Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1999

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 239, NWS Grand Forks, ND

August 15, 1999Benson County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 15, 1999, 7:22 PM CDT for Benson County, North Dakota. It was in force for 48 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 15, 1999, 7:22 PM CDT (00:22 UTC)
Expired
Aug 15, 1999, 8:10 PM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Whole counties

County Benson County, ND

The radar

The Minot AFB radar (KMBX), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:23 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Aug 15, 6:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 176 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 00:00Z on 1999-08-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2218 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, Bismarck Municip, ND at 00:00Z on 1999-08-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 32 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
2218 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
899 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
32 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
52 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
3.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFAR 160023 RRA
SVRFAR
NDC005-160110-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
722 PM CDT SUN AUG 15 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  BENSON COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA

* UNTIL 810 PM CDT

* AT 721 PM CDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 45 MILES WEST OF DEVILS LAKE OR 13 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF MADDOCK... MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  MADDOCK AT 737 PM CDT
  ESMOND AT 740 PM CDT
  FLORA AT 743 PM CDT

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

RIDDLE

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 15, 2:40 PM CDT, 4 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 15, 2:40 PM CDT, 4 hours 42 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
240 PM CDT SUN AUG 15 1999

FCST CHALLENGE...SHORT TERM TSTM/SVR WX.

SFC LOW NEAR LOCATED BTWN BIS/MBG AT 18Z WITH SFC PRESSURE FALLS
INDICATE A TRACK EAST TO JUST NORTH OF KABR BY 00Z.  THIS FOLLOWS
ETA CLOSELY.  SVR STORMS HAVE BEEN FIRING ALL DAY NR SFC/85H WARM
FRONT FROM NE ND AND NW MN...AND EMPAHSIS HAS SHIFTED TO BACK
BUILDING STORMS IN NW MN WITH LARGE HAIL POTENTIAL.
EARLIER STORMS IN NE ND WAS GIVING DIME HAIL WITH VILS OF 50.

.SHORT TERM...
WATER VAPOR SHOWS NICE SPIN OVER CNTRL MT AROUND UPR
LOW...ETA/NGM CLOSE IN AGREEMENT WITH POSITION WITH THIS AND TRACK
STRONG 28 VORT MAX TO EXTREME NE ND BY 06Z.  POTENTIAL FOR NEW
ACTIVITY IN WRN ND/ERN MT TO MOVE ENE ACROSS AT LEAST NW 1/2 CWFA
TONIGHT.  SE ND AND WCNTRL MN SHOULD SEE LESS POTENTIAL AS CAP HAS
PREVENTED SFC BASED CONVECTION FROM FIRING AND ELEVATED ACTIVITY
ALONG WARM FRONT IS TO THE NORTH.

WILL HIT PCPN HARDEST TONIGHT NRN ZONES BUT AT LEAST MAINTAIN WIDELY
SCT TSRA IN SOUTH ZONES.  EXPECT MAIN THREAT TO BE OVER IN ERN ND BY
06Z...BUT WILL NOT BE FANCY WITH TIMING TONIGHT.

.LONGER TERM...
UPR LOW TO BE NR WINNIPEG BY 12Z WITH SFC LOW WRAPPED UP IN SRN MB
AS WELL.  THIS SYSTEM TO MOVE EAST ON MONDAY.  STRONG SUBSIDENCE ON
SOUTH SIDE OF SYSTEM ALONG WITH 85H WINDS OF 35-45KTS WILL ENSURE A
WINDY DAY...SPCLY SOUTH ZONES.  COOLER 50H TEMPS ALONG WITH VORT
ALONG INTERNATIONAL BORDER AND COLD ADVECTION WILL DEVELOP CU ACROSS
CWFA...WITH CHC SHRA ACROSS THE NORTH.  WILL DROP PCPN CHANCES IN
THE SOUTH AS AREA UNDER GREATER SUBSIDENCE.

NEXT 50H SYSTEM WILL DROP SOUTH INTO FAR NRN PLAINS ON TUESDAY AS
UPR RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE NRN ROCKIES/PAC NORTHWEST.  WILL BRING CHC
POPS TO AREA ON TUESDAY.

AS FOR TEMPS...FCST SOUNDINGS INDICATE FWC TEMPS PRETTY CLOSE TO
WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN.

IF ALL GOES AS PLANNED...WILL HAVE WORK ZONES OUT BEFORE 330 PM.

.FGF...NONE.

RIDDLE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 15, 1:39 PM CDT, 5 hours 43 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
139 PM CDT SUN AUG 15 1999

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

0100 PM    6 SW LANKIN               ND   .75 INCH HAIL
08/15/99   WALSH                          DIME SIZE HAIL
Special weather statement, Aug 15, 2:48 PM CDT, 4 hours 34 minutes before
NDZ006>008-014>016-024-026>028-152050-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
248 PM CDT SUN AUG 15 1999

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 640 THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST
NORTH DAKOTA HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN OVER NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA THIS
AFTERNOON...NORTH OF A JAMESTOWN TO HILLSBORO LINE...BUT NO
WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON.
THUS THE WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED EARLY.

REPEATING...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR
GRAND FORKS...NELSON...RAMSEY...BENSON...EDDY...GRIGGS...WALSH...
TOWNER... CAVALIER... AND PEMBINA COUNTIES.

THERE WILL REMAIN THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER TO RE-DEVELOP
LATER THIS EVENING AND RESIDENTS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND FORECASTS.
Special weather statement, Aug 15, 2:48 PM CDT, 4 hours 34 minutes before
NDZ006>008-014>016-024-026>028-152050-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
248 PM CDT SUN AUG 15 1999

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 640 THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST
NORTH DAKOTA HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN OVER NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA THIS
AFTERNOON...NORTH OF A JAMESTOWN TO HILLSBORO LINE...BUT NO
WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON.
THUS THE WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED EARLY.

REPEATING...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR
GRAND FORKS...NELSON...RAMSEY...BENSON...EDDY...GRIGGS...WALSH...
TOWNER... CAVALIER... AND PEMBINA COUNTIES.

THERE WILL REMAIN THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER TO RE-DEVELOP
LATER THIS EVENING AND RESIDENTS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR FOR
LATER STATEMENTS AND FORECASTS.
Local storm report, Aug 15, 3:36 PM CDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
336 PM CDT SUN AUG 15 1999

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

0215 PM    15 E WARREN               MN   1.25 INCH HAIL
08/15/99   MARSHALL                       HALF DOLLAR SIZED HAIL
                                          FELL FROM 215 TO 230 PM
Local storm report, Aug 15, 4:17 PM CDT, 3 hours 5 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
417 PM CDT SUN AUG 15 1999

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

1110 AM    11 NE GRAFTON             ND   .75 INCH HAIL
08/15/99   WALSH                          DIME SIZE HAIL
Local storm report, Aug 15, 5:16 PM CDT, 2 hours 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
516 PM CDT SUN AUG 15 1999

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

0230 PM    WASKISH                   MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/15/99   BELTRAMI                       4E WASKISH GOLFBALL SIZE
                                          HAIL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 15, 8:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFEddy35 min
Aug 15, 8:41 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFBarnes49 min
Aug 15, 9:11 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFBarnes, Ransom49 min
Aug 15, 9:40 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFRansom35 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Dakota, 1999Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1999

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.