Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 234, NWS Grand Forks, ND

August 26, 1998Marshall County, Minnesota; Walsh County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 26, 1998, 8:48 PM CDT for Marshall County, Minnesota; Walsh County, North Dakota. It was in force for 32 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
Aug 26, 1998, 8:48 PM CDT (01:48 UTC)
Expired
Aug 26, 1998, 9:20 PM CDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Whole counties

Counties Marshall County, MN, Walsh County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:51 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 nearest sounding before it

International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 277 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, International Fa, MN at 00:00Z on 1998-08-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 92 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, International Fa, MN at 00:00Z on 1998-08-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 51 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
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

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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, 6 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 26, 2:30 PM CDT, 6 hours 18 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, 7:34 PM CDT, 1 hour 14 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, 1 hour 14 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, 8:30 PM CDT, 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
830 PM CDT WED AUG 26 1998

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

0725 PM    CRYSTAL                   ND   1.25 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0735 PM    CAVALIER                  ND   1.25 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

BRAZZELL
Local storm report, Aug 26, 8:30 PM CDT, 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
830 PM CDT WED AUG 26 1998

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

0725 PM    CRYSTAL                   ND   1.25 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0735 PM    CAVALIER                  ND   1.25 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

BRAZZELL
Local storm report, Aug 26, 8:43 PM CDT, 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
843 PM CDT WED AUG 26 1998

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

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

0715 PM    AKRA                      ND   1 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

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

0720 PM    1 E CAVALIER              ND   1.5 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0755 PM    ST THOMAS                 ND   2 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0805 PM    10 N GRAFTON              ND   50 MPH TSTM GUST
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0805 PM    10 N GRAFTON              ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0843 PM    5 NE GRAFTON              ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   WALSH

BRAZZELL
Local storm report, Aug 26, 8:43 PM CDT, 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
843 PM CDT WED AUG 26 1998

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

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

0715 PM    AKRA                      ND   1 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

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

0720 PM    1 E CAVALIER              ND   1.5 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0755 PM    ST THOMAS                 ND   2 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0805 PM    10 N GRAFTON              ND   50 MPH TSTM GUST
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0805 PM    10 N GRAFTON              ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   PEMBINA

0843 PM    5 NE GRAFTON              ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/26/98   WALSH

BRAZZELL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 26, 9:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFMarshall33 min
Aug 26, 7:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPembina35 min
Aug 26, 7:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPembina34 min
Aug 26, 7:49 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFPembina, Walsh31 min
Aug 26, 8:17 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFPembina, Walsh33 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 1998Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Dakota, 1998Every 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.