Alert archive / Minnesota / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998

Flash Flood Warning 14, NWS Grand Forks, ND

July 14, 1998Otter Tail County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this flash flood warning at Jul 14, 1998, 5:02 PM CDT for Otter Tail County, Minnesota. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jul 14, 1998, 5:02 PM CDT (22:02 UTC)
Expired: Jul 14, 1998, 8:05 PM CDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area: Whole counties

County Otter Tail County, MN

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 239 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2677 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -139 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 801 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 9 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -14 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.

000 
TTAA00 KFAR 142202
FFWFAR
MNC111-150105-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
502 PM CDT TUE JUL 14 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  OTTER TAIL COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 805 PM CDT

* AT 500 PM...DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO SHOW THUNDERSTORMS
  REDEVELOPING OVER MUCH OF OTTERTAIL COUNTY.  RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN
  EXCESS OF THREE INCHES HAS FALLEN IN CENTRAL OTTERTAIL COUNTY FROM
  NEAR FERGUS FALLS TO OTTERTAIL SINCE THE STORM BEGAN.

* THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE COUNTY PRODUCING RAINFALL
  RATES OF OVER AN INCH PER HOUR.  THIS WILL CAUSE ADDITIONAL
  FLOODINvG OF ROADS AND CREEKS.

MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR
VEHICLE INTO WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH. ONE OR TWO FEET OF WATER WILL
FLOAT MOST CARS DOWNSTREAM.

RIDDLE

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 flash flood warning went out at Jul 14, 2:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 14, 2:30 PM CDT, 2 hours 32 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
230 PM CDT TUE JUL 14 1998

COLD FRONT LOCATED AT 19Z FROM NR LANGDON TO DEVILS LAKE TO WK LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM JUST NORTH OF MOBRIDGE SD.  EARLY MORNING TSTMS
TEMPORARILY STABILZED NE ND...LEAVING OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM NEAR
BEMIDJI TO WHAPETON.  ATMOSPHERE ALONG THIS BOUNDARY EXTREMELY UNSTABLE
WITH LI DOWN TO -13 AND DEW POINTS POOLING IN THE UPPER 70S.  EXPECT
CONTINUED SEVERE TSTM DEVELOPMENT ALONG THIS BOUNDARY BACK ACROSS SE
ND/WCNTRL MN THIS AFTERNOON.  ACTIVITY WILL MOVE OUT BY MID EVENING.
12Z ETA/NGM GRIDDED DATA SHOWS MAIN FRONTOGENESIS ALONG THIS BOUNDARY.

BIGGER QUESTION IS WILL STORMS RE-DEVELOP OVR NE ND AND NW MN WHERE
ATMOSPHERE WAS ABLE TO STABLIZE.  SOME SIGNS NOW ON SATELLITE OF MID
LEVEL INSTABILITY WITH ACCAS DEVELOPMENT ALONG COLD FRONT NORTH OF
DEVILS LAKE AND TO THE SOUTHWEST OF GRAND FORKS.  NRN VALLEY WILL BE
AIDED BY RIGHT REAR EXIT REGION OF 90 KT 300 MB JET.  DEW POINTS NOW UP
TO 74 AT KGFK...SO THINK WDLY SCATTERED TSTMS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE NRN
VALLEY AND NW MN LATE THIS AFTERNOON.

THUS FOR THE FORECAST TONIGHT...WILL STICK WITH EVENING TSTM IN MOST
AREAS...EXCEPT POSSIBILY DEVILS LAKE.  ACTIVITY WILL END BY MIDNIGHT
THEN CLEARING AND LOWER HUMIDITY LEVELS.  LOOKING AT DRIER UPSTREAM DEW
POINTS EXPECT LOW TEMPS IN THE UPPER 50S AT DEVILS LAKE TO THE MID 60S
IN WCNTRL MN.

RIDDLE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 14, 12:45 PM CDT, 4 hours 17 minutes before

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052-053-151200-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
1245 PM CDT TUE JUL 14 1998

..SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE ACROSS EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND
NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY
EVENING...

A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS IS ACROSS THE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA
AND NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AT MIDDAY.  THE MOST
UNSTABLE AIRMASS WAS OVER THE SOUTHERN RED RIVER VALLEY WHERE DEW POINTS
HAD RISEN TO NEAR 80 IN THE FARGO AND WAPHETON AREAS.

