Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 2, NWS Grand Forks, ND
NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Jun 18, 1988, 7:17 PM CDT for Traill County, North Dakota. It was in force for 58 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
- Jun 18, 1988, 7:17 PM CDT (00:17 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 18, 1988, 8:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 58 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.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 7:30 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Traill, 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
Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 278 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
- 1182 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -44 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2671 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 40 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -29 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 194 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KFAR 190017
TORFAR
NDC097-190115-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FARGO ND
717 PM CDT SAT JUN 18 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 815 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY
IN THE EAST CENTRAL PART OF NORTH DAKOTA
TRAILL
AT 715 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 35 MILES SOUTH
OF GRAND FORKS OR JUST SOUTH OF MAYVILLE. SEVERAL REPORTS OF
TORNADOS HAVE BEEN REPORTED FROM THIS STORM. THIS STORM WAS MOVING
EAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE IS IN
A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...FIND SHELTER IN A CENTRAL INTERIOR
ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...
PILLOWS...OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND PROTECT YOUR HEAD.
AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED
BUILDING.
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...TAKE SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.
IF YOU LIVE IN A HOME OR APARTMENT...FIND SHELTER IN THE INNERMOST
PORTION OF THE BUILDING ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. GET TO A BASEMENT IF
ONE IS AVAILABLE. AVOID WINDOWS. PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING
DEBRIS WITH CUSHIO+NS...BLANKETS...OR PILLOWS.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, Jun 18, 5:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FARGO ND 535 PM CDT SAT JUN 18 1988 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA UNTIL 1000PM CDT. AT 525 PM CDT...AN ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAD DEVELOPED RAPIDLY OVER EAST CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA 50 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GRAND FORKS. THIS STORM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE ANETA...SHARON/FINLEY AREAS BY 630 PM CDT. THIS STORM COULD PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND STRONG WINDS. MOVEMENT OF THIS STORM WAS EAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR. ELSEWHERE...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW WITH HEAVY RAIN CONTINUED OVER NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR. VOELKER
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes in 1988
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.