Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2001

Tornado Warning 62, NWS Grand Forks, ND

August 8, 2001Clearwater County, Polk County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Aug 8, 2001, 9:47 PM CDT for Clearwater County, Polk County, Minnesota. It was in force for 28 min. 3 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
Aug 8, 2001, 9:47 PM CDT (02:47 UTC)
Expired
Aug 8, 2001, 10:15 PM CDT
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Clearwater County, MN, Polk County, MN

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 140 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:50 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
Aug 8, 9:58 PM CDTThunderstorm WindTrail, MNMany trees were blown down.
Aug 8, 10:05 PM CDTTornado F1Gully, MNAn auto repair shop had its roof torn off. Many trees were uprooted, falling on signs, powerlines, homes, and garages. Several grain bins were destroyed.
Aug 8, 10:05 PM CDTThunderstorm WindGully, MN36 oak and ash trees were uprooted.

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
Aug 8, 6:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr
Aug 8, 9:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 00:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 182 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 00:00Z on 2001-08-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1405 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, International Fa, MN at 00:00Z on 2001-08-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 50 square meters per square second.1939587897117136156175Sfc1 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
1405 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-81 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1530 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
50 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-17 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
3.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

480 
WFUS53 KFGF 090247
TORFAR
MNC029-119-090315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND-GRAND FORKS
947 PM CDT WED AUG 8 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...

  NORTHERN CLEARWATER COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA AND   
  EAST CENTRAL POLK COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

* UNTIL 1015 PM CDT.

* AT 945 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  TORNADO 10 MILES WEST OF BERNER...OR ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
  THIEF RIVER FALLS...MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 50 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...

  BERNER AT 955 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 1100 PM CDT WEDNESDAY EVENING
FOR NORTHWEST MINNESOTA AND EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 200 AM CDT
THURSDAY MORNING FOR NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA AND SOUTHEAST NORTH
DAKOTA.

LAT...LON 4795 9570 4776 9572 4778 9522 4795 9532


$$

7

NNNN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 8, 7:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFMarshall46 min
Aug 8, 8:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFKittson, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, Roseau57 min
Aug 8, 8:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRed Lake57 min
Aug 8, 8:47 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFGFPolk6 hr
Aug 8, 9:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFNorman42 min
Aug 8, 9:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFClearwater, Mahnomen, Polk65 min
Aug 8, 9:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBeltrami, Marshall, Pennington, Red Lake65 min
Aug 8, 9:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFLake of the Woods42 min
Aug 8, 9:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFClay64 min
Aug 8, 9:40 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFGFNorman6 hr
Aug 8, 9:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFWilkin44 min
Aug 8, 10:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBecker, Beltrami, Hubbard60 min
Aug 8, 10:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFClearwater, Mahnomen47 min
Aug 8, 10:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFOtter Tail, Wadena53 min
Aug 8, 11:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFHubbard30 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.