Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 240, NWS Grand Forks, ND
NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 11, 1997, 11:47 PM CDT for Eddy County, North Dakota. 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
- Oct 11, 1997, 11:47 PM CDT (04:47 UTC)
- Expired
- Oct 12, 1997, 12:15 AM CDT
- In force
- 28 min
- Issued by
- NWS Grand Forks, ND
- Area
- Whole counties
County Eddy County, ND
The radar
The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 120 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:46 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 watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 8:45 PM CDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 172 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 120445 RRA SVRFAR NDC027-120515- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 1147 PM CDT SAT OCT 11 1997 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1215 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION... IN NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA ...EDDY COUNTY AT 1140 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NEW ROCKFORD... OR 45 MILES SOUTH OF DEVILS LAKE. THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM ARE THE LAKE COLE AREA AND BRANTFORD. STRONG DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. REMEMvBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY 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 Oct 11, 8:50 PM CDT, 2 hours 57 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Oct 11, 8:50 PM CDT, 2 hours 57 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 850 PM CDT SAT OCT 11 1997 COORDINATED WITH SPC AND WATCH WAS ISSUED. SEVERE STORMS DEVELPED ALONG A LINE FROM SOUTHWEST OF BIS THROUGH DVL AND ARE FILLING IN ALL THE WAY TO PEMBINA. STORMS ARE PRODUCING HAIL AND THERE IS THE THREAT FOR DAMAGING WINDS. TROF LINE IS ACTING AS LIFTING MECHANISM AND LOW LEVEL MOISTURE LOOKS GOOD. CAP APPEARS TO HAVE GIVEN WAY...AIR MASS IS UNSTABLE. NORTHWARD MOVG CELLS...TRAINING COULD PRODUCE HVY RAINS...PWATS 1.0-1.4. DEWPOINTS IN THE 60S...AND TEMPS STILL IN THE 70S ACROSS A GOOD PORTION OF CWA. WILL UPDATE ZONES TO ADD HEADLINES FOR WATCH AND TO BUMP OVERNIGHT LOWS UP. WP
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Oct 11, 8:56 PM CDT, 2 hours 51 minutes before
NDZ014-120230- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 857 PM CDT SAT OCT 11 1997 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER BENSON COUNTY... ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM SUNDAY FOR ALL OF EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA... AT 853 RADAR INDICATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL...15 MILES SOUTH OF DEVILS LAKE. THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. DUE TO THE HEAVY RAINFALL LOCALIZED AREAS OF FLOODING ARE LIKELY IN THE FORT TOTTEN...ST. MICHAEL...AND TOKIO AREAS. DUE NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS OVER FLOODED ROADWAYS. REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. KENNEDY
Special weather statement, Oct 11, 8:57 PM CDT, 2 hours 50 minutes before
NDZ014-120230- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 857 PM CDT SAT OCT 11 1997 ...INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER BENSON COUNTY... ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM SUNDAY FOR ALL OF EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA... AT 853 RADAR INDICATED INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL...15 MILES SOUTH OF DEVILS LAKE. THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. DUE TO THE HEAVY RAINFALL LOCALIZED AREAS OF FLOODING ARE LIKELY IN THE FORT TOTTEN...ST. MICHAEL...AND TOKIO AREAS. DUE NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS OVER FLOODED ROADWAYS. REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. KENNEDY
Special weather statement, Oct 11, 10:51 PM CDT, 56 minutes before
NDZ007-008-015-016-120600- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 1052 PM CDT SAT OCT 11 1997 ...AN URBAN AND SMALL STREAM ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT... ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM SUNDAY MORNING FOR ALL OF EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA... AT 1030 RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES INDICATED THAT 1 TO 1.5 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER AN AREA FROM NEAR DEVILS LAKE TO JUST WEST OF CAVILIER. A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS FROM DEVILS LAKE TO CAVALIER CONTINUED TO MOVE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. WITH THESE STORMS PASSING OVER AREAS THAT HAVE RECEIVED HEAVY RAINFALL INCREASED RUNOFF IS EXPECTED. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE FROM DEVILS LAKE TO PEMBINA BY MIDNIGHT. THE FLOODING OF DITCHES...AND FIELDS IS LIKELY ALONG WITH PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS. IN SOME LOCATIONS SMALL CULVERTS MAY BE OVERCOME AND WATER MAY FLOOD OVER ROADWAYS. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS FLOODED RODWAYS. KENNEDY
Special weather statement, Oct 11, 10:52 PM CDT, 55 minutes before
NDZ007-008-015-016-120600- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 1052 PM CDT SAT OCT 11 1997 ...AN URBAN AND SMALL STREAM ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT... ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 AM SUNDAY MORNING FOR ALL OF EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA... AT 1030 RADAR RAINFALL ESTIMATES INDICATED THAT 1 TO 1.5 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER AN AREA FROM NEAR DEVILS LAKE TO JUST WEST OF CAVILIER. A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS FROM DEVILS LAKE TO CAVALIER CONTINUED TO MOVE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. WITH THESE STORMS PASSING OVER AREAS THAT HAVE RECEIVED HEAVY RAINFALL INCREASED RUNOFF IS EXPECTED. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO AN INCH ARE POSSIBLE FROM DEVILS LAKE TO PEMBINA BY MIDNIGHT. THE FLOODING OF DITCHES...AND FIELDS IS LIKELY ALONG WITH PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS. IN SOME LOCATIONS SMALL CULVERTS MAY BE OVERCOME AND WATER MAY FLOOD OVER ROADWAYS. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS FLOODED RODWAYS. KENNEDY
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, 8:38 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Walsh | 52 min |
| Oct 11, 11:25 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | FGF | Pembina, Ramsey, Walsh | 3 hr |
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.