Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 1998

Tornado Warning 22, NWS Grand Forks, ND

August 26, 1998Cavalier County, Pembina County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Aug 26, 1998, 6:37 PM CDT for Cavalier County, Pembina County, North Dakota. It was in force for 33 min. 5 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, 6:37 PM CDT (23:37 UTC)
Expired
Aug 26, 1998, 7:10 PM CDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cavalier County, ND, Pembina County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 147 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:36 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
Aug 26, 6:50 PM CDTTornado F0Hensel, ND
Aug 26, 7:06 PM CDTHail 1.75Cavalier, ND
Aug 26, 7:15 PM CDTHail 1Akra, ND
Aug 26, 7:20 PM CDTHail 0.75Cavalier, ND
Aug 26, 7:20 PM CDTHail 1.5Cavalier, 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

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 300 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 1998-08-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 611 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Bismarck Municip, ND at 12:00Z on 1998-08-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 133 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
611 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-194 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1615 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
133 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
161 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.

586 
WFUS1 KFAR 262339 RRA
TORFAR
NDC019-067-270010-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
637 PM CDT WED AUG 26 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EXTREME EASTERN CAVALIER COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA
  PEMBINA COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA

* UNTIL 710 PM CDT

* AT 637 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO 15 MILES SOUTH OF
  WALHALLA ...OR ABOUT 20 MILES NORTHEAST OF LANGDON. MOVEMENT WAS
  TOWARDS THE NORTHEAST 15 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BACKOO AT 700 PM CDT

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO
ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A STURDY BUILDING.

KELLENBENZ

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 26, 12:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFTowner35 min
Aug 26, 12:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFCavalier, Ramsey34 min
Aug 26, 3:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFCavalier32 min
Aug 26, 4:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPembina34 min
Aug 26, 4:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPembina35 min
Aug 26, 5:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPembina34 min
Aug 26, 6:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFCavalier, Pembina32 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.