Alert archive / Idaho / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1994

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Spokane, WA

August 3, 1994Boundary County, Idaho

NWS Spokane, WA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 3, 1994, 8:25 PM PDT for Boundary County, Idaho. It was in force for 65 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Aug 3, 1994, 8:25 PM PDT (03:25 UTC)
Expired: Aug 3, 1994, 9:30 PM PDT
In force: 65 min
Issued by: NWS Spokane, WA
Area: Whole counties

County Boundary County, ID

The nearest sounding before it

Spokane, WA (KOTX), launched 00:00Z, 3.4 hours before the alert went out and 119 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1153 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -29 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2967 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 8 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 96 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 2.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KGEG 040333 COR
SVRGEG
WAC065-051-IDC021-040430-

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
825 PM PDT WED AUG 3 1994

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 930 PM PDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES

   IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF WASHINGTON
      STEVENS...PEND OREILLE...

   IN THE PANHANDLE OF PART OF IDAHO
      WESTERN BOUNDARY...
AT 8.25 PM PDT STRONG THUNDERSTORM ARE INDICATED BY RADAR,
SATELLITE AND LIGHTNING DETECTION SYSTEMS OVER SOUTHERN STEVENS,
PEND OREILLE OF WASHINGTON AND WESTERN BONNER COUNTY IN IDAHO.
ONE INCH HAIL AND STRONG WINDS WERE REPORTED BY A WEATHER SPOTTER
NEAR COLVILLE AT 8.35 PM PDT. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTH
EAST AT ABOUT 25 MPH.

WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A
STRONG BUILDING.  DO NOT STAND NEAR WINDOWS.  DO NOT USE TELEPHONES
OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.  MOTORISTS
SHOULD AVOID LOW WATER CROSSINGS.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...FIND SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

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, Aug 3, 5:11 PM PDT, 3 hours 14 minutes before

IDZ008-WA010-040215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LEWISTON ID
511 PM PDT WED AUG 3 1994

...THUNDERSTORMS RUMBLING OFF THE BLUES...

STRONG  THUNDERSTORMS ARE OVER THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHEASTERN
WASHINGTON MOVING NORTHWARD ALONG THE IDAHO BORDER. THESE THUNDERSTORMS
CAN BE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO COLUMBIA, GARFIELD, ASOTIN, AND WHITMAN
COUNTIES OF WASHINGTON, AND NEZ PERCE AND LATAH COUNTIES IN IDAHO OVER
THE NEXT HOUR OR SO.

THESE STORMS CAN PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN, HAIL, AND WIND GUSTS TO 50
MPH OR MORE WITH DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

AT 406 PM WINDS GUSTED TO 44 MPH AT LEWISTON.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA RADIO OR YOUR FAVORIATE MEDIA SOURCE FOR UPDATES OR
WARNINGS.
NNNN

Special weather statement, Aug 3, 7:22 PM PDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before

WAZ006-150115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
710 PM PDT WED AUG 34 1994

...THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE STRONG WINDS AND POOR VISIBILITIES AS THEY
   MOVE THROUGH EAST WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO TONIGHT...

A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OFF THE WASHINGTON COAST IS PUSHING MOIST AND
VERY UNSTABLE AIR INTO EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTH IDAHO THIS EVENING.
THIS HAS PRODUCED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON AND
INTO THE SOUTHERN IDAHO PANHANDLE. SOME OF THESE STORMS HAVE SPAWNED
VERY GUSTY WINDS TO NEAR 50 MPH AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES. DUE TO
THE VERY DRY FIELD CONDITIONS THESE WINDS ARE PRODUCING VISIBILITIES
TO NEAR ONE QUARTER MILE OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF SPOKANE COUNTY.
IN ADDITION WEATHER SPOTTERS NEAR TEKOA, IN SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON, HAVE
REPORTED NUMEROUS TREES DOWN DUE TO GUSTY WINDS AND FIRE STARTS FROM
LIGHTNING.

THE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD TO THE NORTH AND EAST DURING THE
EVENING WITH SOME PRODUCING WIND GUST TO 50 MPH, FREQUENT LIGHTNING,
HAIL AND REDUCED VISIBILITY IN GUSTY WINDS.  THE STORMS SHOULD BEGIN
TO DIMINISH AFTER ABOUT 9 PM TONIGHT.

IF THREATENING CONDITIONS APPROACH, MOVE INSIDE FOR SAFETY. STAY
TUNED bTO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS SOURCE FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION. BE ON THE WATCH FOR FIRE STARTS DUE TO LIGHTNING AND
REPORT THEM TO YOUR NEAREST FIRE STATION OR LAW ENFORCEMENT
ORGANIZATION.

END/HOLMES

Local storm report, Aug 3, 8:08 PM PDT, 17 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE, WA
808 PM PDT WED AUG 03 1994

1955 PDT SPOKANE COUNTY HAS NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES. CONTACTED
     BY SPOKANE POLICE AND SHERIFF. SEVERAL FIRE STARTS DUE TO
     LIGHTNING AND DOWNED POWER LINES.

1950 PDT FAIRFIELD,WA HAM SPOTTER REPORTS THINGS IMPROVING WITH
     WINDS DOWN TO G 25 MPH BUT STILL BLOW DUST.

1935 SEVERAL SPOTTERS AROUND SPOKANE REPORT LIGHT TO MODERATE
     RAIN STARTED AND HAS IMPROVED VISIBILITY AS DUST CLEARS.

1820 HAM SPOTTER COMES TO WSO SPOKANE OFFICE TO BEGIN RADIO
     COMMUNICATIONS WITH OTHER WEATHER SPOTTERS.

END/HOLMES

Local storm report, Aug 3, 8:12 PM PDT, 13 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE, WA
808 PM PDT WED AUG 03 1994

1955 PDT SPOKANE COUNTY HAS NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES. CONTACTED
     BY SPOKANE POLICE AND SHERIFF. SEVERAL FIRE STARTS DUE TO
     LIGHTNING AND DOWNED POWER LINES.

1950 PDT FAIRFIELD,WA HAM SPOTTER REPORTS THINGS IMPROVING WITH
     WINDS DOWN TO G 25 MPH BUT STILL BLOW DUST.

1935 SEVERAL SPOTTERS AROUND SPOKANE REPORT LIGHT TO MODERATE
     RAIN STARTED AND HAS IMPROVnED VISIBILITY AS DUST CLEARS.

1820 HAM SPOTTER COMES TO WSO SPOKANE OFFICE TO BEGIN RADIO
     COMMUNICATIONS WITH OTHER WEATHER SPOTTERS.

END/HOLMES

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Idaho, 1994 Every 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.