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...AND HEAVY RAIN. REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE A TORNADO WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE 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 PFASSES. RJR
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 31, 3:13 PM MDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 415 PM CDT FRI JUL 31 1987 ...PACIFIC COOL FRONT TO BRING SOME RELIEF TO NORTH DAKOTA SATURDAY... A COOL FRONT NOW OVER WESTERN MONTANA IS EXPECTED TO MOVE RAPIDLY EASTWARD TONIGHT...AND REACH WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA SATURDAY MORNING. THIS FRONT SHOULD MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA SATURDAY...AND THROUGH THE ENTIRE STATE BY SATURDAY NIGHT. WITH THE PASSAGE OF THIS FRONT...DRIER NORTHWEST WINDS WILL LESSEN THE HUMIDITIES SOMEWHAT...HOWEVER MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES SATURDAY WILL STILL BE IN THE MID 80S TO NEAR 90 OVER WEST AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. IN THE EAST...SATURDAY WILL BE HOT AND HUMID WITH TEMPERATURES REACHING THE LOW TO MID 90S...AND NO RELIEF IS EXPECTED THERE UNTIL SATURDAY NIGHT. IN THE MEANTIME...WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE STATEWIDE THROUGH TONIGHT...AND ALL PERSONS SHOULD CONTINUE TO TAKE PROTECTIVE MEASURES FROM THE HEAT STRESSf. RCM
Special weather statement, Jul 31, 4:53 PM MDT, 2 hours 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 550 PM CDT FRI JUL 31 1987 ...THUNDERSTORMS IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA... AT 550 PM CDT/ 450 PM MDT BISMARCK WEATHER RADAR DETECTED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. THE LINE STRETECHED FROM BOWMAN TO JUST SOUTH OF WILLISTON. THE LINE WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 15 MPH. HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...STRONG WINDS...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. AT 538 PM CDT/438 PM MDT THE SHERIFF IN BOWMAN REPORTED 1/2 INCH OF RAIN IN 10 MINUTES...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND PEA SIZED HAIL. AMIDON AND BELFIELD ALSO REPORTED HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. TSW
Special weather statement, Jul 31, 5:33 PM MDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 630 PM CDT FRI JUL 31 1987 ...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA... AT 625 PM CDT NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA STRETCHING FROM 30 MILES EAST OF WILLISTON TO 30 MILES SOUTH OF DICKINSON. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE FOUND NEAR NEW ENGLAND NORTH DAKOTA...15 SOUTH OF DICKINSON. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...STRONG WINDS...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. AT 610 PM CDT NEW ENGLAND RECEIVED 50 MPH WINDS AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. AT 617 PM CDT BELFIELD REPORTED 1.77 INCHES OF RAIN IN ONE HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jul 31, 6:15 PM MDT, 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 712 PM CDT FRI JUL 31 1987 ...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA... AT 705 PM CDT NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHED FROM 60 MILES NORTHEAST OF WILLISTON TO 90 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BISMARCK IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN RICHARDTON...20 MILES EAST OF DICKINSON AND IN EASTERN ADAMS COUNTY 90 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BISMARCK. AT 7 PM CDT/6 PM MDT A WEATHER SERVICE OBSERVER AND A HAM RADIO OPERATOR IN RICHARDTON REPORTED WINDS OF AROUND 50 MPH...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. AT 653 PM CDT NEW ENGLAND HAD RECEIVED 2 INCHES OF RAIN. HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...STRONG WINDS...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. IF A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES...SEEK SHELTER. TSW
Special weather statement, Jul 31, 6:18 PM MDT, 41 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLISTON ND 715 PM CDT FRI JUL 31 1987 ...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS CONTINUE ACROSS WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA... AT 715 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS EXTENDING FROM LOSTWOOD IN NORTHERN MOUNTRAIL COUNTY OR 50 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF WILLISTON TO MARSHALL IN SOUTHEASTERN DUNN COUNTY. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED AT MARSHALL IN SOUTHEASTERN DUNN COUNTY. A COOPERATIVE OB SERVER REPORTED 40 TO 50 MPH WIND AND HEAVY RAIN AT MARSHALL. HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 MPH. NEWKIRK
The office that day
Everything else NWS Bismarck, ND issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 6:24 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Mercer, Morton | 26 min |
| Jul 31, 6:30 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Grant | 60 min |
| Jul 31, 7:39 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | McLean | 51 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Dakota, 1987Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1987
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.