Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 77, NWS Bismarck, ND

August 26, 1990Benson County, Ramsey County, North Dakota

NWS Bismarck, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 26, 1990, 1:36 AM CDT for Benson County, Ramsey County, North Dakota. It was in force for 54 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
Aug 26, 1990, 1:36 AM CDT (06:36 UTC)
Expired
Aug 26, 1990, 2:30 AM CDT
In force
54 min
Issued by
NWS Bismarck, ND
Area
Whole counties

Counties Benson County, ND, Ramsey 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
Aug 26, 2:00 AM CDTHail 1Benson, 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, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 199 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 1990-08-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2995 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 1990-08-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 44 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
2995 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-12 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1209 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
204 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.2
Supercell composite
12.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBIS 260637
SVRBIS
NDC005-071-260730-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
136 AM CDT SUN AUG 26 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 230 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES

   IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF NORTH DAKOTA
      EASTERN BENSON...RAMSEY

AT 130 AM CDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 20 MILES WEST OF
DEVILS LAKE NORTH DAKOTA MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

AT 125 AM CDT GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED 8 MILES
WEST OF MINNEWAUKAN...20 MILES WEST OF DEVILS LAKE.

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 vAND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
A TORNADO WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT.

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, Aug 25, 9:02 PM CDT, 4 hours 34 minutes before
NDZ001>018-250500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
845 PM CDT SAT AUG 25 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 100 AM CDT...

VERY UNSTABLE AIR COVERS SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...AND SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THERE UNTIL 1 AM CDT EARLY THIS SUNDAY
MORNING.

FARTHER WEST...BISMARCK RADAR DETECTED A VERY VIGOROUS THUNDERSTORM AT
850 PM CDT IN THE SOUTHWEST TIP OF GRANT COUNTY...ABOUT 75 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF BISMARCK. THIS STORM CONTAINED VERY HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY
SOME HAIL. IT WAS MOVING NORTHEAST 15 MPH.

ELSEWHERE AROUND THE STATE...RADARS INDICATED WIDELY SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS ABOUT 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF DICKINSON AND 30 MILES
NORTHEAST OF MINOT. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST 15 MPH.
<
UNSTABLE AIR COVERS NORTH DAKOTA...AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBLE TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHEAST UNTIL 1 AM CDT.
LM
Special weather statement, Aug 25, 10:30 PM CDT, 3 hours 6 minutes before
NDZ001>018-250500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
1030 PM CDT SAT AUG 25 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 100 AM CDT...

AT 1025 PM CDT MOIST AND VERY UNSTABLE AIR WAS CAUSING NUMEROUS
THUNDERSTORMS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA COUNTIES OF LOGAN...
MC INTOSH...DICKEY AND LA MOURE. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE
STORMS IN THIS REGION UNTIL 1 AM CDT.}

ELSEWHERE IN THE STATE...BISMARCK RADAR SHOWED WIDELY SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...AND ISOLATED STORMS
IN THE SOUTHWEST. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST 15 MPH.

LM
Special weather statement, Aug 25, 11:17 PM CDT, 2 hours 19 minutes before
NDZ006>014-250530-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
1115 PM CDT SAT AUG 25 1990

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 100 AM CDT...

THERE IS A THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN MUCH OF SOUTHEAST
NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 1 AM CDT DUE TO MOIST AND VERY UNSTABLE AIR.

AT 1110 PM CDT...BISMARCK RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA MOVING TO THE EAST. THE LINE BEGAN 40
MILES EAST OF BISMARCK AT STEELE AND CURVED SOUTHEAST ACROSS NAPOLEAN
AND THEN REACHED SOUTHWEST TO THE SOUTH DAKOTA BORDER NEAR ZEELAND.
THIS LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST 20 MPH.

ELSEWHERE...LESS INTENSE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE SEEN ON BISMARCK
RADAR IN A TRIANGLE AREA BETWEEN MINOT...DEVILS LAKE AND BISMARCK.
THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST 15 MPH.
LM
Special weather statement, Aug 26, 12:59 AM CDT, 37 minutes before
NDZ003>008-260700-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
100 AM CDT SUN AUG 26 1990

...STRONGE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
NORTH DAKOTA...

AT 1255 AM CDT...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WAS OCCURRING OVER
CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. THE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED
IN WELLS COUNTY...70 MILES NORTHEAST OF BISMARCK MOVING EAST AT
30 MILES AN HOUR.

VERY HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL ARE EXPECTED FROM THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WITH SOME FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS POSSIBLE.

ANOTHER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST NORTH
DAKOTA NEAR BOWMAN. SMALL HAIL...WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH AND BRIEF HEAVY
RAIN ARE POSSIBLEG FROM THE THUNDERSTORMS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 25, 7:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISAdams, Grant54 min
Aug 25, 9:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISMcIntosh30 min
Aug 26, 1:55 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISFoster, Stutsman35 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.