Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Bismarck, ND

August 26, 1994McHenry County, North Dakota

NWS Bismarck, ND issued this tornado warning at Aug 26, 1994, 10:52 PM CDT for McHenry County, North Dakota. It was in force for 38 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 26, 1994, 10:52 PM CDT (03:52 UTC)
Expired
Aug 26, 1994, 11:30 PM CDT
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Bismarck, ND
Area
Whole counties

County McHenry County, ND

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 3.9 hours before the alert went out and 163 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 1994-08-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 466 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 1994-08-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 208 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
466 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-296 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1284 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
208 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
584 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBIS 270353
TORBIS
NDC049-270430-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
1052 PM CDT FRI AUG 26 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA
 
   ...SOUTHERN MCHENRY COUNTY
 
AT 1045 PM A SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD 2 MILES EAST OF
VELVA. THE PARENT STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 45 MPH. TOWNS NEAR THE
PATH OF THIS FUNNEL CLOUD INCLUDE VOLTAIRE...BERGEN...BALFOUR AND DRAKE.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

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, Aug 26, 8:07 PM CDT, 2 hours 45 minutes before
NDZ002-270210-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLISTON  ND
807 PM CDT FRI AUG 26 1994

...A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING DOWN FROM SASKATCHEWAN...

AT 8 PM CDT WILLISTON RADAR INDICATED A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTOR 15
MILES NORTHWEST OF PORTAL. AT THE CURRENT RATE OF MOVEMENT...THIS
THUNDERSTORM WILL BE PASSING BETWEEN PORTAL AND NORTHGATE...IN EXTREME
NORTHERN BURKE COUNTY. MOVEMENT IS SOUTHEAST AT 45 MILES PER HOUR.

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...MOVE TO A PLACE OF SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF A
STORM APPROACHES.  MOTORISTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR REDUCED
VISIBILITIES DURING DOWNPOURS OF RAIN.  STREETS MAY FLOOD QUICKLY.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND
SMALL HAIL MAY ACCOMPANY THIS THUNDEDRSTORM.

LEWIS
Special weather statement, Aug 26, 8:10 PM CDT, 2 hours 42 minutes before
NDZ002-270210-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILLISTON  ND
807 PM CDT FRI AUG 26 1994

...A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING DOWN FROM SASKATCHEWAN...

AT 8 PM CDT WILLISTON RADAR INDICATED A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTOR 15
MILES NORTHWEST OF PORTAL. AT THE CURRENT RATE OF MOVEMENT...THIS
THUNDERSTORM WILL BE PASSING BETWEEN PORTAL AND NORTHGATE...IN EXTREME
NORTHERN BURKE COUNTY. MOVEMENT IS SOUTHEAST AT 45 MILES PER HOUR.

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...MOVE TO A PLACE OF SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF A
STORM APPROACHES.  MOTORISTS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR REDUCED
VISIBILITIES DURING DOWNPOURS OF RAIN.  STREETS MAY FLOOD QUICKLY.

STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...VERY HEAVY RA*INFALL AND
SMALL HAIL MAY ACCOMPANY THIS THUNDEDRSTORM.

LEWIS
Special weather statement, Aug 26, 8:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before
NDZ003-011-270230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
830 PM CDT FRI AUG 26 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM HEADING TOWARD NORTHERN RENVILLE COUNTY...

AT 825 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 40 MILES
WEST NORTHWEST OF SHERWOOD...OR 75 MILES NORTHWEST OF MINOT...MOVING
EAST SOUTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL ENTER NORTHERN RENVILLE COUNTY BY 9 PM CDT.
TOWNS NEAR ITS PATH INCLUDE SHERWOOD.

GUSTY WINDS TO 55 MPH...SMALL HAIL...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE
WITH THE PASSAGE OF THIS THUNDERSTORM.  IF THREATENING WEATHER
APPROACHES SEEK SHELTER INDOORS IMMEDIATELY.

LEBLANG
Special weather statement, Aug 26, 8:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 17 minutes before
NDZ003-011-270230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
830 PM CDT FRI AUG 26 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM HEADING TOWARD NORTHERN RENVILLE COUNTY...

AT 825 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 40 MILES
WEST NORTHWEST OF SHERWOOD...OR 75 MILES NORTHWEST OF MINOT...MOVING
EAST SOUTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL ENTER NORTHERN RENVILLE COUNTY BY 9 PM CDT.
TOWNS NEAR ITS PATH INCLUDE SHERWOOD.
H
GUSTY WINDS TO 55 MPH...SMALL HAIL...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE
WITH THE PASSAGE OF THIS THUNDERSTORM.  IF THREATENING WEATHER
APPROACHES SEEK SHELTER INDOORS IMMEDIATELY.

LEBLANG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 26, 9:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISBottineau, Renville29 min
Aug 26, 9:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISMcHenry, Ward40 min
Aug 26, 10:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISMcHenry46 min
Aug 26, 11:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISSheridan, Wells52 min
Aug 26, 11:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISBottineau, McHenry44 min
Aug 27, 12:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISStutsman, Wells45 min
Aug 27, 12:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISEddy43 min
Aug 27, 3:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISRolette30 min
Aug 27, 4:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISRamsey52 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes 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.