Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 57, NWS Grand Forks, ND

June 27, 1997Grand Forks County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 27, 1997, 6:36 PM CDT for Grand Forks County, North Dakota. It was in force for 54 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
Jun 27, 1997, 6:36 PM CDT (23:36 UTC)
Expired
Jun 27, 1997, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
54 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Whole counties

County Grand Forks County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 45 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:35 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
Jun 27, 6:46 PM CDTHail 1.75Fordville, 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
Jun 27, 5:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 276 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 12:00Z on 1997-06-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 221 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 12:00Z on 1997-06-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 76 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
221 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-398 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2244 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
76 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
105 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

327 
WUUS1 KFAR 272337 RRA
SVRFAR
NDC035-280030-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
636 PM CDT FRI JUN 27 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA
 
   ...NORTHERN GRAND FORKS COUNTY
 
AT 630 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES NORTH OF
PETERSBURG... OR 45 MILES NORTHWEST OF GRAND FORKS. THE STORM WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING BASEBALL
SIZED HAIL AS IT PASSED OVER NELSON COUNTY. THIS STORM WILL BE IN THE
INKSTER AREA BY 650 PM.
 
REMEMBER 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 Jun 27, 2:52 PM CDT, 3 hours 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 27, 2:52 PM CDT, 3 hours 44 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
250 PM CDT FRI JUN 27 1997

SFC FNT CONTS TO MAKE ITS WAY SLOLY TO ESE...SOME TCU JUST STARTING TO
POP AHD OF FNT ACRS NERN ND.  FEW ITEMS OF CONCERN FOR TONIGHT...FIRST
IS THREAT OF SVR TSTMS.  12Z MODELS CONT TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR PSBL SVR
TSTMS FOR FIRST PD ACRS ALL OF CWA EXCPT DVL AREA.  CAP STILL IN PLACE
BUT PAST FEW ADAP RUNS SHOW THIS CAP NOW BEGINNING TO ERODE. CURRENT
GOES 8/9 ATMOSPHERIC SOUNDINGS ALIGN WELL WITH 12Z GRIDDED MODEL FCSTD
FEATURES AS AXIS OF HIGH LI/S OF -5 TO -7...CAPES BTWN 2000-2500...AND
HIGH PWS SET UP FM NR HCO TO VCNTY JMS.  GIVEN VERTICAL WIND
PROFILES...WITH LTL DIRECTIONAL SHEAR AND WBZ HEIGHTS BETWEEN 8500-9000
FT FEEL STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND LG HAIL WL BE BIGGEST THREAT.

ONCE SEVERE THREAT DIMINISHES LATER THIS EVE...CONCERN TURNS TO
POTENTIAL HEAVY RAIN EVENT AS SFC FNT BCMS STATIONARY OVR SERN ND/W
CNTRL MN.  HAD RAIN EVENTS OF PAST WEEK...WHICH INCLUDE RAINFALL OF
OVER 3 INCHES ACRS SVRL PORTIONS OF CWA...NOT TAKEN PLACE I WD NOT BE
AS INCLINED TO PURSUE PSBL FLASH FLOOD WATCH ATTM. HOWEVER...WITH 3HR
FFG LESS THAN TWO INCHES ACRS SRN 2/3 OF CWA...WD LIKE TO ISSUE WATCH
FOR TONIGHT WITH THIS PACKAGE RATHER THAN WAIT UNTIL EVENT BEGINS.
SEVERAL INDICATORS POINT TO THIS EVENINGS TSTM EVENT TURNING INTO HVY
RAIN EVENT INCLUDING PWS OF BTWN 1-1.4 INCHES OVR SRN 1/2 OF
CWA...FCSTD FORMATION OF H8 LOW OVR NWRN SD WITH FRNT EXTNDG EWRD INTO
W CNTRL MN...AND STHRLY H8 FLOW ACRS THETA E GRADIENT INTO SERN ND/W
CNTRL MN.

FOR WATCH AREA...WE WILL GO AHEAD AND TYPE UP RQRD FFA/S AND ISSUE AS
SOON AS YR ZFPS COME OUT.  ON ND SIDE...AS NORTHERN EXTNT OF WATCH WE
WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE GRAND FORKS...WRN POLK...GRIGGS...STEELE...
TRAILL...AND ALL COUNTIES TO SOUTH.  ON MN SIDE...WD LIKE
PENNINGTON...RED LAKE...NRN BELTRAMI...AND ALL COUNTIES SOUTH.

FOR RMDR OF FIRST PD WORDING...WD SUGGEST EVENING PD WITH MENTION OF
PSBL SVR TSTMS FOR ALL BUT DVL AREA.  FOR RMDR OF OVERNIGHT...SHOWERS
AND TSTMS CONTG WITH AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN PSBL.

PLS CALL WITH COMMENTS/QUESTIONS.

STRAGER  @

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 27, 1:25 PM CDT, 5 hours 11 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052-053-281200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
125 PM CDT FRI JUN 27 1997

..THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS EASTERN NORTH
DAKOTA...NORTHWEST MINNESOTA STARTING THIS AFTERNOON...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS ALL OF EASTERN NORTH
DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA STARTING THIS AFTERNOON AND
CONTINUING INTO TONIGHT.  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MOST
LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM HALLOCK
MINNESOTA TO SOUTHWEST OF DEVILS LAKE. THE SEVERE SCENARIO WILL LIKELY
TURN INTO A HEAVY RAIN EVENT OVERNIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO
DEVELOP IN THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES (IN THE DEVILS LAKE AREA) AFTER
2 PM AND SHIFT SOUTH AND EAST THROUGH THE EVENING.  AN EAST-WEST
FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL SET UP ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT WHICH WILL
SET THE STAGE FOR HEAVY RAIN ACROSS PARTS OF THE REGION. SOME
LOCALIZED PLACES MAY RECEIVE ONE TO THREE INCHES OR MORE OF RAIN
OVERNIGHT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING WILL MOST LIKELY
PRODUCE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR
HAS MOVED INTO EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
TODAY. A COLD FRONT ACROSS WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA WILL MOVE INTO
THE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA WITH STORMS FORECAST TO DEVELOP ALONG
THE FRONT.

RESIDENTS AND STORMS SPOTTERS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR A SEVERE
WEATHER EVENT FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

HOPPES

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 27, 4:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFEddy26 min
Jun 27, 5:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFEddy34 min
Jun 27, 5:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFNelson32 min
Jun 27, 6:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFNelson36 min
Jun 27, 6:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFWalsh31 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.