Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 1999

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Grand Forks, ND

June 25, 1999Kittson County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Jun 25, 1999, 5:38 PM CDT for Kittson County, Minnesota. It was in force for 32 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 25, 1999, 5:38 PM CDT (22:38 UTC)
Expired
Jun 25, 1999, 6:10 PM CDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Whole counties

County Kittson County, MN

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 145 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:38 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 25, 5:55 PM CDTHail 1Lake Bronson, MN

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 25, 4:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 257 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, International Fa, MN at 12:00Z on 1999-06-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, International Fa, MN at 12:00Z on 1999-06-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1497 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
145 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 252239 RRA
TORFAR
MNC069-252310-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
538 PM CDT FRI JUN 25 1999

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN KITTSON COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 610 PM CDT

* AT 535 PM CDT...LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD ONE MILE
  WEST OF HALMA MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. THIS TORNADO WILL AFFECT
  RURAL EAST OF LAKE BRONSON.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...


DO NOT OUTRUN A TORNADO IN YOUR CAR.  LEAVE YOUR CAR AND GO TO A
STRONG BUILDING OR SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.

VOELKER


&

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 25, 3:31 PM CDT, 2 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 25, 3:31 PM CDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
300 PM CDT FRI JUN 25 1999

H5 HGTS FALL AS UPR LOW OVR THE PAC NW MOVS N OF LAKE WINNIPEG BY 12Z
SUNDAY. THERMODYNAMICS RICH ACRS SD AND SRN ND BUT MOST OF UPR
DYNAMICS FARTHER TO THE NW OVR MT. ETA WANTS TO HOLD VRT MOTN ACRS
SRN ND WHILE NGM ADVECTS TO THE NE ACRS CWFA. VSB STLT LOOP HAS
ESSENTIALLY A CLR SKY OVR SRN 2/3 OF ERN ND AND ADJ PARTS OF NW MN
AND SHOULD BE A CAPPED ENVIRONMENT. BEST PRES FALLS WERE OCCURRING IN
NE ND AHEAD OF WM FNT. PRES FALL CNTR HAS BEEN MOVG N/NE. 88D HAS HAD
ISOLD CELLS FORM AHEAD CLR CAPPED AREA IN NRN 1/3 OF CWFA.  VAD WNDS
OFF OF NEARBY 88D DOES NOT SUGGEST THE H8 SPEED CONVERGENCE INDICATED
BY THE ETA. SO NGM APPEARS TO HAVE THE BEST HANDLE ON ABV SCENARIO
AND IS PREFERRED. 16Z BIS SNDG SHOWS GOOD CAP WITH ABT 95F SFC TEMP
NEEDED TO BREAK CAP AT BIS. WM FRONTAL CONVERGENCE SHOULD AID BREAKING CAP AT L
WER TEMPS. SFC LOW E OF DIK AND MOVG E AT GOOD
CLIP. LOOK FOR TSTRMS TO FIRE IN CNTRL ND AND MOV NE INTO ERN ND LATE
AFTN AND INTO THE EVE. SHOULD BE A WARM HUMID NIGHT WITH HIGH DWPTS.
LITTLE COOLER FOR SAT AS TROF/WND SHFT WL MOV INTO ERN ND BY SAT
MORN. MID LVL CLD DECK EXPECTED TO HOLD TEMPS DOWN FOR SAT.

.EXTENDED...MODELS ADVERTISING A RETURN TO A ZONAL MORE PROGRESSIVE
PATTERN BY TUESDAY. H850 TEMPS COOL DOWN TO NEAR 10C FOR MONDAY...AND
RECOVER INTO THE TEENS THEREAFTER. THIS WILL RESULT IN TEMPS BELOW
NORMAL ON MON...AND NEAR NORMAL FOR TUE/WED. SURFACE HIGH WILL CREST
OVER FA ON MONDAY...WITH SEVERAL SHORTWAVES AND COOL AIR ALOFT TO SPELL
UNSETTLED WEATHER FOR TUE/WED. WILL INTRODUCE SHOWERS/T-STORMS PFOR
TUE/WED AND KEEP MONDAY DRY.

.FGF...SVR TSRA WATCH #470 TIL 10 PM CDT.
HOPPES/DK

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 25, 1:20 PM CDT, 4 hours 18 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052-053-252225-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
120 PM CDT FRI JUN 25 1999

SYNOPSIS...A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK IS LIKELY OVER
PORTIONS OF EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

A STRONG WARM FRONT WILL MOVE TOWARD THE CANADIAN BORDER BY LATE
AFTERNOON.  MEANWHILE A FAST MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP
OVER CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AND TRACK ALONG THIS WARM FRONT TONIGHT.
STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOST LIKELY OVER NORTHERN NORTH
DAKOTA...WITH A LESSER THREAT ACROSS SOUTHERN NORTH DAKOTA AND
NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

AREA OF CONCERN...A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED
NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM CARRINGTON TO GRAND FORKS TO HALLOCK.  A
SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER EXISTS TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF THIS
AREA.

TIME...5 PM UNTIL MIDNIGHT.

TYPE OF HAZARD...ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE MODERATE
RISK AREA. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE
ENTIRE RISK AREA.  HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO A THREAT.
Special weather statement, Jun 25, 1:20 PM CDT, 4 hours 18 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052-053-252225-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
120 PM CDT FRI JUN 25 1999

SYNOPSIS...A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK IS LIKELY OVER
PORTIONS OF EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

A STRONG WARM FRONT WILL MOVE TOWARD THE CANADIAN BORDER BY LATE
AFTERNOON.  MEANWHILE A FAST MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DEVELOP
OVER CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AND TRACK ALONG THIS WARM FRONT TONIGHT.
STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOST LIKELY OVER NORTHERN NORTH
DAKOTA...WITH A LESSER THREAT ACROSS SOUTHERN NORTH DAKOTA AND
NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

AREA OF CONCERN...A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED
NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM CARRINGTON TO GRAND FORKS TO HALLOCK.  A
SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER EXISTS TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF THIS
AREA.

TIME...5 PM UNTIL MIDNIGHT.

TYPE OF HAZARD...ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE MODERATE
RISK AREA. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE
ENTIRE RISK AREA.  HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO A THREAT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 25, 4:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFKittson32 min
Jun 25, 5:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRoseau33 min
Jun 25, 5:23 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFRoseau32 min
Jun 25, 5:53 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFGFRoseau3 hr
Jun 25, 6:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRoseau34 min
Jun 25, 6:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFLake of the Woods34 min
Jun 25, 6:28 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFRoseau32 min
Jun 25, 6:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFLake of the Woods33 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.