Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 222, NWS Grand Forks, ND

July 31, 2001Pennington County, Red Lake County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 31, 2001, 4:11 AM CDT for Pennington County, Red Lake County, Minnesota. It was in force for 34 min. 4 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Jul 31, 2001, 4:11 AM CDT (09:11 UTC)
Expired: Jul 31, 2001, 4:45 AM CDT
In force: 34 min
Issued by: NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area: Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Pennington County, MN, Red Lake County, MN

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 67 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:13 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jul 31, 4:20 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50 M	Crookston Muni Arpt, MN	A 58 mph wind gust was measured at the Crookston Airport.
Jul 31, 4:25 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Crookston, MN	Tree branches were blown down.
Jul 31, 4:25 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind	Gentilly, MN	Branches were blown down.
Jul 31, 4:30 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 52 E	Red Lake Falls, 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 nearest sounding before it

International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 00:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 256 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 304 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -540 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1483 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 88 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 254 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 
WUUS53 KFGF 310912
SVRFAR

MNC089-107-113-119-125-310945-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND-GRAND FORKS
411 AM CDT TUE JUL 31 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  SOUTH CENTRAL MARSHALL COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...
  NORTH CENTRAL NORMAN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...
  WESTERN PENNINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...
  POLK COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA AND
  WESTERN RED LAKE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

* UNTIL 445 AM CDT.

* AT 408 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THE
  LEADING EDGE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 11
  MILES NORTH OF GRAND FORKS TO 21 MILES EAST OF GRAND FORKS TO 38
  MILES NORTH OF FARGO...MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...

  BELTRAMI AT 415 AM...
  ANGUS AT 420 AM...
  FERTILE AT 425 AM AND
  MAPLE BAY AT 430 AM.

REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 AM TUESDAY
MORNING FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA.

LAT...LON 4807 9714 4779 9673 4735 9665 4759 9602
          4804 9609 4832 9649


$$
23

NNNN

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 Jul 31, 2:40 AM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 2:40 AM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
240 AM CDT TUE JUL 31 2001

FCST CONCERNS TODAY...SVR POTENTIAL AND HVY RAIN THREAT.

.SHORT TERM...
CURRENT FRONT LOCATED ACROSS NW MN TO SE ND THEN TO WRN SD...NR A
KROX-KGFK-KJMS-KMBG LINE.  VERY HIGH DEW PTS ALONG AND AHD OF FRONT
WITH 80 DEW PTS POOLING FROM FARGO TO WADENA/STAPLES.  MCS MOVING
INTO ERN ND EARLY THIS AM SHOULD CONTINUE TO TRACK NORTHEAST.  RUC
ANALYSIS AND VAD WIND PROFILES SHOW LOW LEVEL JET OF 40KTS OVER ERN
SD INTO SE ND AND MN...WITH FAVORABLE LEFT QUAD OVER ERN ND WHICH
SHOULD AID IN KEEPING ELEVATED CONVECTION GOING EARLY THIS MORNING.
OBVIOUSLY...ATMOS VERY JUICED UP WITH HVY RAIN A GOOD BET WITH ANY
STORMS THAT FORM TODAY AND THIS EVENING.  PWATS FROM ETA/MESOETA 2
TO 2.5 INCHES.  THUS WILL MAINTAIN FFA FOR ERN ND TODAY...BUT WILL
ALTER TIMING FOR NW MN TO THIS AFTN/EVE AS BEST CONVECTION NOT
EXPECTED IN ERN CWFA TIL LATE TODAY AND EARLY TONIGHT.  COORD WITH
MPX/DLH.

