Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 14, NWS Grand Forks, ND

June 9, 1999Otter Tail County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Jun 9, 1999, 4:05 PM CDT for Otter Tail County, Minnesota. It was in force for 35 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
Jun 9, 1999, 4:05 PM CDT (21:05 UTC)
Expired
Jun 9, 1999, 4:40 PM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Whole counties

County Otter Tail County, MN

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 175 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:09 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 9, 4:17 PM CDTTornado F0Dalton, MNA touchdown occurred at South Ten Mile Lake, causing minor damage. A 16 foot boat and trailer were flipped over, shingles were stripped off roofs, and a grain bin was moved off its foundation.

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 watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 9, 3:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 9.1 hours before the alert went out and 239 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 1999-06-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 99 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 1999-06-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -49 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
99 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-233 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
831 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-22 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.

000 
TTAA00 KFAR 092105
TORFAR
MNC111-092140-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
405 PM CDT WED JUN 9 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  OTTER TAIL COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 440 PM CDT

* AT 404 PM CDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A TORNADO 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FERGUS FALLS... MOVING NORTHEAST AT
  35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
  AMOR  AT 424 PM CDT
  OTTERTAIL AT 435 PM CDT

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO THE SAFEST PLACE IS A BASEMENT.
GET UNDER A STAIRWAY OR A PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.

GUST

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Jun 9, 2:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 9, 2:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
230 PM CDT WED JUN 09 1999

MAIN FCST CHALLENGE...CONVECTION POSSIBILITIES EARLY THIS EVENING.

.SHORT TERM....
SFC LOW LOCATED NR THE ND/MN/SD BORDER WITH WARM FRONT EAST TO NR A
DTL-PKD LINE. MAIN BOUNDARY FOR INTIAL SVR CONVECTION HAS MOVED EAST
AND WAS LOCATED FROM SOUTH OF AXN INTO NW IA.  MAIN FRONT LOCATED
FURTHER WEST IN ERN SD.  ATMOS IN FAR SE CWFA...FFM AREA...VERY
UNSTABLE WITH MODIFIED CAPES BASED ON CURRENT T/TD AT FFM ABV 4000.
ADAP SHOWS LI -10 AND NO CAP.  WITH FRONT STILL NOT THROUGH THINK ISOLD
SVR PSBL THIS EVENING AND WILL CARRY PSBL SVR IN ZONES FOR PKD-DTL
SOUTH.

OTHERWISE...COLD FRONT/TROUGH EXTENDS NORTH FROM SFC LOW INTO FAR NW MN
AND THIS IS SLOWLY MOVING EAST. 88D SHOWS NUMEROUS SHOWERS AHEAD OF 70H
TROF IN ERN ND AND EXPECT THESE TO SLOWLY MOVE EAST AND END EARLY THIS
EVENING IN ND AND BY MIDNIGHT IN NW MN.  WILL LEAVE DVL ZONE DRY TONIGHT
AS BIS 88D SHOWS PCPN SHOULD BE EAST OF AREA SHORTLY.

.LONGER TERM...
WILL USE ETA/AVN THIS FCST PACKAGE.  50H VORT MAX MOVES ENE THRU ND
INTO MB TONIGHT...BRINGING IN DRIER AIR FROM WEST TO EAST OVERNIGHT
CLEARING SKIES.  WILL NOTICE LOWER DEW PTS ON THURSDAYS AS HIGH
PRESSURE MOVES INTO WRN ND.  A FEW CU ON THURSDAY....O/W MSTLY SUNNY.
FWC/FAN MOS IN CLOSE AGREEMENT WITH MOSTLY MID 70S TO AROUND 80.

NEXT 50H SYSTEM TO TRAVEL SOUTH OF CWFA...WITH SFC LOW DEVELOPMENT IN
KS ON FRIDAY.  HOWEVER...70H LOW FURTHER NORTH IN SD...SO DO EXPECT AN
INCREASE IN MID LEVEL MOISTURE ON FRIDAY SPLY SOUTH CWFA.  SHOULD BE DRY
THRU FRIDAY AFTERNOON WITH PCPN REMAINING TO OUR SOUTH.

