Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1994

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Bismarck, ND

May 17, 1994McLean County, North Dakota

NWS Bismarck, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 1994, 9:38 PM CDT for McLean County, North Dakota. It was in force for 52 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 17, 1994, 9:38 PM CDT (02:38 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 1994, 10:30 PM CDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Bismarck, ND
Area
Whole counties

County McLean County, ND

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 104 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 1994-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1262 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 1994-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 28 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
1262 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2279 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
28 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS1 KBIS 180238 RRA
SVRBIS
NDC055-180330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
938 PM CDT TUE MAY 17 1994

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1030 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTY

   IN THE CENTRAL PART OF NORTH DAKOTA
      EASTERN MCLEAN

AT 930 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 27
MILES NORTH OF BISMARCK...OR 3 MILES NORTH OF WILTON...MOVING
NORTH NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
.
THIS STORM PRODUCED 1/2 INCH HAIL NEAR CENTER.

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.

 LEBLANG

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, May 17, 8:23 PM CDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
NDZ001>053-180215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
820 PM CDT TUE MAY 17 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...

AT 815 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 20 MILES
WEST OF BISMARCK...MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

THIS STORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH AND
BRIEFLY HEAVY RAIN OVER NORTHEASTERN MORTON AND EASTERN OLIVER COUNTIES
BETWEEN NOW AND 9 PM CDT.

IF YOU ARE NEAR THE PATH OF THIS THUNDERSTORM SEEK SHELTER AS IT
APPROACHES.

LEBLANG
Special weather statement, May 17, 9:10 PM CDT, 28 minutes before
NDZ001>053-180300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
905 PM CDT TUE MAY 17 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN EXTREME NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...

AT 900 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A BAND OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
FROM 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BOTTINEAU NORTH TO THE CANADIAN BORDER. THE
STORMS WERE MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED PEA SIZE HAIL...WINDS TO 40 MPH...AND
VERY HEAVY RAIN IN THE LAKE METIGOSHE AREA AT 855 PM CDT.

PERSONS IN EXTREME EASTERN BOTTINEAU COUNTY AND IN ROLETTE COUNTY
SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

LEBLANG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 8:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISMcLean, Oliver41 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.