Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 1994
Tornado Warning 6, NWS Bismarck, ND
NWS Bismarck, ND issued this tornado warning at Jul 18, 1994, 6:19 PM CDT for McHenry County, North Dakota. It was in force for 26 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 18, 1994, 6:19 PM CDT (23:19 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 18, 1994, 6:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 26 min
- Issued by
- NWS Bismarck, ND
- Area
- Whole counties
County McHenry County, ND
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 6:35 PM CDT | Tornado F1 | Velva, ND | The tornado was reported by many observers and by the public. Its path was limited to the rural areas of the county. There were no injuries and the damage was mostly to crops and trees. |
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 12:00Z, 11.3 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1279 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -252 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1478 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 42 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 276 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 288 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -0.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KBIS 182323 TORBIS NDC049-182345- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 619 PM CDT MON JUL 18 1994 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 645 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA ...SOUTHERN MCHENRY COUNTY AT 620 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR IN BISMARCK INDICATED A TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM SOUTHEAST OF VELVA OR ABOUT 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MINOT. SEVERAL FUNNELS HAVE BEEN REPORTED BY SPOTTERS. THIS STORM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH. TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM ARE BERGEN AND KARLSRUHE. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A BASEMENTX. 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. FORS
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, Jul 18, 4:36 PM CDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before
NDZ003>006-011>015-019>025-034>037-042-045>047-050-182235- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 432 PM CDT (332 PM MDT) MON JUL 18 1994 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 10 PM CDT... A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL NORTH DAKOT UNTIL 10 PM CDT. THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER WITH THIS SYSTEM IS UNUSUALLY HIGH. AT 430 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR IN BISMARCK SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING NEAR SELFRIDGE OR ABOUT 50 MILES SOUTH/SOUTHWEST OF BISMARCK. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH. ANOTHER AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS IN WESTERN WARD AND RENVILLE COUNTIES ABOUT 25 MILES WEST/NORTHWEST OF MINOT. A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED BRIEFLY BY PERSONNEL FROM THE MINOT AIR FORCE BASE. HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL ARE LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS. AT SIGNS OF AN IMPENDING STORM...TOWERING THUNDERHEADS...DARKENING SKIES...LIGHTNING AND INCREASING WINDS...MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. TUNE IN NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION. FORS
Special weather statement, Jul 18, 5:43 PM CDT, 36 minutes before
NDZ003>006-011>015-019>025-034>037-042-045>047-050-182340- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 540 PM CDT (440 PM MDT) MON JUL 18 1994 ...TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 10 PM CDT... AT 535 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR IN BISMARCK SHOWED TWO AREAS OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH. ONE AREA WAS IN EASTERN SIOUX AND WESTERN EMMONS COUNTIES OF SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. THESE STORMS WERE ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER ABOUT 45 MILES SOUTH OF BISMARCK. ANOTHER AREA OF STRONG STORMS WAS IN EASTERN WARD COUNTY...EAST OF THE MINOT AREA. THESE STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO WESTERN MCHENRY COUNTY INTO THE VELVA...BERGEN AND DEERING AREAS. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...SEEK SHELTER INDOORS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL RADIO OR TV STATION FOR LATER STATEMENTS OR WARNINGS CONCERNING THIS SEVERE WEATHER SITUATION. FORS
The office that day
Everything else NWS Bismarck, ND issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 17, 7:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Grant | 43 min |
| Jul 18, 3:53 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Burleigh, Kidder | 52 min |
| Jul 18, 4:41 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Kidder | 49 min |
| Jul 18, 5:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Ward | 50 min |
| Jul 18, 5:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | McHenry | 40 min |
| Jul 18, 6:43 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BIS | McHenry | 32 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.