Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 59, NWS Grand Forks, ND
NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 23, 1987, 3:02 AM CDT for Becker County, Mahnomen County, Norman County, Minnesota. It was in force for 58 min. 2 reports 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 23, 1987, 3:02 AM CDT (08:02 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 23, 1987, 4:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 58 min
- Issued by
- NWS Grand Forks, ND
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Becker County, MN, Mahnomen County, MN, Norman County, MN
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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 3:05 AM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 71 | Norman, MN | |
| Jul 23, 4:10 AM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Mahnomen, MN |
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
International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 00:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 252 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
- 3365 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -30 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 902 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 44 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 268 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 393 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 6.6
- Supercell composite
- 29.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KFAR 230802 SVRFAR MNC005-027-087-107-230900- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FARGO ND 302 AM CDT THU JUL 23 1987 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 400 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...BECKER...NORTHERN CLAY...MAHNOMEN...NORMAN AND THE CITY OF DETROIT LAKES AT 250 AM CDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF FARGO NORTH DAKOTA OR JUST NORTHWEST OF FELTON MINNESOTA WAS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR. REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 58 MPH AND/OR HAIL 3/4 INCH OR LARGER...DEADLY LIGHTNING... AND HEAVY RAINS THAT CAN QUICKLY FLOOD A LOW LYING AREA. REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE A TORNADO WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT. 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 23, 12:36 AM CDT, 2 hours 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FARGO ND 1235 AM CDT THU JUL 23 1987 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM CDT THIS THURSDAY MORNING FOR PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA... AT 1230 AM CDT...ISOLATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING INTO CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA. ONE INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS ALONG THE NORTH/SOUTH DAKOTA STATE LINE 45 MILES NORTH OF ABERDEEN SOUTH DAKOTA NEAR FORBES NORTH DAKOTA. THE OTHER WAS 30 MILES WEST OF JAMESTOWN NEAR MEDINA NORTH DAKOTA. THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN..DANGEROUS LIGHTNING..HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. THE STORM WEST OF JAMESTOWN WILL PASS THROUGH THE JAMESTOWN AREA BY 130 AM CDT. THE STORM NEAR FORBES WILL TRACK ALONG THE NORTH/SOUTH DAKOTA STATE LINES AND AFFECT ELLENDALE AND OAKES NORTH DAKOTA THROUGH 130AM CDT. OTHERWEISE...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS COVERED MUCH OF THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF NORTH DAKOTA. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. IN ADDITION...WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ..A FEW WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN..HAD RE-INTENSIFIED OVER NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA. THE STORMS EXTENDED FROM 20 MILES SOUTH OF THIEF RIVER FALLS TO NEAR INTERNATIONAL FALLS. STRONGEST THUNDERSSTORMS WERE 35 MILES EAST OF THIEF RIVER FALLS NEAR GONVICK AND OVER THE UPPER RED LAKE. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF THESE STORMS AND IF YOU LIVE OR CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA YOU SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS. EWENS
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 1:41 AM CDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FARGO ND 140 AM CDT THU JUL 23 1987 ...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM CDT THIS THURSDAY MORNING FOR PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA... AT 125 AM CDT...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED OVER EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM 30 MILES NORTHEAST TO 45 MILES SOUTHEAST OF JAMESTOWN NORTH DAKOTA OR GENERALLY ALONG A LINE FROM HANNAFORD TO LITCHVILLE TO VERONA NORTH DAKOTA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL BE IN SOUTHWEST STEELE...ALONG THE BARNES/CASS COUNTY LINE...AND IN EASTERN RANSOM COUNTIES BY 225 AM CDT. PERSONS LIVING IN THE PATHS OF THESE STORMS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS. THESE STORMS PRODUCED VERY HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING STRIKES AS THEY MOVED THROUGH JAMESTOWN NORTH DAKOTA. NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED AS OF 130 AM...HOWEVER ALL OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER INCLUDING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS AT ANY TIME. ALSO AT 125 AM CDT...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAI'N...WERE OVER THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF NORTH DAKOTA...OVER NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...AND OVER NORTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA. MOVEMENT OF THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS TO THE EAST AT 35 TO 40 MILES AN HOUR. MB
The office that day
Everything else NWS Grand Forks, ND issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 8:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Koochiching | 60 min |
| Jul 23, 2:00 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Clay, Wilkin | 60 min |
| Jul 23, 2:28 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Otter Tail | 62 min |
| Jul 23, 3:02 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Clay | 58 min |
| Jul 23, 3:35 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Beltrami, Clearwater | 60 min |
| Jul 23, 3:46 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Polk | 44 min |
| Jul 23, 4:25 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Koochiching | 60 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.