Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 2001

Tornado Warning 30, NWS Grand Forks, ND

July 17, 2001Cass County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Jul 17, 2001, 6:59 PM CDT for Cass County, North Dakota. It was in force for 46 min. No storm report in the archive falls 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.

The facts

Issued
Jul 17, 2001, 6:59 PM CDT (23:59 UTC)
Expired
Jul 17, 2001, 7:45 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Cass County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 91 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:01 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 17, 2:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 12:00Z, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 229 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, Aberdeen, SD at 12:00Z on 2001-07-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1939 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, Aberdeen, SD at 12:00Z on 2001-07-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 95 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1939 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-189 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1392 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
95 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
112 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

565 
WFUS53 KFGF 172359
TORFAR
NDC017-180045-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND-GRAND FORKS
659 PM CDT TUE JUL 17 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...

  SOUTHEERN CASS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA.

* UNTIL 745 PM CDT.

* AT 656 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DAVENPORT...OR ABOUT 22 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF FARGO...MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...

  DAVENPORT AT 700 PM CDT AND
  HORACE AT 705 PM CDT.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO
ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A STURDY BUILDING.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT WEDNESDAY
MORNING FOR NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT
TUESDAY EVENING FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA.

LAT...LON 4677 9716 4666 9729 4665 9683 4681 9685


$$
DJK
08

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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 Jul 17, 2:30 PM CDT, 4 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 17, 2:30 PM CDT, 4 hours 29 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
230 PM CDT TUE JUL 17 2001

.OVERVIEW...
LATEST SFC MAP....MODELS DIFFER IN FIRST 24 HOURS...AND ARE SIMILAR
THEREAFTER. AVN TARGEST THE NORTHERN 1/3 OF FA OVERNIGHT FOR
CONVECTION...WITH ETA HITTING THE SOUTH THE HARDEST. I AM LEANING
TOWARDS THE ETA WITH A WARMFRONT SETTING UP ACROSS THE SOUTH...SO
WILL UTILIZE THIS PACKAGE.

.SHORT TERM...
PLENTY OF MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY CONTINUES OVER THE FA...WITH
CONVECTIVE AVAILABLE POTENTIAL ENERGY (CAPE) TO 4500 J/KG IN
SOUTH...TO AROUND 1500 IN NORTH WITH PRECIPITABLE WATERS TO AROUND
1.50-1.75 INCHES. PLENTY OF BOUNDARIES FROM RECENT CONVECTION...AND
DEVELOPING WARMFRONT IN SOUTH SHOULD PROVIDE FOCUS FOR DEEP MOIST
CONVECTION OVERNIGHT. 500 MB FLOW AROUND 40KT...WITH STRENGTHENING
850 MB LOW LEVEL JET OF AROUND 30KT IN SOUTH UNTIL 06Z. THIS SHOULD
LEAD TO THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS MOST OF AREA.
ANY STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL/DOWNBURST...WITH
ISOLATED TORNADOES NOT OUT OF QUESTIONS NORTH OF FRONT IN
SOUTH...WHERE ENERGY HELICITY INDEX/S OF AROUND 3. THIS IS HIGHLY
DEPENDENT ON DEVELOPING BOUNDARY...AND WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED
CLOSELY. NEXT CONCERN IS FLASH FLOODING...WITH POTENTIAL FOR
TRAINING ECHOES WITH FRONT BECOMING PARALLEL TO FRONT IN SOUTHERN
1/3 OF FA. WITH FFG GUIDANCE 1 HOUR VALUES OF 3 INCHES OR MORE IN
SOUTH...AND AREAL COVERAGE STILL IN QUESTION...WILL HOLD ON FFA FOR
NOW. EVENING CREW WILL HAVE TO MONITOR CONVECTIVE TRENDS IN
CONJUNCTION WITH BOUNDARY THOUGH. EXPECT FOG FORMATION AGAIN AFTER
MIDNIGHT...WITH WEAK SFC FLOW...AND TEMPS SIMILAR TO LAST NIGHT.