SFC MAP SHOWS WK SFC LOWS OVER SE WYOMING AND OVER NCNTRL SD.  BUT
MODELS DO AGREE THAT STRONG SHORT WAVE MOVING THRU MT/ALBERTA WILL
MOVE ENE AND HELP DEEPEN THE SFC LOW AS IT MOVES NORTHEAST INTO ERN
ND THIS AFTN.  FOCUS OF HVY RAIN SHOULD BE ALONG AND JUST NORTH OF
FRONT THIS MORNING...BUT THEN FOCUS WILL SHIFT INTO MN THIS
AFTN/EVENING AS LOW MOVES NORTHEAST AND DRAGS FRONT INTO VERY JUICED
ENVIRONMENT.  SVR THREAT MOSTLY THIS MORNING FOR ND...THEN VALLEY
EAST INTO MN LATER THIS AFTN/EVENING AS COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH.
STRONG DRY PUNCH AT 70H MOVES INTO MN BY 06Z WHICH MAY ENHANCE
SQUALL LINE POTENTIAL.

AS FOR TEMPS/WIND...GUSTY SOUTH WINDS AHD OF DEEPENING LOW IN WCNTRL
MN A GOOD BET SO WILL GO 20-30 MPH AND GUSTY IN ZFP THIS AFTN.
TEMPS WILL APPROACH 90 IN THAT AREA AS WELL...AND WITH HIGH DEW PTS
THIS WILL APPROACH HEAT ADVISORY CONDITIONS.  ATTM WILL NOT HEADLINE
FOR HEAT OR WIND ADVISORIES IN WCNTRL MN AS WANT TO FOCUS ON HVY
RAIN THREAT THIS AFTN/EVE.

.LONGER TERM...
SYSTEM TO MOVE EAST TONIGHT WITH CONVECTION EXITING MN CWFA AFTER
06Z.  THEN RELIEF WILL COME IN LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AS LOWER
DEW PTS OVERSPREAD THE AREA.  WITH SRN END OF 50H TROUGH SWINGING
ALONG INTERNATIONAL BORDER COULD BE SOME INSTABILITY SHOWERS FAR NE
ND AND NW MN.  ATTM WILL KEEP IT DRY AND LET LATER SHIFTS EVAULATE
THIS.

.EXTENDED...
NO CHANGES TO EXTENDED.  50H RIDGE RE-BUILDS IN MN THIS WEEEKEND
SETTING THE STAGE FOR A RETURN TO WARMER AND HUMID WEATHER THIS
WEEKEND.  POTENTIAL FOR SOME TSRA AS WELL ESPLY SUNDAY AS FRONT
TRIES TO ADVANCE EAST.

.FGF...FLASH FLOOD WATCH EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND THE RED RIVER
VALLEY TODAY AND NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.

RIDDLE

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 31, 4:11 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Norman, Polk	34 min
Jul 31, 4:11 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Marshall	34 min
Jul 31, 4:47 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Pennington, Polk, Red Lake	28 min
Jul 31, 4:47 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Beltrami, Kittson, Marshall, Roseau	28 min
Jul 31, 4:47 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Clearwater	28 min
Jul 31, 5:37 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Beltrami, Lake of the Woods	38 min
Jul 31, 11:21 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Polk	39 min
Jul 31, 11:57 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Pennington, Polk, Red Lake	48 min
Jul 31, 12:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Marshall	64 min
Jul 31, 12:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Pennington	32 min
Jul 31, 12:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Beltrami, Lake of the Woods	59 min
Jul 31, 1:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Pennington, Polk	25 min
Jul 31, 1:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Marshall	40 min
Jul 31, 1:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Lake of the Woods	31 min
Jul 31, 2:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Beltrami, Marshall	30 min
Jul 31, 4:35 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	FGF	Marshall	6 hr
Jul 31, 4:39 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	FGF	Polk	4 hr
Jul 31, 4:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Polk	51 min
Jul 31, 5:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Lake of the Woods, Roseau	44 min
Jul 31, 5:39 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Beltrami, Lake of the Woods	36 min
Jul 31, 6:05 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	FGF	Beltrami, Lake of the Woods, Marshall, Roseau	6 hr
Jul 31, 6:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Clay	32 min
Jul 31, 6:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Lake of the Woods	30 min
Jul 31, 6:23 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	FGF	Pennington, Polk, Red Lake	6 hr
Jul 31, 6:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Norman	36 min
Jul 31, 6:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Polk, Red Lake	36 min
Jul 31, 6:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Norman	32 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 2001 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2001

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.