Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1999
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 9, NWS Grand Forks, ND
NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 4, 1999, 2:41 PM CDT for Benson County, North Dakota. It was in force for 34 min. 1 report 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
- May 4, 1999, 2:41 PM CDT (19:41 UTC)
- Expired
- May 4, 1999, 3:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 34 min
- Issued by
- NWS Grand Forks, ND
- Area
- Whole counties
County Benson County, ND
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2:52 PM CDT | Hail 0.75 | Esmond, 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, 7.7 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1250 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 20 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 145 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 192 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
999 WUUS1 KFAR 041940 RRA SVRFAR NDC005-042015- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 241 PM CDT TUE MAY 4 1999 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... WESTERN BENSON COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA * UNTIL 315 PM CDT * AT 240 PM CDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 41 MILES WEST OF DEVILS LAKE OR 6 MILES SOUTH OF FILLMORE... MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH. A SPOTTER REPORTED WALNUT SIZE HAIL IN ESMOND AT 238 PM CDT. * THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... FILLMORE AT 253 PM CDT YORK AT 312 PM CDT REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCED WARNING. NG &
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 May 4, 2:30 PM CDT, 11 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 4, 2:30 PM CDT, 11 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 230 PM CDT TUE MAY 4 1999 AFTERNOON RADAR TRENDS INDICATES DEVELOPING CONVECTION IN ND CWA AS CONVECTIVE TEMPS REACHED WHILE NEXT ORGANIZED BATCH OF STORMS ROTATES NNW OUT OF NE SD AHEAD OF S/W. IMPRESSIVE PLUME OF MOISTURE SURGING NORTH ALONG INSTABILITY AXIS WITH LI/S TO -7 IN SOUTHERN CWA AND LITTLE/NO CAP. WEAK WIND SHIFT BOUNDARY ALSO APPROACHING SD/ND BORDER ATTM. WILL BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR ISOLATED/SCT SEVERE THREAT WITH LOW WBZ AND FZG...ALONG WITH POSSIBLE DOWNBURST WINDS WITH STRONG WINDS JUST ABOVE SURFACE MIXING DOWN. .SHORT TERM... DIFFERENCES IN INSTABILITY FIELDS LARGE ON ETA/NGM THIS AFTERNOON WITH NGM MORE RESEMBLING REALITY. VIGOROUS SLOW MOVING U/L LO WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE WX PICTURE AS MORE JET ENERGY DIVES SOUTHEAST ON BACK SIDE CAUSING TROF TO GO NEGATIVE TILT. NEXT PIECE OF JET ENERGY WILL ENHANCE U/L DIVERGENCE TOWARD ERN ND AFTER 06Z WITH STRETCHED OUT VORTICITY PATTERN SLICING TOWARD RRV. SFC INVERTED TROF NEAR STATIONARY AND EVEN BEING FORCED BACK WESTWARD LEAVES ALL OF CWA IN CONVECTIVE THREAT OVERNIGHT WITH STRATIFORM RAIN TO OUR WEST. FAVORED AREA FOR STRONG/SEVERE MUCH OF NIGHT SHOULD BE ERN ND/XTRM NW MN CLOSER TO BEST SFC CONVERGENCE AND BIT LESS INSTABILITY FAR EAST. SIMILAR AIRMASS TO YESTERDAY SO AGAIN HAIL/WINDS MAIN THREAT. STORMS ALSO COULD DUMP HEAVY RAIN WITH PWATS NEAR 1. .LONG TERM... LATER PERIODS POINT TOWARD CONTINUED SIG RAIN EVENT. SFC/H85 TROF EDGES EAST WITH OVERUNNING PATTERN AND EVEN STRONGER BOUNDARY MOIST CONVERGENCE AND MASSIVE LOW LEVEL FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING. MOISTURE TRANSPORT VECTORS SWING MORE TO THE SE WITH THE NEGATIVE TILT...FORCING PWATS OVER 1. NGM GOES WILD WITH INSTABILITY INDICES AFTER F+36 SWINGING -8 TO -10 LI/S TO FAR WED. DIFFLUENT ZONE EDGES EAST AND WITH THE SURFACE FORCING EXPECTED...HUGE UVM FIELD DEVELOPS WITH CONTINUED CANOPY OF DEEP MOISTURE WITH MODEL QPF FIELDS SHOWING OVER 1 QPF ESPECAILLY WEST OF RRV IN MORE STRATIFORM RAIN ZONES. ETA STILL FASTEST IN SWINGING SFC WIND SHIFT THRU...BUT WILL STAY CLOSEST TO SLOWER AVN/NGM CONSIDERING STRENGTH OF BACK SIDE ENERGY. MORE SHOWERY RAINS WILL REPLACE TSRA IN NW FLO BUT STILL WET AT LEAST THRU THURS. ...EXTENDED... EXTENDED MODELS SHOWING SOME DIFFERENCES DURING EXTENDED PERIOD. THE MRF AND UK MORE PROGRESSIVE IN LIFTING CLOSED LOW OVR THE MID MISS VALLEY NORTHEAST EARLY IN THE FCST PERIOD. WK MID LEVEL RIDGE THEN BUILDS IN ADVANCE OF NEXT NORTHERN STREAM WAVE MOVING IN ON SUNDAY. THE EURO...CANADIAN AND NOGAPS KEEP CUTTOFF LOW IN PLACE. AS A RESULT CYCLONIC FLOW/WRAP AROUND PCPN CONTINUES ACROSS LARGE PTN OF FA THROUGH FCST PERIOD. LOCATION OF FEATURES WOULD INDICATE SHRA VS TSRA. WILL GO SOMEWHAT OF A COMPRIMISE LEANING TOWARD WETTER PATTERN. WESTERN AREAS HAVE BEST CHANCE OF SEEING DRY WEATHER. WITH CLDS/PCPN TEMPS LIKELY TO REMAIN ON THE COOL SIDE. .FGF...NONE SOROKA/VOELKER
