Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 159, NWS Grand Forks, ND

August 2, 1997Traill County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 2, 1997, 10:20 PM CDT for Traill County, North Dakota. It was in force for 25 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
Aug 2, 1997, 10:20 PM CDT (03:20 UTC)
Expired
Aug 2, 1997, 10:45 PM CDT
In force
25 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Whole counties

County Traill County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 15 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:19 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 2, 10:30 PM CDTHail 0.75Portland, 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
Aug 2, 9:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 3.3 hours before the alert went out and 278 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 1997-08-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 296 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 1997-08-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 72 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
296 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-113 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2349 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
72 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
124 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFAR 030320 RRA
SVRFAR
NDC097-030345-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1020 PM CDT SAT AUG 2 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1045 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA
 
   ...TRAILL COUNTY
 
AT 1017 PM CDT ...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR
MAYVILLE...OR 30 MILES SOUTH OF GRAND FORKS. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST
AT 15 MPH. TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM ARE MAYVILLE AND CUMMINGS.
 
REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO
PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WAR>NING.
 
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 Aug 2, 8:56 PM CDT, 1 hour 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 2, 8:56 PM CDT, 1 hour 24 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
855 PM CDT SAT AUG 02 1997

STAYING BUSY WITH SVR WX ATTM.  WL LOOK OVER ZONES TO ENSURE ALL IS
CURRENT...OTHERWISE NO MAJOR CHANGES EXPCTD FOR NOW.

STRAGER

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 2, 7:15 PM CDT, 3 hours 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...DELAYED REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
715 PM CDT SAT AUG 2 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

500 PM    BRAMPTON                  ND    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97   SARGENT

540 PM    6N ELBOW LAKE             MN    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97   GRANT

550 PM    GWINNER                   ND    PEA SIZE HAIL
08/02/97   SARGENT                        50 MPH WIND

540-550 PM 7E ELBOW LAKE            ND    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97   GRANT

605 PM    BARRETT                   ND    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97    GRANT

605 PM    5N COGSWELL               ND    PEA TO GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
08/02/97    SARGENT

606 PM    2E ELBOW LAKE             MN    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97     GRANT

634 PM    BARNEY                    ND    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97     RICHLAND

657 PM    MOORETON TRUCK SCALE      ND    DIME SIZE HAIL 52 MPH WIND
08/02/97    RICHLAND

630 PM    HOFFMAN                   MN    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97   GRANT                          STREET FLOODING

RA
Local storm report, Aug 2, 7:16 PM CDT, 3 hours 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...DELAYED REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
715 PM CDT SAT AUG 2 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

500 PM    BRAMPTON                  ND    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97   SARGENT

540 PM    6N ELBOW LAKE             MN    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97   GRANT

550 PM    GWINNER                   ND    PEA SIZE HAIL
08/02/97   SARGENT                        50 MPH WIND

540-550 PM 7E ELBOW LAKE            ND    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97   GRANT

605 PM    BARRETT                   ND    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97    GRANT

605 PM    5N COGSWELL               ND    PEA TO GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL
08/02/97    SARGENT

606 PM    2E ELBOW LAKE             MN    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97     GRANT

634 PM    BARNEY                    ND    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97     RICHLAND

657 PM    MOORETON TRUCK SCALE      ND    DIME SIZE HAIL 52 MPH WIND
08/02/97    RICHLAND

630 PM    HOFFMAN                   MN    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97   GRANT                          STREET FLOODING

RA
Local storm report, Aug 2, 7:48 PM CDT, 2 hours 32 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
748 PM CDT SAT AUG 2 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

720 PM    LITCHVILLE 1/2 N          ND    2.00 TO 2.50 INCH HAIL
08/02/97   BARNES

728 PM    KATHRYN 4E                ND    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97   BARNES

735 PM    FINGAL                    ND    0.5 INCH HAIL
08/02/97   BARNES

RA
Local storm report, Aug 2, 8:15 PM CDT, 2 hours 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
815 PM CDT SAT AUG 2 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

753 PM    MUNICH                    ND    WIND EST. 60-70 MPH
08/02/97   CAVALIER                       PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL
                                          VERY HEAVY RAIN

813 PM    MAPLETON 3SE              ND    DIME SIZE HAIL 40 MPH WIND
08/02/97   CASS

RA
Local storm report, Aug 2, 8:20 PM CDT, 2 hours before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
820 PM CDT SAT AUG 2 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

818 PM    DAZEY                     ND    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97   BARNES

822 PM    FARGO 10W                 ND    DIME SIZE HAIL 45+ MPH WIND
08/02/97   CASS

RA
Local storm report, Aug 2, 8:25 PM CDT, 1 hour 55 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
820 PM CDT SAT AUG 2 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION...d.

818 PM    DAZEY                     ND    DIME SIZE HAIL
08/02/97   BARNES

822 PM    FARGO 10W                 ND    DIME SIZE HAIL 45+ MPH WIND
08/02/97   CASS

RA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 2, 7:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBarnes38 min
Aug 2, 7:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFCavalier33 min
Aug 2, 7:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBarnes31 min
Aug 2, 8:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFCass36 min
Aug 2, 8:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFWalsh29 min
Aug 2, 8:49 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFWalsh26 min
Aug 2, 9:08 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFGrand Forks, Nelson52 min
Aug 2, 9:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGriggs33 min
Aug 2, 9:52 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFGrand Forks38 min
Aug 2, 10:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFSteele34 min
Aug 2, 10:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGrand Forks33 min
Aug 3, 5:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGrand Forks47 min
Aug 3, 5:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGrand Forks31 min
Aug 3, 5:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFTowner41 min
Aug 3, 6:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGrand Forks25 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Dakota, 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.