.LONG TERM...
SFC LOW LIFTS TO NEAR ABR AROUND 00Z THU...COUPLED WITH POTENT MID
LEVEL SHORTWAVE. CAPE NEAR 4500 IN SOUTHEAST ND AND SUFFICIENT
LIFT NEAR LOW SHOULD AGAIN PROVIDE FOCUS FOR AFTERNOON
CONVECTION...WITH BEST CHANCE IN SOUTH. WITH BOUNDARIES STILL
PRESENT AND AMPLE INSTABILITY ELSEWHERE...WILL CONTINUE SCATTERED
POP MENTION. TEMPS TO BE SIMILAR TO TODAY/S READINGS...AND BE IN
LOWER 90S SOUTH TO 85 NORTH. MCS IS POSSIBLE BY EVENING AS IT MOVES
INTO WEST CENTRAL MN ON HEELS OF 35KT LOW LEVEL JET...WITH FLASH
FLOODING ONCE AGAIN A POSSIBILITY. MORE STABLE AIR FILTER/S IN FOR
THU...ALONG WITH A WEAK SFC HIGH AND MINIMAL CAPE. SO WILL KEEP THU
DRY FOR NOW...WITH TEMPS SLIGHTLY COOLER WITH COOLING AT 850MB.

.EXTENDED...
LATEST MODEL TRENDS SHOW LITTLE OVERALL CHANGE IN THE MEAN 50H
PATTERN INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS DISTURBANCES RIDE NORTHEAST INTO THE
NRN PLAINS AROUND THE OKLAHOMA 50H HIGH.  RETURN FLOW WILL SET UP
FRIDAY AND AHEAD OF NEXT SYSTEM PROGGED FOR SATURDAY INTO EARLY
SUNDAY.  NOTICED 12Z AVN IS NOT NEARLY AS PROGRESSIVE WITH 50H
SYSTEM IN CANADA SAT-SUN TIME PERIOD AS WAS THE 00Z MRF.  THUS WILL
LIKELY NOT SEE THE COOLER AND DRIER AIRMASS FROM CANADA EARLY NEXT
AS ADVERTISED A FEW DAYS AGO.  THIS TYPE OF PATTERN HARD TO BREAK.

.FGF...NONE.

KELLENBENZ/RIDDLE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 17, 5:28 PM CDT, 1 hour 31 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA/GRAND FORKS
528 PM CDT TUE JUL 17 2001

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

0350 PM    7 W FINLEY                ND   2 INCH HAIL
07/17/01   GRIGGS

0400 PM    7 SW FINLEY               ND   2 INCH HAIL
07/17/01   STEELE                         GROUND WAS WHITE

0404 PM    4 E COOPERSTOWN           ND   1 INCH HAIL
07/17/01   GRIGGS

0405 PM    5 W FINLEY                ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/17/01   STEELE

0425 PM    3 N BEMIDJI               MN   1.5 INCH HAIL
07/17/01   BELTRAMI

0428 PM    3 S FINLEY                ND   1 INCH HAIL
07/17/01   STEELE

0435 PM    5 N HOPE                  ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/17/01   STEELE

0435 PM    3 S SALOL                 MN   1 INCH HAIL
07/17/01   ROSEAU

0440 PM    10 N GRYGLA               MN   .75 INCH HAIL
07/17/01   MARSHALL

0453 PM    4 W KELLIHER              MN   .75 INCH HAIL
07/17/01   BELTRAMI

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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 16, 9:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBenson, Eddy27 min
Jul 17, 3:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGriggs, Steele50 min
Jul 17, 4:04 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFGriggs, Steele26 min
Jul 17, 4:30 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFGriggs, Steele45 min
Jul 17, 4:31 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFGFGriggs, Steele4 hr
Jul 17, 4:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFTraill53 min
Jul 17, 5:16 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFTraill44 min
Jul 17, 5:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGriggs, Steele40 min
Jul 17, 5:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFCass42 min
Jul 17, 6:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFTraill42 min
Jul 17, 6:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFCass53 min
Jul 17, 6:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBarnes64 min
Jul 17, 6:19 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFCass26 min
Jul 17, 6:48 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFRichland42 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 2001Every tornado warning in 2001Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.