Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 8, NWS Grand Forks, ND

May 15, 2001Grand Forks County, Walsh County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 2001, 1:59 PM CDT for Grand Forks County, Walsh County, North Dakota. It was in force for 31 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 15, 2001, 1:59 PM CDT (18:59 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 2001, 2:30 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Whole counties

Counties Grand Forks County, ND, Walsh County, ND

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 15, 2:05 PM CDTHail 0.75Inkster, 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, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 279 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, Bismarck Municip, ND at 12:00Z on 2001-05-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 123 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Bismarck Municip, ND at 12:00Z on 2001-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 230 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
123 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-349 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2004 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
230 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
285 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WUUS53 KFGF 151900
SVRFAR
NDC035-099-151930-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND-GRAND FORKS
159 PM CDT TUE MAY 15 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN GRAND FORKS COUNTY IN NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...       
  EASTERN WALSH COUNTY IN NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...

* UNTIL 230 PM CDT

* AT 158 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTH OF FORDVILLE...OR ABOUT 27 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF GRAFTON...MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  FORDVILLE AT 205 PM CDT...
  CONWAY AT 210 PM CDT...
  PISEK AT 215 PM CDT...
  FOREST RIVER AT 220 PM CDT...

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

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 May 15, 10:27 AM CDT, 3 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 15, 10:27 AM CDT, 3 hours 32 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1027 AM CDT TUE MAY 15 2001

TSTMS MOVING THRU PORTIONS OF DVL REGION LATE THIS AM IN ASSOCIATION
WITH AREA OF DECENT SFC CONVERGENCE ALONG OCCLUDED FRONT EXTENDING
FROM TRIPLE POINT OVER S CENTRAL ND INTO SFC LOW OVER E CENTRAL
SASKATCHEWAN. THIS FORCING ENOUGH TO OVERCOME LIMITED MOISTURE ABOVE
THE BOUNDARY LAYER...WITH BEST MOISTURE AT 850 DEPICTED BY UPPER AIR
ANALYSIS OVER NE MN INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST. DRIEST CONDITIONS OVER
THE SRN ZONES PER UPPER AIR CHARTS...AND THIS REFLECTED WELL BY
MESOETA WHICH PLACES LOWEST SHOWALTER INDEX NUMBERS OVER THE NRN RED
RIVER VALLEY BY 18Z. WHILE LOWEST LI/S DEPICTED OVER THE SRN
VALLEY...STILL TOO WARM AT 7H IN THIS AREA UNTIL LATE AFTN WHEN COOL
FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE W. THUS BEST CHC FOR TSTMS TO BE OVER THE
NRN ZONES ALONG OCCLUDED BOUNDARY THIS AFTN...WHICH IS HANDLED WELL
BY ONGOING FORECASTS. NO CHANGES NEEDED IN THIS REGARD.

WHILE LOW CLOUDS RAPIDLY ERODING OVER THE E...INCREASING MID/HIGH
CLOUDS TO LIMIT INSOLATION...AS WELL AS SOME COOLING NOTED AT 850 MB
DURING THE AFTN. WlL NEED TO TRIM BACK TEMPS A LITTLE. NO OTHER BIG
CHANGES PLANNED WITH THIS UPDATE.

.FGF...NONE.

RJT

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 15, 1:11 PM CDT, 48 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-152000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
111 PM CDT TUE MAY 15 2001

...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS OVER NORTHWEST MINNESOTA FROM THE
RED RIVER AND EAST...

SYNOPSIS...AN UNSTABLE AIRMASS COMBINED WITH INCREASING LOW LEVEL
MOISTURE ACROSS EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA IS
SETTING THE STAGE FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON. ALL
OF THIS MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY IS POOLING AHEAD OF A LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM LOCATED OVER SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA AND A WARM FRONT
EXTENDING FROM THE LOW ACROSS WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA.

AREA OF CONCERN...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS FORECAST
ALONG AND EAST OF THE RED RIVER.

TIME...START AROUND 3 PM AND WILL DIMINISH BY 10 PM.

TYPE OF HAZARD...THE GREATEST THREAT IS LARGE HAIL...ALONG WITH
DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS OVER THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA. THERE IS
ALSO A VERY SLIGHT RISK OF A TORNADO ALONG AND NORTH OF THE WARM
FRONT IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA.

BRAZZELL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 15, 2:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGrand Forks45 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Dakota, 2001Every 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.