Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Grand Forks, ND

July 12, 1988Cass County, North Dakota; Clay County, Norman County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Jul 12, 1988, 9:00 PM CDT for Cass County, North Dakota; Clay County, Norman County, Minnesota. It was in force for 60 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: Jul 12, 1988, 9:00 PM CDT (02:00 UTC)
Expired: Jul 12, 1988, 10:00 PM CDT
In force: 60 min
Issued by: NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area: Whole counties

Counties Clay County, MN, Norman County, MN, Cass 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
Jul 12, 9:55 PM CDT	Tornado F0	Cass, 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

Aberdeen, SD (KHON), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 272 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.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 2861 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -38 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1651 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 185 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 447 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 2.2
Supercell composite: 18.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KFAR 130200
TORFAR
NDC017-MNC027-107-130300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FARGO ND
900 PM CDT TUE JUL 12 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE EAST CENTRAL PART OF NORTH DAKOTA
      NORTHEAST CASS...

   IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF MINNESOTA
      NORTHWEST CLAY...SOUTHWEST NORMAN...

AT 856 PM CDT...A TORNADO WAS REPORTED 4 MILES WEST OF GARDNER
NORTH DAKOTA OR 20 MILES NORTH OF FARGO MOVING EAST AT 30 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.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES...
TAKE COVER IN A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

TS/ME

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 12, 5:37 PM CDT, 3 hours 23 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FARGO ND
535 PM CDT TUE JUL 12 1988

...TORNADO WATCH FOR CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA TIL 11PM CDT...

AT 529 PM CDT...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS HAD DEVELOPED OVER CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA...20 MILES WEST OF JAMESTOWN...AND ALSO 30 MILES SOUTH OF
DEVILS LAKE.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR...AND WILL
LIKELY PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING
STRIKES.

OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA...WHILE SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSHOWERS LINGERED OVER PARTS OF
NORTHWEST MINNESOTA AND THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF NORTH DAKOTA.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

Special weather statement, Jul 12, 6:41 PM CDT, 2 hours 19 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FARGO ND
635 PM CDT TUE JUL 12 1988

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM CDT FOR
   A LARGE PORTION OF EASTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST AND
   WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

AT 625 PM CDT...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE MOVING
INTO EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA. THESE INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MAINLY OVER
GRIGGS AND BARNES COUNTIES IN EAST CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA FROM NEAR VALLEY
CITY NORTHWARD THROUGH THE HANNAFORD...COOPERSTOWN...MC VILLE AND ANETA
AREAS. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND SHOULD
MOVE INTO WESTERN GRAND FORKS...EASTERN NELSON AND STEELE COUNTIES
BETWEEN 7PM AND 730 PM. SO FAR...THESE INTENSE STORMS HAVE PRODUCED VERY
HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH FREQUENT LIGHTNING AS THEY PASS THROUGH.

OTHER SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING INTO EASTERN NORTH
DAKOTA MAINLY OVER A 75 MILE WIDE AREA FROM 30 MILES NORTH OF DEVILS
LAKE TO NEAR THE NORTH DAKOTA/SOUTH DAKOTA STATE LINE SOUTH OF ELLENDALE.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR AND
PERSON OVER EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA SHOULD BE ALERT FORN RAPIDLY CHANGING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER IF SEVERE WEATHER
APPROACHES.
SPIES

Local storm report, Jul 12, 8:07 PM CDT, 53 minutes before

STORM REPORTS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FARGO ND
800 PM CDT TUE JUL 12 1988

TIME      EVENT
650 PM    15 MILES NORTH OF ELLENDALE NORTH DAKOTA OBSERVER REPORTED
          GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL.

645 PM    4 MILES WEST OF FINLEY NORTH DAKOTA IN WESTERN STEELE COUNTY
          REPORT OF PEA SIZE HAIL, VERY HEAVY RAIN AND 45 MPH WIND.

652 PM    WEATHER OBSERVER REPORTED GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL, .60 INCH OF RAIN
          IN 20 MINUTES 4 MILES EAST OF EDGELEY NORTH DAKOTA IN SOUTHERN
          LA MOURE COUNTY.

725 PM    8 TO 9 MILES NORTH OF ELLENDALE NORTH DAKOTA WEATHER OBSERVER
          REPORTED 3 INCH DIAMETER HAIL.

732 PM    STATE POLICE REPORTED 4 AND ONE/HALF INCH HAIL OR (SOFTBALL
          SIZE HAIL 5 MILES WEST OF FULLERTON NORTH DAKOTA.
SPIES

The office that day

Everything else NWS Grand Forks, ND issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 12, 7:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Cass, Steele, Traill	55 min
Jul 12, 7:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Dickey, Ransom, Sargent	58 min
Jul 12, 7:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	LaMoure	58 min
Jul 12, 8:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Cass, Traill	57 min
Jul 12, 8:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	LaMoure	60 min
Jul 12, 8:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Ransom, Richland, Sargent	58 min
Jul 12, 10:00 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Cass	60 min
Jul 12, 10:20 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Richland	55 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 1988 Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 1988 Every tornado warning in 1988 Tornadoes 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.