Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1999

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 85, NWS Grand Forks, ND

June 21, 1999Sargent County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 21, 1999, 11:40 AM CDT for Sargent County, North Dakota. It was in force for 35 min. 3 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
Jun 21, 1999, 11:40 AM CDT (16:40 UTC)
Expired
Jun 21, 1999, 12:15 PM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Whole counties

County Sargent County, ND

The radar

The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:43 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
Jun 21, 11:40 AM CDTHail 0.75Cogswell, ND
Jun 21, 11:55 AM CDTHail 0.75Cogswell, ND
Jun 21, 12:10 PM CDTHail 0.75Forman, 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

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 12:00Z, 4.7 hours before the alert went out and 147 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, Aberdeen, SD at 12:00Z on 1999-06-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1247 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, Aberdeen, SD at 12:00Z on 1999-06-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 143 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1247 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-275 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
827 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
143 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
178 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.

142 
WUUS1 KFAR 211639 RRA
SVRFAR
NDC081-211715-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1140 AM CDT MON JUN 21 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SARGENT COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA

* UNTIL 1215 PM CDT

* AT 1139 AM CDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 56 MILES SOUTH OF VALLEY CITY OR 6 MILES
  SOUTH OF STIRUM... MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  FORMAN AT 1208 PM CDT
  GWINNER AT 1214 PM CDT

DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND TORNADOES ARE ALL
POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. SEEK SHELTER IN A REINFORCED
BUILDING IMMEDIATELY.

TURNER

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 Jun 21, 10:25 AM CDT, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 21, 10:25 AM CDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1025 AM CDT MON JUN 21 1999

FORECAST CHALLENGE FOR UPDATE CONCERNS TSRA THREAT AND TEMPS. MCS OVR S
CENTRAL ND ASSOCIATED WITH WELL DIFINED VORT MAX FROM IR AND KMVX-88D
REFLECTIVITY LOOP CENTERED JUST SE OF DVL TRACKING ENE...WAA AND
MODERATE DEEP SOUTHERLY FLOW ADVECTING MOIST AIR NORTHWARD. COLDEST
TOPS OF MCS OVR S CENTRAL ND GRADUALLY SHRINKING WITH STRONGEST CELLS
SW OF JMS IN ZONE OF GREATEST INSTABILITY. SFC MAP INDICATED SFC
BOUNDARY ALONG ND/SD BORDER SOUTH OF THIS AREA. OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM
MCS GENERATED A LINE OF TSRA CURRENTLY FROM EXT SE ND INTO WEST
CENTRAL/NORTHWEST MN. CELLS HAVE BEEN WEAKENING WITH AREA PUSHING INTO
LESS UNSTABLE AIRMASS. MORE GENERAL RAIN WITH EMBEDDED TSRA OVR SE ND.
FROM 12Z RUC VORT WEAKENS AS IT TRACKS E-NE. FROM CURRENT RADAR TRENDS
FAVORED AREA FOR CONTINUED PCPN LOOKS TO BE AHEAD AND SOUTH OF VORT
PATH WITH GENERAL WEAKENING AND MORE WIDELY SCT COVERAGE INTO THE
AFTERNOON. LOCALIZED BOUNDARIES WILL ALSO NEED TO BE MONITORED LATER
THIS AFTERNOON IN EASTERN PTN OF FA FOR LATER DEVELOPMENT. AS FAR AS
TEMPS LOWEST/THICKEST CLD COVER OVR SE ND WITH GENERALLY MID AND UPPER
LEVEL CLDS ELSEWHERE. CURRENT TEMPS AROUND 70 AND WITH CONTINUED WAA
WILL NOT TAKE ALOT OF SUN TO REACH FCST MAX TEMPS. AS S-W SHIFTS EAST
INCREASING SUBS SHOULD ALLOW PARTIAL SUN LATER THIS AFTERNOON SO NO BIG
CHANGES AS FAR AS TEMPS EXPECTED.

.FGF...NONE.

VOELKER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 21, 6:44 AM CDT, 4 hours 56 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052-053-211400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
644 AM CDT MON JUN 21 1999

...NO SEVERE WEATHER EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT...

SYNOPSIS...A WARM AND HUMID AIRMASS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE
OVER EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA TODAY AND TONIGHT.

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE EAST THROUGH EASTERN NORTH
DAKOTA THIS MORNING AND INTO NORTHWEST MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON.

A COMPLEX OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH EAST
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA THIS MORNING AND INTO NORTHWEST
MINNESOTA DURING THE MIDDAY AND AFTERNOON. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS TO 40
MPH...BUT ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE.

RIDDLE
Special weather statement, Jun 21, 6:44 AM CDT, 4 hours 56 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052-053-211400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
644 AM CDT MON JUN 21 1999

...NO SEVERE WEATHER EXPECTED TODAY OR TONIGHT...

SYNOPSIS...A WARM AND HUMID AIRMASS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE
OVER EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA TODAY AND TONIGHT.

AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE EAST THROUGH EASTERN NORTH
DAKOTA THIS MORNING AND INTO NORTHWEST MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON.

A COMPLEX OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH EAST
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA THIS MORNING AND INTO NORTHWEST
MINNESOTA DURING THE MIDDAY AND AFTERNOON. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS TO 40
MPH...BUT ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE.

RIDDLE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 21, 12:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFSargent31 min
Jun 21, 1:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRichland33 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.