.EXTENDED...LONG RANGE MODELS SIMILAR AND CONSISTENT IN BRUSHING CWFA
WITH POSSIBLE PCPN ON FRIDAY NIGHT AS SHORTWAVE MOVES THROUGH. SHORTWAVE
PULLS FAR ENOUGH EAST BY SAT MORNING THAT NO PCPN EXPECTED FOR SAT. WITH
500 MB RIDGE BUILDING OVER ROCKIES AND SFC HIGH PRESSURE OVER CWFA...NO
PCPN EXPECTED FOR SUN AND MON. WILL NEED TO WATCH APPROACHING SHORTWAVE
FOR MONDAY NIGHT AS COULD PROVIDE ENOUGH LIFT TO GET PCPN GOING.
HOWEVER...WILL NOT MENTION IN EXTENDED AT THIS TIME. TEMPS REMAIN
FAIRLY CONS"ISTENT THROUGH THE EXTENDED -- HOLDING RIGHT AROUND NORMAL.

.FGF...NONE.

RIDDLE/NG

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 9, 11:15 AM CDT, 4 hours 50 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052-053-092000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1115 AM CDT WED JUN 9 1999

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE IN PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA
THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING...

SYNOPSIS...LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE FROM NEAR WAHPETON TO BEMIDJI BY LATE
TODAY.  A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE EAST THROUGH WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA.
THUNDERSTORMS WILL FORM ALONG THIS FRONT THIS AFTERNOON...A FEW OF
WHICH MAY BE SEVERE.  HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO A THREAT.

AREA OF CONCERN...PORTIONS OF MINNESOTA...SOUTH OF A PARK RAPIDS
TO DETROIT LAKES TO MOORHEAD LINE.  THIS INCLUDES FERGUS FALLS...ELBOW
LAKE...AND WADENA.

TIME...2 PM TO 8 PM.

TYPE OF HAZARD...MAIN HAZARD SHOULD PRIMARILY BE LARGE HAIL...
DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN.

RIDDLE
Local storm report, Jun 9, 11:58 AM CDT, 4 hours 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
1158 AM CDT WED JUN 09 1999

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

0400 AM    HOPE                      ND   .75 INCH HAIL
06/09/99   STEELE

0438 AM    GRAND FORKS               ND   WIND DAMAGE
06/09/99   GRAND FORKS                    TREE DAMAGE REPORTED
                                          THROUGHOUT THE CITY

0445 AM    2 NE SHERACK              MN   WIND DAMAGE
06/09/99   POLK                           WINDOWS BLOWN OUT OF A
                                          HOUSE AND HAYSHED
                                          DESTROYED

0445 AM    5 SE ALVARADO             MN   WIND DAMAGE
06/09/99   POLK                           TREE DAMAGE

0448 AM    SHERACK                   MN   WIND DAMAGE
06/09/99   POLK                           GRAIN BIN DESTROYED

0500 AM    3 W REYNOLDS              ND   WIND DAMAGE
06/09/99   TRAILL                         TREE DAMAGE

0530 AM    LANCASTER                 MN   WIND DAMAGE
06/09/99   KITTSON                        LARGE TREE DAMAGE REPORTED
                                          IN LANCASTER

0545 AM    STRANDQUIST               MN   WIND DAMAGE
06/09/99   MARSHALL                        REPORTS OF TREES DOWN

0550 AM    GREENBUSH                 MN   WIND DAMAGE
06/09/99   ROSEAU                         TREE DAMAGE IN GREENBUSH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 9, 4:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPolk30 min
Jun 9, 4:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFMarshall32 min
Jun 9, 4:49 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPolk36 min
Jun 9, 5:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFKittson36 min
Jun 9, 5:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFMarshall35 min
Jun 9, 5:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFKittson33 min
Jun 9, 5:42 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRoseau33 min
Jun 9, 3:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBecker, Clay32 min
Jun 9, 3:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFMahnomen, Norman29 min
Jun 9, 3:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFMahnomen31 min
Jun 9, 4:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPolk, Red Lake32 min
Jun 9, 4:54 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFClearwater, Mahnomen36 min
Jun 9, 5:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFOtter Tail32 min
Jun 9, 5:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBeltrami, Hubbard32 min
Jun 9, 5:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFClearwater32 min
Jun 9, 5:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBeltrami, Hubbard31 min
Jun 9, 6:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBeltrami, Hubbard31 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 1999Every tornado warning in 1999Tornadoes 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.