Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 12, NWS Bismarck, ND
NWS Bismarck, ND issued this tornado warning at May 17, 1998, 8:58 PM CDT for Pierce County, North Dakota. It was in force for 47 min. 2 reports 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
- May 17, 1998, 8:58 PM CDT (01:58 UTC)
- Expired
- May 17, 1998, 9:45 PM CDT
- In force
- 47 min
- Issued by
- NWS Bismarck, ND
- Area
- Whole counties
County Pierce County, ND
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 9:10 PM CDT | Hail 1.75 | Barton, ND | |
| May 17, 9:11 PM CDT | Hail 1.25 | Rugby, 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 4:30 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 173 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
- 493 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -56 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2753 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 45 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 25 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 55 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
195 WFUS1 KBIS 180201 RRA TORBIS NDC069-180245- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 858 PM CDT SUN MAY 17 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... NORTHERN PIERCE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA * UNTIL 945 PM CDT * AT AT 855 PM CDT... AREA LAW ENFORCEMENT INDICATED A TORNADO 8 MILES WEST OF RUGBY... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. * THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... RUGBY AT 9 PM CDT AND WOLFORD AT 920 PM CDT A TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND GO TO THE BASEMENT IF A BASEMENT IS NOT AVAILABLE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR LM &
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 17, 8:07 PM CDT, 51 minutes before
NDZ001-002-010-019>021-035>037-180135- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 804 PM CDT (704 PM MDT) SUN MAY 17 1998 A PORTION OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED. THE CANCELLED COUNTIES ARE ON THE WEST AND SOUTHERN EDGE OF THE WATCH AREA AND INCLUDE DIVIDE...BURKE...MOUNTRAIL...MCLEAN...MERCER... OLIVER...MORTON...BURLEIGH...KIDDER AND STUTSMAN COUNTIES. THE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE ORIGINAL WATCH AREA UNTIL 10 PM CDT.
Local storm report, May 17, 8:52 PM CDT, 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
852 PM CDT SUN MAY 17 1998
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0518 PM 3 W CARPIO ND TORNADO
05/17/98 WARD DEPUTY SHERIFF REPORT.
0523 PM 5 SW GRANO ND TORNADO
05/17/98 RENVILLE DEPUTY SHERIFF REPORT.
0650 PM 10 S MINOT ND 0.75 INCH HAIL
05/17/98 WARD DEPUTY SHERIFF REPORT
ALONG COUNTY ROAD 20.
0622 PM LANSFORD ND 0.75 INCH HAIL
05/17/98 BOTTINEAU NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
COOP OBSERVER REPORT.
0810 PM WILLOW CITY ND 0.75 INCH HAIL
05/17/98 BOTTINEAU STATE RADIO REPORT.
0825 PM 9 NE DRAKE ND 2.50 INCH HAIL
05/17/98 MCHENRY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
COOP OBSERVER REPORT.
0845 PM RED LAKE ND 2.50 INCH HAIL
05/17/98 PIERCE LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORT.
RED LAKE IS A LAKE...NOT
A TOWN.
JP MARTINLocal storm report, May 17, 8:52 PM CDT, 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
852 PM CDT SUN MAY 17 1998
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0518 PM 3 W CARPIO ND TORNADO
05/17/98 WARD DEPUTY SHERIFF REPORT.
0523 PM 5 SW GRANO ND TORNADO
05/17/98 RENVILLE DEPUTY SHERIFF REPORT.
0650 PM 10 S MINOT ND 0.75 INCH HAIL
05/17/98 WARD DEPUTY SHERIFF REPORT
ALONG COUNTY ROAD 20.
0622 PM LANSFORD ND 0.75 INCH HAIL
05/17/98 BOTTINEAU NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
COOP OBSERVER REPORT.
0810 PM WILLOW CITY ND 0.75 INCH HAIL
05/17/98 BOTTINEAU STATE RADIO REPORT.
0825 PM 9 NE DRAKE ND 2.50 INCH HAIL
05/17/98 MCHENRY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
COOP OBSERVER REPORT.
0845 PM RED LAKE ND 2.50 INCH HAIL
05/17/98 PIERCE LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORT.
RED LAKE IS A LAKE...NOT
A TOWN.
JP MARTINThe office that day
Everything else NWS Bismarck, ND issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 7:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Ward | 45 min |
| May 17, 7:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Bottineau, McHenry | 63 min |
| May 17, 7:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | McHenry | 60 min |
| May 17, 8:23 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BIS | McHenry | 47 min |
| May 17, 8:33 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Bottineau | 32 min |
| May 17, 8:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Pierce | 61 min |
| May 17, 9:03 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BIS | Rolette | 62 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes in 1998
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.