Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 239, NWS Grand Forks, ND
NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 11, 1997, 8:38 PM CDT for Walsh County, North Dakota. It was in force for 52 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
- Oct 11, 1997, 8:38 PM CDT (01:38 UTC)
- Expired
- Oct 11, 1997, 9:30 PM CDT
- In force
- 52 min
- Issued by
- NWS Grand Forks, ND
- Area
- Whole counties
County Walsh County, ND
The radar
The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:39 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
Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 1.6 hours before the alert went out and 286 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
- 2113 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -84 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1427 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 51 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 47 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 75 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 0.5
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KFAR 120137 RRA SVRFAR NDC099-120230- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 838 PM CDT SAT OCT 11 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 930 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA ...WESTERN WALSH COUNTY AT 835 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF DEVILS LAKE AND WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. ALONG WITH POSSIBLE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS HEAVY RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED. SOME TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM ARE ADAMS AND FAIRDALE. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A (STRONG BUILDING. IF A STRONG BUILDING IS NOT AVAILABLE...GET INTO A DEPRESSION AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS. BE AWARE OF RISING WATER. 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 Oct 11, 2:45 PM CDT, 5 hours 53 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Oct 11, 2:45 PM CDT, 5 hours 53 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 245 PM CDT SAT OCT 11 1997 AIRMASS BECOMING INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE WITH ADAP LIS -4 TO -6 AS CLEARING HAS BOOSTED TEMPS UPWARD. MOIST AIR IN PLACE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE FED WITH STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW. CAPES PROGGED TO EXCEED 2000 J/KG ACROSS MUCH OF E ND BY 00Z...ABR 18Z SOUNDING GIVES CAPE OF 2100. SOUNDING ALSO SHOWING SIG CAPPING ATTM. QUESTION WILL BE LIFTING MECHANISM. OF IMMEDIATE CONCERNS IS PATCH OF CUMULAFORM CLDS -SHRA OVER S CENTRAL ND MOVING NE FROM KMVX 88D. AM CONCERNED THAT THIS CLOUD BAND COULD INTERACT WITH OLD BOUNDARIES INITIATING STRONG CONVECTION OVER PTNS OF EAST CENTRAL INTO NE ND AND NW TIP OF MN MID TO LATE PM INTO THIS EVENING. THIS AREA WILL BE WATCHED CLOSELY. LATER IN THE PERIOD STRONG COLD FRONT BEGINS TO MOVE EAST. MOISTURE CONVERGENCE ...FRONTOGENETIC FORCING AND UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE ALSO SHIFTS EAST DURING THE NIGHT POINTING TO WIDESPREAD TSRA...SOME SEVERE... FROM SPC DISCUSSION ALONG AND JUST AHAEAD OF FRONT. WITH NORTHWARD MOVING CELLS ALONG SLOW MOVING FRONT AND HIGH PWATS...(1.0-1.4) TRAINING COULD PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING WITH TIMING LOOKS TO BE THE BEST WAY TO HANDLE IT. WITH FRONT REMAINING WEST OF A GOOD PART OF THE REGION OVERNIGHT AND STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW CONTINUING WILL AGAIN BE MILD EVEN CONSIDERING RAIN COOLED AIR. MOS TEMPS GENERALLY EXCEPTED. ANOTHER WINDY NIGHT WITH 50KT H8 FLOW AND 30KT IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER PROGGED. ONLY EXCEPTION WOULD BE WEST PTNS CLOSER TO FROPA LATER TONIGHT. FOR DVL...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPNG...PSBLY SEVERE WITH HEAVY RAIN...LOW 55 TO 60. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 25 MPH BECOMING NW LATE. GFK...CONTINUED WINDY WITH SHOWERS AND TSRA DEVELOPING...SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE WITH HEAVY RAIN. LOW AROUND 60. WIND SOUTH 20 TO 30 MPH. FAR...CONTINUED WINDY WITH SHOWERS AND TSRA DEVELOPING...SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE WITH HEAVY RAIN. LOW AROUND 60. SOUTH WIND 20 TO 30 MPH. ROX/TVF/FSE/DTL/FFM...CONTINUED WINDY WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING...SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE WITH HEAVY RAIN. LOW 55 TO 60. SOUTH WIND 20 TO 30 MPH. BDE/BJI/PKD/WADENA...CONTINUED WINDY WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AFT MID. LOW 55 TO 60. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 30 MPH. VOELKER
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Oct 11, 3:30 PM CDT, 5 hours 8 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052-053-111800- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 330 PM CDT SAT OCT 11 1997 ...SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT... LATE THIS AFTERNOON AN EAST-WEST ORIENTATED WARM FRONT EXTENDED ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER TO AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN DAKOTAS. A TRAILING COLD FRONT EXTENDED FROM THE LOW SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE HIGH PLAINS. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS HAVE CONTINUED TO TRANSPORT WARM...MOIST AND SOMEWHAT UNSTABLE AIR NORTHWARD ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NORTH OF THE DEVILS LAKE REGION EARLY THIS EVENING CLOSE TO THE WARM FRONT. HOWEVER...THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER LOOKS TO BE ACROSS THE WESTERN HIGH PLAINS FROM THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN DAKOTAS TO EASTERN COLORADO THIS EVENING SHIFTING EASTWARD LATER TONIGHT. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHWARD. AS THIS STRONG COLD FRONT BEGINS TO MOVE EAST THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL SHIFT EASTWARD. AS A RESULT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FROM THE RED RIVER VALLEY WESTWARD LATER TONIGHT. THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. ANOTHER THREAT WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS IS HEAVY RAINFALL. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 INCH WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS OF 2 INCHES COULD FALL ACROSS PARTS OF THE REGION OVERNIGHT. VOELKER
Special weather statement, Oct 11, 3:31 PM CDT, 5 hours 7 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052-053-111800- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 330 PM CDT SAT OCT 11 1997 ...SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT... LATE THIS AFTERNOON AN EAST-WEST ORIENTATED WARM FRONT EXTENDED ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER TO AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN DAKOTAS. A TRAILING COLD FRONT EXTENDED FROM THE LOW SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE HIGH PLAINS. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS HAVE CONTINUED TO TRANSPORT WARM...MOIST AND SOMEWHAT UNSTABLE AIR NORTHWARD ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NORTH OF THE DEVILS LAKE REGION EARLY THIS EVENING CLOSE TO THE WARM FRONT. HOWEVER...THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER LOOKS TO BE ACROSS THE WESTERN HIGH PLAINS FROM THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN DAKOTAS TO EASTERN COLORADO THIS EVENING SHIFTING EASTWARD LATER TONIGHT. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHWARD. AS THIS STRONG COLD FRONT BEGINS TO MOVE EAST THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL SHIFT EASTWARD. AS A RESULT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FROM THE RED RIVER VALLEY WESTWARD LATER TONIGHT. THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. ANOTHER THREAT WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS IS HEAVY RAINFALL. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 INCH WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS OF 2 INCHES COULD FALL ACROSS PARTS OF THE REGION OVERNIGHT. VOELKER
The office that day
Everything else NWS Grand Forks, ND issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 7:57 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Benson, Eddy | 33 min |
| Oct 11, 8:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Ramsey | 45 min |
| Oct 11, 11:25 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | FGF | Pembina, Ramsey, Walsh | 3 hr |
| Oct 11, 11:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Eddy | 28 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.