Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 233, NWS Grand Forks, ND

August 26, 1998Pembina County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 26, 1998, 7:36 PM CDT for Pembina County, North Dakota. It was in force for 34 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: Aug 26, 1998, 7:36 PM CDT (00:36 UTC)
Expired: Aug 26, 1998, 8:10 PM CDT
In force: 34 min
Issued by: NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area: Whole counties

County Pembina County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 139 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:35 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Aug 26, 7:55 PM CDT	Hail 2	St Thomas, ND	The hail lasted for 20 minutes and covered the ground.
Aug 26, 8:05 PM CDT	Hail 1.75	St Thomas, 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 nearest sounding before it

International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 00:00Z, 0.6 hours before the alert went out and 313 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: 92 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -66 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2235 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 51 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 113 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

939 
WUUS1 KFAR 270038 RRA
SVRFAR
NDC067-270110-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
736 PM CDT WED AUG 26 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN PEMBINA COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA

* UNTIL 810 PM CDT

* AT 735 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES
  NORTHEAST OF CRYSTAL...OR ABOUT 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF GRAFTON.
  MOVEMENT WAS TOWARDS THE SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  INTERSECTION OF ROUTE 18 AND 66 AT 745 PM CDT

REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY PRODUCE
TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCED WARNING.

KELLENBENZ

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 Aug 26, 2:30 PM CDT, 5 hours 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 26, 2:30 PM CDT, 5 hours 6 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
230 PM CDT WED AUG 26 1998

VERY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE ACROSS THE REGION.  WK SFC BOUNDARY REMAINS
EVIDENT IN WIND FIELD ALONG CANADIAN BORDER.  SVR TSTMS IN TOWNER CO
HAVE DISSIPATED...BUT STARTING TO SEE NEW AREA OF TSTMS INTENSIFYING
JUST NORTH OF THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER....NORTH OF TOWER CO.  THIS AREA
MAY WELL GO SVR TOO AND MOVE ESE AND AFFECT FAR NRN TIER OF COUNTIES
OVER NEXT FEW HOURS.

NGM FWC MOS REALLY UNDERESTIMATED DEW PT TEMPS. ETA 1000MB DEW PTS LOOK
BETTER. DPT UP TO 67 AT JMS/BIS AND MID 60S OVER REST OF THE CWFA.  ROX
AWOS DEW PT OF AROUND 70 READING TOO HIGH.  NONETHELESS WITH TEMPS WELL
INTO THE 80S TO AROUND 90...MODIFIED CAPES ARE AROUND 3000.

WITH 500 MB ONLY WARMING SLIGHTLY TONIGHT AND WITH 850 MB TEMPS WARMING
A FEW DEGREES...STILL EXPECT ATMOSPHERE TO REMAIN UNSTABLE THROUGH THE
NIGHT. NO REAL TRIGGER FOR ORGANIZED CONVECTION....BUT SFC BOUNDARIES
PERSIST AND ETA CAPES REMAIN AOA 1000 THRU THE NIGHT WITH SHOWALTER LI
-4 RANGE.  BEST CHC OF STORMS WILL BE WEST OF A FARGO TO BEMIDJI LINE.
WET BULB ZERO IS LOWER TODAY THAN PAST DAYS MAKING HAILERS MORE LIKELY.
GOT ONE INCH HAIL WITH VILS IN MID 50S. MAIN FOCUS OVERNIGHT WILL
LIKELY SHIFT WEST INTO WRN 1/2 ND ALONG TROF/50H VORT LOBE MOVING IN
FROM THE WEST.

PRESENT ZFP FOR ERN ND HAS PSBL SVR WORDING TONIGHT ALREADY.  BECAUSE OF
POSSIBLE ONGOING SVR ACTIVITY THIS EVENING WILL SUGGEST TO KEEP MENTION
OF PSBL SVR IN ZONES TONIGHT FOR GFK/DVL ZONES.  FARGO AREA MORE
DIFFICULT...BUT THINGS MAY GET ACTIVE THERE BEFORE 12Z AND SINCE THE
WORDING IS IN THERE SUGGEST LEAVING SVR IN AS WELL.

WILL SEND ZONE SUGGESTIONS AS ADMFAR BY 3 PM.

RIDDLE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 26, 5:16 PM CDT, 2 hours 20 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
516 PM CDT WED AUG 26 1998

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

0445 PM    CAVALIER                  ND   .75 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0430 PM    7 NW CAVALIER             ND   .75 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0450 PM    CAVALIER                  ND   .75 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0455 PM    CAVALIER                  ND   .75 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

HOPPES

Local storm report, Aug 26, 5:22 PM CDT, 2 hours 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
522 PM CDT WED AUG 26 1998

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

0619 PM    4 S WALHALLA              ND   1 INCH HAIL
08/26/98

BRAZZELL

Local storm report, Aug 26, 5:22 PM CDT, 2 hours 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
522 PM CDT WED AUG 26 1998

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

0619 PM    4 S WALHALLA              ND   1 INCH HAIL
08/26/98

BRAZZELL

Local storm report, Aug 26, 6:23 PM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
522 PM CDT WED AUG 26 1998

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

0619 PM    4 S WALHALLA              ND   1 INCH HAIL
08/26/98

BRAZZELL

Local storm report, Aug 26, 7:34 PM CDT, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
734 PM CDT WED AUG 26 1998

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

0630 PM    6 S WALHALLA              ND   1 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA                        LASTED  25
                                          MINUTES

0650 PM    4 W HENSEL                ND   TORNADO
08/26/98   PEMBINA                        REPORTED BY PEMBINA COUNTY
                                          SHERIFF OFFICE

0706 PM    10 W CAVALIER             ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0720 PM    4 W CAVALIER              ND   .75 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

BRAZZELL

Local storm report, Aug 26, 7:34 PM CDT, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
734 PM CDT WED AUG 26 1998

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

0630 PM    6 S WALHALLA              ND   1 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA                        LASTED  25
                                          MINUTES

0650 PM    4 W HENSEL                ND   TORNADO
08/26/98   PEMBINA                        REPORTED BY PEMBINA COUNTY
                                          SHERIFF OFFICE

0706 PM    10 W CAVALIER             ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0720 PM    4 W CAVALIER              ND   .75 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

BRAZZELL

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 26, 7:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Pembina	35 min
Aug 26, 7:49 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Pembina, Walsh	31 min
Aug 26, 8:17 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Pembina, Walsh	33 min
Aug 26, 8:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Walsh	32 min
Aug 26, 9:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Walsh	33 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Dakota, 1998 Every severe thunderstorm 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.