Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Bismarck, ND

August 18, 1994Stutsman County, North Dakota

NWS Bismarck, ND issued this tornado warning at Aug 18, 1994, 7:00 PM CDT for Stutsman County, North Dakota. It was in force for 30 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 18, 1994, 7:00 PM CDT (00:00 UTC)
Expired
Aug 18, 1994, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Bismarck, ND
Area
Whole counties

County Stutsman County, ND

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 134 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 1994-08-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 837 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 1994-08-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -4 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
837 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-131 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1855 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
178 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBIS 190003
TORBIS
NDC093-190030-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
700 PM CDT THU AUG 18 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA
 
   ...EASTERN STUTSMAN COUNTY
 
AT 700 PM CDT...A TORNADO WAS REPORTED 12 MILES NORTHWEST OF JAMESTOWN
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
 
THIS WARNING INCLUDES JAMESTOWN...
 
 
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.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.
 
 
 
&

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 18, 3:11 PM CDT, 3 hours 49 minutes before
NDZ003>006-011>015-019>025-034>037-042-045>047-050-182110-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
309 PM CDT (209 PM MDT) THU AUG 18 1994

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...

AT 310 PM CDT THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING RAPIDLY TO THE SOUTHWEST OF
BISMARCK THROUGH EASTERN MORTON...EASTERN GRANT AND SIOUX COUNTIES. THE
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM 15 MILES SOUTHWEST TO 55 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
BISMARCK.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH AND WILL PRODUCE VERY
HEAVY RAIN...HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE ATMOSPHERE IS VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL AND
EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND SOME MAY BECOME SEVERE.

VAN ESS
Special weather statement, Aug 18, 4:12 PM CDT, 2 hours 48 minutes before
NDZ015-019>025-034>037-042-045>047-050-182210-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
410 PM CDT (310 PM MDT) THU AUG 18 1994

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN
NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 1000 PM CDT...

AT 410 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING OVER SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN NORTHEAST SIOUX
COUNTY OF NORTH DAKOTA...30 MILES SOUTH OF BISMARCK.

THE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE EAST AT 25 MPH.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS AND
SOME MAY BECOME SEVERE.
Special weather statement, Aug 18, 4:47 PM CDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before
NDZ019>025-028>030-034>039-042-045>053-MNZ002-003-182245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
445 PM CDT (345 PM MDT) THU AUG 18 1994

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT FOR
THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF NORTH DAKOTA...

AT 445 PM CDT...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS C0NTINUED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL
NORTH DAKOTA. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN WEST CENTRAL
EMMON COUNTY...35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BISMARCK. THIS THUNDERSTORM WILL
PASS BETWEEN LINTON AND HAZELTON AROUND 5 PM CDT. MARBLE SIZE HAIL HAS
BEEN REPORTED FROM THIS THUNDERSTORM.

THE STORMS CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST AT 25 MILES AN 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.

RR
Local storm report, Aug 18, 6:54 PM CDT, 6 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
655 PM CDT THU AUG 18 1994

TIME            COUNTY      EVENT

540 PM CDT      FOSTER      GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF
                            CARRINGTON REPORTED BY POLICE DEPT.

551 PM CDT      FOSTER      2 INCH HAIL REPORTED BY SKYWARN SPOTTER IN
                            CARRINGTON.

600 PM CDT      FOSTER      GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN CARRINGTON BREAKING
                            CAR WINDOWS AND DAMAGING HOMES REPORTED BY
                            POLICE DEPT.

616 PM CDT      FOSTER      TORNADO 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CARRINGTON NEAR
                            BORDULAC REPORTED BY SOUIX LINE TRAIN CREW.

NOAH
Local storm report, Aug 18, 6:55 PM CDT, 5 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
655 PM CDT THU AUG 18 1994

TIME            COUNTY      EVENT

540 PM CDT      FOSTER      GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF
                            CARRINGTON REPORTED BY POLICE DEPT.

551 PM CDT      FOSTER      2 INCH HAIL REPORTED BY SKYWARN SPOTTER IN
                            CARRINGTON.

600 PM CDT      FOSTER      GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN CARRINGTON BREAKING
                            CAR WINDOWS AND DAMAGING HOMES REPORTED BY
                            POLICE DEPT.

616 PM CDT      FOSTER      TORNADO 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CARRINGTON NEAR
                            BORDULAC REPORTED BY SOUIX LINE TRAIN CREW.

NOAH

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.