Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Bismarck, ND

July 23, 1997Renville County, North Dakota

NWS Bismarck, ND issued this tornado warning at Jul 23, 1997, 7:36 PM CDT for Renville County, North Dakota. It was in force for 39 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 23, 1997, 7:36 PM CDT (00:36 UTC)
Expired
Jul 23, 1997, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Bismarck, ND
Area
Whole counties

County Renville County, ND

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 23, 8:10 PM CDTHail 0.75Glenburn, ND

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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 23, 6:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 228 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 1997-07-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3283 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Bismarck Municip, ND at 00:00Z on 1997-07-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 63 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
3283 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-13 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
994 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
63 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
166 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.5
Supercell composite
12.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KBIS 240111 RRA
TORBIS
NDC075-240115-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
736 PM CDT WED JUL 23 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  815 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA
 
   ...SOUTHERN RENVILLE COUNTY
 
AT 730 PM CDT A TORNADO WAS REPORTED TO HAVE TOUCHED DOWN 10 MILES NORTH
OF CARPIO OR 30 MILES NORTHWEST OF MINOT. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST 15
MPH. THE TOWNS OF GRANO AND GLENBURN ARE IN ITS PATH. IT WILL ALSO CROSS
LAKE DARLING.
 
 
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, Jul 23, 1:40 PM CDT, 5 hours 56 minutes before
NDZ005-013-231915-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  BISMARCK ND
140 PM CDT WED JUL 23 1997

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN EASTERN PIERCE AND EXTREME SOUTHERN ROLETTE
COUNTIES...

AT 138 PM CDT DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 65
MILES EAST OF MINOT...NEAR WOLFORD...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. THIS STORM
WILL LIKELY PRODUCE 1/2 INCH HAIL...GUSTY WINDS TO 55 MPH AND VERY HEAVY
RAIN. TOWNS NEAR ITS PATH INCLUDE WOLFORD.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES SEEK SHELTER INDOORS IMMEDIATELY. STAY
AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

LEBLANG
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 1:44 PM CDT, 5 hours 52 minutes before
NDZ005-013-231915-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  BISMARCK ND
140 PM CDT WED JUL 23 1997

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN EASTERN PIERCE AND EXTREME SOUTHERN ROLETTE
COUNTIES...

AT 138 PM CDT DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 65
MILES EAST OF MINOT...NEAR WOLFORD...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. THIS STORM
WILL LIKELY PRODUCE 1/2 INCH HAIL...GUSTY WINDS TO 55 MPH AND VERY HEAVY
RAIN. TOWNS NEAR ITS PATH INCLUDE WOLFORD.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES SEEK SHELTER INDOORS IMMEDIATELY. STAY
AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

LEBLANG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 23, 7:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISMountrail55 min
Jul 23, 8:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISMountrail60 min
Jul 23, 8:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISWard42 min
Jul 23, 8:18 PM CDTTornado WarningBISRenville, Ward42 min
Jul 23, 8:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISMcHenry60 min
Jul 23, 9:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISWard30 min
Jul 23, 9:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISMcHenry64 min
Jul 23, 10:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISPierce58 min
Jul 24, 3:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISMcKenzie55 min
Jul 24, 6:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISBottineau45 min
Jul 24, 6:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBISBottineau67 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 1997Every tornado warning in 1997Tornadoes in 1997

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.