Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 52, NWS Bismarck, ND

July 6, 1990Mercer County, North Dakota

NWS Bismarck, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 6, 1990, 8:11 PM MDT for Mercer County, North Dakota. It was in force for 49 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 6, 1990, 8:11 PM MDT (02:11 UTC)
Expired
Jul 6, 1990, 9:00 PM MDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Bismarck, ND
Area
Whole counties

County Mercer 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 6, 8:54 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 0Mercer, 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, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 105 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Bismarck Municip, ND at 00:00Z on 1990-07-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1589 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Bismarck Municip, ND at 00:00Z on 1990-07-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 86 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
1589 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1838 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
86 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
291 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.3
Supercell composite
13.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBIS 070211
SVRBIS
NDC057-070300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
811 PM MDT FRI JUL 6 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 900 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTY

   IN THE CENTRAL PART OF NORTH DAKOTA
      EASTERN MERCER

AT 910 PM CDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 50 MILES SOUTH
OF MINOT OR 20 MILES WEST OF THE GARRISON DAM. THE THUNDERSTORM
WAS MOVING EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR AND WILL MOVE INTO GARRISON
DAM AND THE SAKAKAWEA STATE PARK AND PICK CITY AREAS.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAIN MAY FLOOD ROADWAYS QUICKLY
SO AVOID DRIVING INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

REMEMBER...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
A TORNADO WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.

 BOATERS ON THE EAST END OF LAKE SAKAKAWEA IN THE GARRISON DAM
 AREA SHOULD SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDJIATELY.

 VAN ESS

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 6, 5:35 PM MDT, 2 hours 36 minutes before
NDZ001>011-070030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
630 PM CDT FRI JUL 6 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA...

AT 620 PM CDT...RADARS SHOWED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS BEGINNING TO
DEVELOP IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED
OVER THE NORTH UNIT OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK...WHICH IS
ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WILLISTON. THIS STORM HAD GROWN VERY
RAPIDLY AND LIKELY CONTAINED BRIEF HEAVY RAIN.

OTHER LESS INTENSE STORMS WERE DETECTED IN THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE
STATE. ONE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF NEW ENGLAND OR 35 MILES
SOUTH OF DICKINSON. THE OTHER STORM WAS IN THE SOUTHWEST TIP OF THE
STATE OVER T$HE TOWN OF BOWMAN.

THESE STORMS HAD RECENTLY DEVELOPED AND MOVEMENT COULD NOT BE
DETERMINED.
LM
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 6:32 PM MDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before
NDZ001>011-070130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
730 PM CDT FRI JUL 6 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA...

AT 720 PM CDT...RADARS SHOWED A SCATTERED LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN
WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. THE LINE EXTENDED FROM THE KILDEER MOUNTAINS...
60 MILES NORTH OF DICKINSON...TO NEAR REEDER...55 MILES SOUTH OF
DICKINSON. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS AT THE NORTH END OF THIS LINE IN
THE KILDEER MOUNTAINS. A%NOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS AT THE SOUTH END
OF THE LINE NEAR REEDER. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT
30 MPH.

HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...STRONG WINDS...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING ARE LIKELY
WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 7:38 PM MDT, 33 minutes before
NDZ003-070145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLISTON ND
830 AM CDT FRI JUL 6 1990

...TORNADO WARNING IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 2 AM CDT...

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEAST DUNN COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEAST DUNN COUNTY HAS BEEN
CANCELLED.  THE THUNDERSTORM HAS MOVED EAST OF THE COUNTY AND HAS
WEAKENED. THERE IS NO OTHER THREATING WEATHER IN DUNN COUNT
Y AT THIS
TIME.

REMEMBER A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL
2AM CDT OR 1AM MDT.

KENNEDY
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 7:47 PM MDT, 24 minutes before
NDZ001>011-070230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
845 PM CDT FRI JUL 6 1990

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN AND PARTS OF CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA UNTIL 2 AM CDT...

AT 840 PM CDT A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING ACROSS WESTERN
NORTH DAKOTA. THE LINE EXTENDED FROM 25 MILES WEST OF MINOT NEAR
BERTHOLD TO 50 MILES SOUTH OF DICKINSON NEAR HETTINGER.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED 25 MILES EAST OF DICKINSON
IN EASTERN STARK COUNTY AND 50 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MINOT OVER LAKE
SAKAKAWEA. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE EXTREMELY HEAVY RAIN...
HAIL AND STRONG WINDS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE LINE WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY AND MOVING EAST
AT 40( MILES AN HOUR. PEOPLE IN CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA SHOULD STAY ALERT
FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING CONDITIONS AS THE THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH.
VAN ESS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 6, 6:06 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISDunn39 min
Jul 6, 6:55 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISDunn65 min
Jul 6, 8:22 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISBottineau48 min
Jul 6, 9:03 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISMcLean, Mercer57 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Dakota, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

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.