Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 123, NWS Bismarck, ND

July 31, 2002Oliver County, North Dakota

NWS Bismarck, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 31, 2002, 6:58 PM CDT for Oliver County, North Dakota. It was in force for 47 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Jul 31, 2002, 6:58 PM CDT (23:58 UTC)
Expired: Jul 31, 2002, 7:45 PM CDT
In force: 47 min
Issued by: NWS Bismarck, ND
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Oliver County, ND

The radar

The Bismarck radar (KBIS), 58 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:00 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, 7:15 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 52 E	Center, ND	Numerous reports by a NWS cooperative observer and newspaper of damage to buildings and downed power lines. Several crop fields wiped out by wind and hail.

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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 31, 3:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 12:00Z, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 61 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: 307 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -525 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1640 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 97 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 161 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 2.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

888 
WUUS53 KBIS 312358
SVRBIS
NDC065-010045-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
658 PM CDT WED JUL 31 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN OLIVER COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA

* UNTIL 745 PM CDT

* AT 658 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER CENTER...OR ABOUT 33 MILES NORTHWEST OF
  BISMARCK...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  FORT CLARK AT 720 PM CDT
  HENSLER...SANGER AT 735 PM CDT

LARGE HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. IF YOU ARE IN THE 
PATH OF THE STORM...PUT YOUR CAR IN A GARAGE AND MOVE TO A SUBSTANTIAL 
SHELTER.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT
WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR NORTH DAKOTA.

LAT...LON 4715 10150 4699 10139 4699 10094 4728 10102
          4724 10123 4723 10138
TWH

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 Bismarck, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 31, 3:00 PM CDT, 3 hours 58 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 3:00 PM CDT, 3 hours 58 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
300 PM CDT WED JUL 31 2002

A COLD UPPER TROUGH WILL SWING THROUGH THE STATE OVERNIGHT...WITH
ITS ASSOCIATED SURFACE COLD FRONT SETTING OFF SOME THUNDERSTORMS. ON
THURSDAY I EXPECT A BROKEN CU DECK TO FORM IN THE NORTH AND A
SCATTERED ONE IN THE SOUTH AS THE COLD SURFACE HIGH BEARS DOWN ON
THE STATE. WE SHOULD SEE LOWS IN THE 40S THURSDAY NIGHT...WITH A
WARM UP BEGINNING ON FRIDAY.

IN THE LONGER TERM...A QUASI STATIONARY LONG WAVE TROUGH ON THE WEST
COAST WILL SET THE STAGE FOR AN ACTIVE PERIOD OF WEATHER STARTING
SATURDAY...AND CONTINUING THROUGH FRIDAY OF NEXT WEEK. THIS EXPECTED
PATTERN WILL FEATURE A PERSISTENT EAST/WEST BOUNDARY OVER SOUTH
DAKOTA. THIS HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN A GOOD MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING
THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTH DAKOTA.

.BIS...NONE.
RSL

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 31, 4:57 PM CDT, 2 hours 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND

457 PM CDT WED JUL 31 2002

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

           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0430 PM    4 W BANTRY                ND   1 INCH HAIL

07/31/02   MCHENRY                        REPORTED BY STORM

                                          SPOTTER. NICKEL TO

                                          QUARTER SIZE HAIL.

Local storm report, Jul 31, 5:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND

530 PM CDT WED JUL 31 2002

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

           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0510 PM    11 N MAX                  ND   60 MPH TSTM GUST

07/31/02   WARD                           REPORTED BY HAM RADIO

                                          OPERATOR.

0524 PM    RUGBY                     ND   .75 INCH HAIL

07/31/02   PIERCE                         REPORTED BY LAW

                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

                                          DIME SIZE HAIL.

Local storm report, Jul 31, 6:24 PM CDT, 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND

624 PM CDT WED JUL 31 2002

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

           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0515 PM    15 S MINOT                ND   60 MPH TSTM GUST

07/31/02   WARD                           REPORTED BY STORM

                                          SPOTTER. 60 MPH GUSTS

                                          AND .25 HAIL.

0535 PM    RUGBY                     ND   1 INCH HAIL

07/31/02   PIERCE                         REPORTED BY EMERGENCY

                                          MANAGEMENT.

0536 PM    4 NE RUGBY                ND   1.75 INCH HAIL

07/31/02   PIERCE                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0605 PM    15 W GARRISON             ND   .75 INCH HAIL

07/31/02   MCLEAN                         REPORTED BY COOPERATIVE

                                          OBSERVER.

0615 PM    3 E (MIB)MINOT AFB        ND   WIND DAMAGE

07/31/02   WARD                           REPORTED BY HAM RADIO

                                          OPERATOR. 6  BRANCHES

                                          DOWN, AND A GUSTY WIND

                                          SHOOK THE HOUSE.

Local storm report, Jul 31, 6:44 PM CDT, 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT ...CORRECTED 615 REPORT...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND

644 PM CDT WED JUL 31 2002

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

           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0515 PM    15 S MINOT                ND   60 MPH TSTM GUST

07/31/02   WARD                           REPORTED BY STORM

                                          SPOTTER. 60 MPH GUSTS

                                          AND .25 HAIL.

0535 PM    RUGBY                     ND   1 INCH HAIL

07/31/02   PIERCE                         REPORTED BY EMERGENCY

                                          MANAGEMENT.

0536 PM    4 NE RUGBY                ND   1.75 INCH HAIL

07/31/02   PIERCE                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0605 PM    15 W GARRISON             ND   .75 INCH HAIL

07/31/02   MCLEAN                         REPORTED BY COOPERATIVE

                                          OBSERVER.

0615 PM    13 SSE MINOT              ND   WIND DAMAGE

07/31/02   WARD                           REPORTED BY HAM RADIO

                                          OPERATOR. 6  BRANCHES

                                          DOWN, AND A GUSTY WIND

                                          SHOOK THE HOUSE.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 30, 10:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Adams	58 min
Jul 30, 11:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Golden Valley, McKenzie	64 min
Jul 31, 12:08 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Sioux	67 min
Jul 31, 2:28 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Morton, Stark	47 min
Jul 31, 3:29 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Morton	61 min
Jul 31, 4:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McHenry	58 min
Jul 31, 5:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Pierce	67 min
Jul 31, 5:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Ward	50 min
Jul 31, 5:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McLean	65 min
Jul 31, 6:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McHenry, Ward	58 min
Jul 31, 6:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Pierce	45 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Dakota, 2002 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

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.