Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 141, NWS Grand Forks, ND
NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 26, 1997, 4:47 PM CDT for Clay County, Minnesota. It was in force for 28 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 26, 1997, 4:47 PM CDT (21:47 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 26, 1997, 5:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 28 min
- Issued by
- NWS Grand Forks, ND
- Area
- Whole counties
County Clay County, MN
The radar
The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:50 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
The nearest sounding before it
Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 266 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
- 36 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -205 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1098 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 46 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -96 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 450 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -2.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KFAR 262147 RRA SVRFAR MNC027-262215- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 447 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 515 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA ...CLAY COUNTY AT 445 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 5 MILES EAST OF FELTON... OR 22 MILES NORTHEAST OF FARGO TO 5 MILES WEST OF HAWLEY OR 23 MILES EAST OF FARGO. TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS ARE HAWLEY AND ULEN. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND O CCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. KENNEDY
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.
NWS Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 26, 3:07 PM CDT, 1 hour 40 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 26, 3:07 PM CDT, 1 hour 40 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
305 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 1997
FORECAST PROBLEM FOR TONIGHT IS PCPN DEVELOPMENT. WV SATELLITE IMAGERY
SHOWS JET PUSHING INTO S CANADA THROUGH E ND AND N MN. SFC COLD FRONT
ALONG A BDE TO BJI TO FFM LINE THIS AFTERNOON WITH DRIER AIR LAGGING
BEHIND ALONG A YWG TO JMS LINE. SE ND AND WC MN ARE AREAS OF CONCERN
FOR PCPN THIS EVENING. KMVX SHOWS TSRA STARTING TO FIRE ALONG FRONT
FROM BJI INTO NE MN. WITH ADAP HAVING LOWEST LI'S (-11) AND MOSITURE
CONVERGENCE BULLS-EYES...ALONG WITH NO CAP OVER WC MN...EXPECT TSRA TO
BUILD SOUTHWARD ALONG FRONT INTO 70+ DEWPOINTS IN WC MN AND SE ND. AS A
RESULT...RECOMMEND TSRA BE KEPT IN FORECAST FOR EVENING HOURS IN THESE
LOCATIONS.
FOR REST OF THE NIGHT...FRONT CONTINUES TO MOVE EASTWARD AND EXPECT
DRIER AIR TO PROGRESS INTO THE CWFA THROUGH NIGHT. NEXT SHORTWAVE
STARTS TO APPROACH BY MORNING. HOWEVER...GRIDDED DATA KEEPS BEST
MOSITURE CONVERGENCE...LOWEST LI'S...AND THETA-E RIDGE TO THE W OF THE
CWFA UNTIL ABOUT 12Z. CONSEQUENTLY...BELIEVE COULD LEAVE REST OF FIRST
PERIOD FORECAST PCPN FREE. FORECAST SUGGESTIONS FOLLOW:
FOR ND: FOR DVL: MO CLR...LOW AROUND 55...NW 5 TO 15.
FOR GFK: MO CLR...LOW 55 TO 60...NW 5 TO 15.
FOR FAR: PC WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING...THEN
BECMG MO CLR...LOW AROUND 60...NW 5 TO 15.
FOR MN: HCO/ROX/TVF/FSE: MO CLR...LOW AROUND 60...NW 5 TO 15.
BDE/BJI: PC WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...BECMG MO CLR AFTER
MIDNIGHT...LOW 60 TO 65...NW 5 TO 15.
DTL/PKD/FFM: PC WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...BECMG MO CLR
AFTER MIDNIGHT...LOW AROUND 65...WND BECMG NW 5
TO 15 MPH.
NGIn the hours before
Special weather statement, Jul 26, 1:15 PM CDT, 3 hours 32 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052-053-271200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 115 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 1997 ...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER OVER SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... A COLD FRONT CURRENTLY EXTENDS ACROSS EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA. AS THIS FRONT MOVES EAST THIS AFTERNOON...IT WILL INTERACT WITH THE MOIST...UNSTABLE AIR OVER SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...CAUSING SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO A POSSIBILE. NG
Special weather statement, Jul 26, 1:19 PM CDT, 3 hours 28 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052-053-271200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 115 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 1997 ...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER OVER SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... A COLD FRONT CURRENTLY EXTENDS ACROSS EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA. AS THIS FRONT MOVES EAST THIS AFTERNOON...IT WILL INTERACT WITH THE MOIST...UNSTABLE AIR OVER SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...CAUSING SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO A POSSIBILE. NG
Special weather statement, Jul 26, 3:35 PM CDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052-053-271200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 335 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 1997 ...NUMEROUS FUNNELS SIGHTED IN SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON... A COLD FRONT CURRENTLY EXTENDS ACROSS EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA. AS THIS FRONT MOVES EAST THIS AFTERNOON...IT IS INTERACTING WITH THE MOIST...UNSTABLE AIR OVER SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...CAUSING THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FUNNEL ACTIVITY HAVE BEEN RECEIVED ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FRONTAL BOUNDARY. WITH THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY IN THIS AREA...ADDITIONAL FUNNELS AND EVEN TORNADOS ARE POSSIBLE. AT THIS POINT...THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE JUST DEVELOPING ALONG THIS FRONT AND ARE BEING MONTIORED CLOSELY. PLEASE REPORT FUNNEL SITINGS TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND STAY TUNED FOR FUTURE STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. NG
Special weather statement, Jul 26, 3:37 PM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052-053-271200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 335 PM CDT SAT JUL 26 1997 ...NUMEROUS FUNNELS SIGHTED IN SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON... A COLD FRONT CURRENTLY EXTENDS ACROSS EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA. AS THIS FRONT MOVES EAST THIS AFTERNOON...IT IS INTERACTING WITH THE MOIST...UNSTABLE AIR OVER SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...CAUSING THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FUNNEL ACTIVITY HAVE BEEN RECEIVED ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FRONTAL BOUNDARY. WITH THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY IN THIS AREA...ADDITIONAL FUNNELS AND EVEN TORNADOS ARE POSSIBLE. AT THIS POINT...THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE JUST DEVELOPING ALONG THIS FRONT AND ARE BEING MONTIORED CLOSELY. PLEASE REPORT FUNNEL SITINGS TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND STAY TUNED FOR FUTURE STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. NG
The office that day
Everything else NWS Grand Forks, ND issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 7:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Kittson, Marshall | 28 min |
| Jul 25, 7:34 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Roseau | 26 min |
| Jul 26, 3:47 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | FGF | Clay | 28 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.