Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 204, NWS Grand Forks, ND

August 11, 2002Clay County, Norman County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 11, 2002, 7:12 PM CDT for Clay County, Norman County, Minnesota. It was in force for 48 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
Aug 11, 2002, 7:12 PM CDT (00:12 UTC)
Expired
Aug 11, 2002, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Clay County, MN, Norman County, MN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 11, 7:35 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 70 EGlyndon, 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.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Aug 11, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 287 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 00:00Z on 2002-08-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2317 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 00:00Z on 2002-08-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 115 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
2317 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-146 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2063 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
115 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
92 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

008 
WUUS53 KFGF 120012
SVRFAR
MNC027-107-120100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
711 PM CDT SUN AUG 11 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  CLAY COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA AND
  NORMAN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT.

* AT 705 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THE
  LEADING EDGE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 32
  MILES SOUTH OF GRAND FORKS TO 12 MILES SOUTH OF FARGO...MOVEMENT
  WAS TO THE EAST AT 45 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...

  MOORHEAD AT 715 PM...
  SABIN AT 720 PM...
  ADA AT 725 PM AND
  HITTERDAL AT 745 PM.

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

LAT...LON 4745 9681 4666 9673 4672 9624 4746 9624


DTR

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 Aug 11, 3:15 PM CDT, 3 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 11, 3:15 PM CDT, 3 hours 57 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
315 PM CDT SUN AUG 11 2002

...FCST CHALLENGE IS SEVERE WEATHER THREAT THROUGH THIS EVENING...

ANALYSIS/NEAR TERM...DISCUSSION IS ABBREVIATED DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER
THREAT. SUPERCELL TSTMS DEVELOPING QUICKLY AHEAD OF A DEEPENING LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM IN SCNTRL ND...IN AREA OF LOW LVL MOISTURE
CONVERGENCE. STRENGTHENING 500MB (50KT PLUS) JET STREAK NOW ROUNDING
THE BASE OF THE 500MB TROF IN SOUTHWEST MT WILL PROVIDE INCREASING
DYNAMIC SUPPORT FOR STRONG TSTM DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION THROUGH
THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. SWOMCD PROJECTS POSSIBLE
SQUALL LINE DEVELOPMENT...LATE AFTERNOON IN ERN ND THEN EARLY
EVENING INTO WRN MN. SEVERE WATCH IN EFFECT ACROSS ERN ND ATTM. WILL
POSSIBLY NEED ADDN WATCH INTO WRN MN BY EARLY EVENING AS LINE
DEVELOPS.

MONDAY AND TUESDAY...COLD POOL ALOFT SHIFTS ACROSS THE NRN PLAINS ON
MONDAY WITH SHOWERS EXPECTED TO REDEVLOP BY MID AFTERNOON. UPPER LVL
TROUGH THEN ANCHORS OVR THE NRN PLAINS THROUGH THE MIDWEEK PERIOD
KEEPING AREA UNDER SEASONABLY COOLER FLOW NEXT WEAK IMPULSE INTO THE
AREA LATE AFTERNOON TUESDAY. SOME DRYING POSSIBLE BY LATE WEK PERIOD
THOUGH TEMPS REMAIN BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS.

.FGF...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR EASTERN ND THIS EVENING.

GUST

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 11, 7:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBecker, Clearwater, Mahnomen54 min
Aug 11, 7:56 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFMahnomen, Norman49 min
Aug 11, 8:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPolk23 min
Aug 11, 8:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBecker, Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard59 min
Aug 11, 8:53 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFBeltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard52 min
Aug 11, 9:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFOtter Tail, Wadena38 min
Aug 11, 11:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGrant45 min
Aug 12, 12:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFOtter Tail56 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 2002Every 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.