Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 209, NWS Grand Forks, ND

August 11, 2002Grant County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 11, 2002, 11:15 PM CDT for Grant County, Minnesota. It was in force for 45 min. 2 reports 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, 11:15 PM CDT (04:15 UTC)
Expired
Aug 12, 2002, 12:00 AM CDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Grant County, MN

The radar

The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 184 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:18 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 11, 11:30 PM CDTHail 1Donnelly, MN
Aug 11, 11:30 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52 EDonnelly, MNAbout 25 trees downed.

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, 7:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 00:00Z, 4.3 hours before the alert went out and 206 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°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.

715 
WUUS53 KFGF 120415
SVRFAR
MNC051-120500-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
1115 PM CDT SUN AUG 11 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  SOUTHERN GRANT COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA.

* UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT.

* AT 1110 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES SOUTH OF HERMAN...OR ABOUT 38 MILES
  SOUTH OF FERGUS FALLS...MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...

  BARRETT AT 1130 PM.

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

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT MONDAY
MORNING FOR NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA AND SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA. A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT
MONDAY MORNING FOR WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA.
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM
SUNDAY EVENING FOR NORTHWEST MINNESOTA AND EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA.

LAT...LON 4575 9628 4562 9609 4588 9579 4595 9601


30
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, 8:15 PM CDT, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 11, 8:15 PM CDT, 3 hours before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
815 PM CDT SUN AUG 11 2002

...SEVERE WEATHER THREAT CONTINUES ALG THE RRV AND INTO WRN MN...

ANALYSIS/NEAR TERM...DISCUSSION IS ABBREVIATED DUE TO ONGOING SEVERE
WEATHER. SUPERCELL TSTMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALG A LINE FRM EXTREEM
NWRN MN INTO EXTREME SERN ND...AND SOUTHWARD INTO ERN SD. THE
PREFRONTAL LINE IS BEGINNING TO BOW FROM NERN NORMAN COUNTY TOWARDS
SRN BELTRAMI COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MN ATTM. WATCH BOX WAS EXTENDED
ACROSS MUCH OF NWRN MN THROUGH MIDNIGHT. ADDITIONAL SHOWER/TSTM
DEVELOPMENT IS STILL POSSIBLE LATER THIS EVENING IN ERN ND AS UPR
LVL DYNAMICS INCREASE. HOWEVER MUCH OF THIS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP INTO
WIDESPREAD RAIN AND PROGRESS ACROSS THE RRV INTO NWRN MN
OVERNIGHT.

.FGF...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR RRV AND NWRN AND WCNTRL MN
THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

GUST

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 11, 7:47 PM CDT, 3 hours 28 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
747 PM CDT SUN AUG 11 2002

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

0510 PM    5 S WARWICK               ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
08/11/02   BENSON

0515 PM    WARWICK                   ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/11/02   BENSON

0530 PM    3 S DOYON                 ND   .75 INCH HAIL
08/11/02   RAMSEY

0535 AM    14 E DEVILS LAKE          ND   .75 INCH HAIL
08/11/02   RAMSEY

0605 PM    1/2 NE LAWTON             ND   1.25 INCH HAIL
08/11/02   RAMSEY                         MIXED DIME TO HALF DOLLAR
                                          HAIL FELL FOR 10 MIN

0555 PM    7 WSW HANNAFORD           ND   60 MPH WIND GUST
08/11/02   GRIGGS                         WINDS OCCURRED FROM 555 PM
                                          TO 610 PM

0610 PM    6 SW FAIRDALE             ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
08/11/02   WALSH

0705 PM    DAVENPORT                 ND   65 MPH WIND GUST
08/11/02   CASS

0710 PM    ARGUSVILLE                ND   60 MPH WIND GUST
08/11/02   CASS                           REPORTED BY STATE PATROL

0715 AM    HENDRUM                   MN   60 MPH WIND GUST
08/11/02   NORMAN

0735 PM    GLYNDON                   MN   80 MPH WIND GUST
08/11/02   CLAY

KENNEDY
Local storm report, Aug 11, 9:07 PM CDT, 2 hours 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
907 PM CDT SUN AUG 11 2002

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

0845 PM    1 S BAGLEY                MN   TORNADO
08/11/02   CLEARWATER                     BRIEF TOUCHDOWN IN OPEN
                                          PASTURE

KENNEDY
Local storm report, Aug 11, 9:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
945 PM CDT SUN AUG 11 2002

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

0555 PM    6 SW LAKOTA               ND   1.25 INCH HAIL
08/11/02   NELSON

0510 PM    5 SW HAMAR                ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
08/11/02   EDDY

KENNEDY

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 11, 7:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFClay, Norman48 min
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 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.