Hazardous weather outlook, May 3, 6:45 PM CDT, 19 hours 56 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052-053-031400- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS 645 PM CDT MON MAY 3 1999 ...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA... .SYNOPSIS...AN UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCE EXITING THE AREA OVER SOUTHERN CANADA THIS EVENING HAS BEEN PRODUCING WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME OF WHICH HAVE BEEN SEVERE FOR A BRIEF TIME OVER NORTHERN BELTRAMI COUNTY. AS THIS ACTIVITY SUBSIDES THROUGH THE EVENING ALL EYES WILL TURN TO ANOTHER...EVEN STRONGER DISTURBANCE OVER NORTHERN COLORADO. THIS DISTURBANCE WILL RACE NORTHEAST THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS AND MAY TOUCH OF A ROUND OF SEVERE WEATHER OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA INTO SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS CURRENTLY IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM FOR RANSOM AND SARGENT COUNTIES. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. BRAZZELL
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 4, 1:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052-053-042300- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS 130 PM CDT TUE MAY 4 1999 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... .SYNOPSIS...LOW PRESSURE WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY NEAR THE SOUTH DAKOTA/NORTH DAKOTA THROUGH THIS EVENING. SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL TRANSPORT WARM...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR INTO THE AREA. THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN SOUTH DAKOTA WILL MOVE NORTHWEST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS JET STREAM ENERGY COMBINES WITH AN IMPRESSIVE MOISTURE PLUME. THE AMPLE MOISTURE WILL COMBINE WITH THE STRONG DYNAMICS TO PRODUCE THE POSSILITY OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. .AREA OF CONCERN...THE BEST CHANCE FOR ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE IN THE ZONE FROM DEVILS LAKE EASTWARD THROUGH GRAND FORKS AND SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE LAKES COUNTRY OF MINNESOTA. .TIME...THE SEVERE THREAT WILL BE BETWEEN 1 AND 9 PM. .TYPE OF HAZARD...THE MAIN THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE HAIL UP TO ONE INCH DIAMETER AND ISOLATED DOWNBURST WINDS. SOROKA
Special weather statement, May 4, 1:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052-053-042300- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS 130 PM CDT TUE MAY 4 1999 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... .SYNOPSIS...LOW PRESSURE WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY NEAR THE SOUTH DAKOTA/NORTH DAKOTA THROUGH THIS EVENING. SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL TRANSPORT WARM...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR INTO THE AREA. THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN SOUTH DAKOTA WILL MOVE NORTHWEST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS JET STREAM ENERGY COMBINES WITH AN IMPRESSIVE MOISTURE PLUME. THE AMPLE MOISTURE WILL COMBINE WITH THE STRONG DYNAMICS TO PRODUCE THE POSSILITY OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. .AREA OF CONCERN...THE BEST CHANCE FOR ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE IN THE ZONE FROM DEVILS LAKE EASTWARD THROUGH GRAND FORKS AND SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE LAKES COUNTRY OF MINNESOTA. .TIME...THE SEVERE THREAT WILL BE BETWEEN 1 AND 9 PM. .TYPE OF HAZARD...THE MAIN THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE HAIL UP TO ONE INCH DIAMETER AND ISOLATED DOWNBURST WINDS. SOROKA
Special weather statement, May 4, 1:31 PM CDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND .SYNOPSIS...LOW PRESSURE WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY NEAR THE SOUTH .AREA OF CONCERN...THE BEST CHANCE FOR ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS .TIME...THE SEVERE THREAT WILL BE BETWEEN 1 AND 9 PM. .TYPE OF HAZARD...THE MAIN THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE HAIL UP TO
Special weather statement, May 4, 1:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND .SYNOPSIS...LOW PRESSURE WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY NEAR THE SOUTH .AREA OF CONCERN...THE BEST CHANCE FOR ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS .TIME...THE SEVERE THREAT WILL BE BETWEEN 1 AND 9 PM. .TYPE OF HAZARD...THE MAIN THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE HAIL UP TO
The office that day
Everything else NWS Grand Forks, ND issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 3, 8:40 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Benson | 50 min |
| May 3, 9:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Towner | 35 min |
| May 4, 2:20 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Towner | 35 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.