Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1994

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 113, NWS Bismarck, ND

September 14, 1994Stark County, North Dakota

NWS Bismarck, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 14, 1994, 8:16 PM MDT for Stark County, North Dakota. It was in force for 44 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 14, 1994, 8:16 PM MDT (02:16 UTC)
Expired
Sep 14, 1994, 9:00 PM MDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Bismarck, ND
Area
Whole counties

County Stark County, ND

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 149 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 1994-09-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2312 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 1994-09-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 14 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
2312 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
963 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
14 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
105 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
2.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBIS 150216 RRA
SVRBIS
NDC089-150300-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
816 PM MDT WED SEP 14 1994

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

   IN THE WEST CENTRAL PART OF NORTH DAKOTA
      NORTHERN STARK

AT 810 PM MDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH
LARGE HAIL AND TORRENTIAL RAINS 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF DICKINSON.
THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTH LESS THAN 5 MPH.

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.

THIS SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORM MAY CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS
AND UNDERPASSES.

 LM

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, Sep 14, 6:22 PM MDT, 1 hour 54 minutes before
NDZ001>053-MNZ001>003-150130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
720 PM CDT WED SEP 14 1994

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN AND MUCH
OF CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 1 AM CDT...

AT 715 PM CDT...TWO THUNDERSTORMS WERE WITHIN THE RANGE OF BISMARCK
WEATHER RADAR. THE FIRST WAS LOCATED 10 MILES WEST OF DICKINSON AND
IT WAS MOVING NORTH 15 MPH. THE SECOND WAS 60 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
BISMARCK NEAR THE SO1UTH DAKOTA BORDER. IT WAS ALSO MOVING NORTH 15
MPH.

BOTH OF THESE STORMS LIKELY CONTAINED BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...DEADLY
LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL. PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS
SHOULD SEEK SHELTER INDOORS.

LM
Local storm report, Sep 14, 7:05 PM MDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
STORM REPORT...CORRECTED SPELLING...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLISTON ND
805 PM CDT WED SEP 14 1994

TIME         EVENT                    LOCATION

543 PM CDT   3/4 INCH DIAMETER HAIL   2 MILES EAST OF GRASSY BUTTE ND
             AND "TORRENTIAL RAIN"    SOUTHEAST MCKENZIE COUNTY

800 PM CDT   A FEW GOLF BALL SIZE     BUFORD ND...SW WILLIAMS COUNTY
             HAIL STONES...MOSTLY     (REPORTED BY FORT BUFORD
             JELLY BEAN SIZE          STATE HISTORIC SITE CARETAKER)

JP MARTIN
Local storm report, Sep 14, 7:08 PM MDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLISTON ND
805 PM CDT WED SEP 14 1994

TIME         EVENT                    LOCATION

543 PM CDT   3/4 INCH DIAMETER HAIL   2 MILES EAST OF GRASSY BUTTE ND
             AND "TORRENTIAL RAIN"    SOUTHEAST MCKENZIE COUNTY

800 PM CDT   A FEW GOLF BALL SIZE     BUFORD ND...SW WILLIAMS COUNTY
             HAIL STONES...MOSTLY     (REPORTED BY FORT BUFORD
             JELLY BEAN SIZE          STATE HISTORIC SITE CARTAKER)

JP MARTIN
Local storm report, Sep 14, 7:09 PM MDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before
STORM REPORT...CORRECTED SPELLING...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLISTON ND
805 PM CDT WED SEP 14 1994

TIME         EVENT                    LOCATION

543 PM CDT   3/4 INCH DIAMETER HAIL   2 MILES EAST OF GRASSY BUTTE ND
             AND "TORRENTIAL RAIN"    SOUTHEAST MCKENZIE COUNTY

800 PM CDT   A FEW GOLF BALL SIZE     BUFORD ND...SW WILLIAMS COUNTY
             HAIL STONES...MOSTLY     (REPORTED BY FORT BUFORD
             JELLY BEAN SIZE          STATE HISTORIC SITE CARETAKER)

JP MARTIN
Special weather statement, Sep 14, 7:35 PM MDT, 41 minutes before
NDZ001>053-MNZ001>003-150130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
835 PM CDT WED SEP 14 1994

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN AND MUCH
OF CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 1 AM CDT...

AT 825 PM CDT...BISMARCK WEATHER RADAR SHOWED 2 THUNDERSTORMS IN
SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. ONE WAS 45 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BISMARCK
OR 2 MILES NORTH OF CARSON. THE OTHER WAS 40 MILES SOUTH OF BISMARCK
OR 4 MILES NORTH OF SHIELDS. THE STORMS LIKELY CONTAINED BRIEF HEAVY
RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL. THEY WERE MOVING NORTH 15
MPH.

FARTHER WEST...ANOTHER STORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES NORTH OF DICKINSON
ALONG THE DUNN COUNTY LINE. THIS STORM REPORTEDLY DROPPED PEA TO MARBLE
SIZE HAIL AND CAUSED SOME WIND DAMAGE IN DICKINSON EARLIER THIS EVENING.
THIS STORM WAS ALSO MOVING NORTH 15 MPH.
<
PERSONS IN THE PATHS OF THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER INDOORS.

LM
Special weather statement, Sep 14, 7:38 PM MDT, 38 minutes before
NDZ001>053-MNZ001>003-150130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
835 PM CDT WED SEP 14 1994

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN AND MUCH
OF CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 1 AM CDT...

AT 825 PM CDT...BISMARCK WEATHER RADAR SHOWED 2 THUNDERSTORMS IN
SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. ONE WAS 45 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BISMARCK
OR 2 MILES NORTH OF CARSON. THE OTHER WAS 40 MILES SOUTH OF BISMARCK
OR 4 MILES NORTH OF SHIELDS. THE STORMS LIKELY CONTAINED BRIEF HEAVY
RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND SMALL HAIL. THEY WERE MOVING NORTH 15
MPH.

FARTHER WEST...ANOTHER STORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES NORTH OF DICKINSON
ALONG THE DUNN COUNTY LINE. THIS STORM REPORTEDLY DROPPED PEA TO MARBLE
SIZE HAIL AND CAUSED SOME WIND DAMAGE IN DICKINSON EARLIER THIS EVENING.
THIS STORM WAS ALSO MOVING NORTH 15 MPH.
<
PERSONS IN THE PATHS OF THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER INDOORS.

LM

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 14, 6:15 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISBillings60 min
Sep 14, 6:43 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISBowman, Slope20 min
Sep 14, 6:57 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISWilliams63 min
Sep 14, 8:29 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISDunn61 min
Sep 14, 9:09 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISStark21 min
Sep 14, 9:09 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISMorton51 min
Sep 14, 10:35 PM MDTTornado WarningBISWard40 min
Sep 14, 11:28 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISBottineau27 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Dakota, 1994Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1994

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.