A COLD FRONT LOCATED FROM NEAR DEVILS LAKE TO BISMARCK WILL MOVE EAST
THROUGH EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AMD INTO WESTERN MINNESOTA BY EARLY
EVENING. THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE FOR SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
ALONG AND AHEAD OF THIS FRONT THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. THE BEST
CHANCE WILL BE  OVER SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL
MINNESOTA...SOUTH AND EAST OF A VALLEY CITY TO HILLSBORO TO BEMIDJI
LINE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 1 PM AND 8 PM.

THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND VERY HEAVY
RAIN.  SUFFICIENT WIND SHEAR EXITS IN THE ATMOSPHERE FOR THE FORMATION
OF ISOLATED TORNADOES.

SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR POSSIBLE
ACTIVATION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...ESPECIALLY OVER SOUTHEAST NORTH
DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA.

RIDDLE

Local storm report, Jul 14, 12:50 PM CDT, 4 hours 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
1250 PM CDT TUE JUL 14 1998

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

1133 AM    3N GULLY                  MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   POLK

1135 AM    25N BEMIDJI               MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   BELTRAMI

GODON

Local storm report, Jul 14, 12:50 PM CDT, 4 hours 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
1250 PM CDT TUE JUL 14 1998

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

1133 AM    3N GULLY                  MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   POLK

1135 AM    25N BEMIDJI               MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   BELTRAMI

GODON

Local storm report, Jul 14, 3:35 PM CDT, 1 hour 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
335 PM CDT TUE JUL 14 1998

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

0145 PM    5SE ROTHSAY               MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   WILKIN

0220 PM    3 SE ELIZEBETH            MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0235 PM    PHELPS                    MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0300 PM    WEGGELAND                 MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0316 PM    PHELPS                    MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0325 PM    WEGGELAND                 MN   FLOODING
07/14/98

 BELLES

GODON

Local storm report, Jul 14, 5:02 PM CDT, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
502 PM CDT TUE JUL 14 1998

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

0335 PM    PHELPS                    MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0353 PM    WEGGELAND                 MN   2.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0353 PM    PHELPS                    MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0400 PM    5N BATTLE LAKE            MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0424 PM    4W PELICAN RAPIDS         MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0425 PM    PELICAN RAPIDS            MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0430 PM    PELICAN RAPIDS            MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0430 PM    4W PELICAN RAPIDS         MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0430 PM    15E PELICAN RAPIDS        MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0437 PM    5NNE PHELPS               MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0440 PM    DENT                      MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0443 PM    15E PELICAN RAPIDS        MN   1.00 jINCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

SCHUMACHER

Local storm report, Jul 14, 5:02 PM CDT, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
502 PM CDT TUE JUL 14 1998

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

0335 PM    PHELPS                    MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0353 PM    WEGGELAND                 MN   2.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0353 PM    PHELPS                    MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0400 PM    5N BATTLE LAKE            MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0424 PM    4W PELICAN RAPIDS         MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0425 PM    PELICAN RAPIDS            MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0430 PM    PELICAN RAPIDS            MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0430 PM    4W PELICAN RAPIDS         MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0430 PM    15E PELICAN RAPIDS        MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0437 PM    5NNE PHELPS               MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0440 PM    DENT                      MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

0443 PM    15E PELICAN RAPIDS        MN   1.00 jINCH HAIL
07/14/98   OTTER TAIL

SCHUMACHER

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 14, 3:07 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Hubbard	48 min
Jul 14, 5:32 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Pennington, Polk	33 min
Jul 14, 7:17 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Marshall	33 min
Jul 14, 8:09 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Clay, Norman	31 min
Jul 14, 8:19 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Roseau	31 min
Jul 14, 11:18 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Beltrami	32 min
Jul 14, 11:21 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Clearwater, Polk	34 min
Jul 14, 12:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Beltrami, Hubbard	32 min
Jul 14, 1:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Wilkin	31 min
Jul 14, 1:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Otter Tail, Wilkin	34 min
Jul 14, 2:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Otter Tail	34 min
Jul 14, 2:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Otter Tail	34 min
Jul 14, 3:07 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	FGF	Otter Tail	118 min
Jul 14, 3:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Otter Tail	50 min
Jul 14, 4:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Otter Tail	49 min
Jul 14, 4:53 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Otter Tail	32 min
Jul 14, 5:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Becker, Clay	35 min
Jul 14, 5:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Otter Tail	64 min
Jul 14, 5:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Clearwater, Hubbard	35 min
Jul 14, 5:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Grant	32 min
Jul 14, 5:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Becker	34 min
Jul 14, 6:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Grant	34 min
Jul 14, 6:22 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Wilkin	33 min
Jul 14, 6:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Grant	43 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Minnesota, 1998 Every flash flood warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.