Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 216, NWS Grand Forks, ND

August 14, 2002Grant County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 14, 2002, 9:44 PM CDT for Grant County, Minnesota. It was in force for 31 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 14, 2002, 9:44 PM CDT (02:44 UTC)
Expired
Aug 14, 2002, 10:15 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Grant County, MN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 14, 10:00 PM CDTHail 0.75Wendell, MN
Aug 14, 10:17 PM CDTHail 1.25Evansville, 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 nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 219 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2002-08-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 311 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2002-08-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 235 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
311 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-129 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1482 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
235 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
388 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

908 
WUUS53 KFGF 150244
SVRFAR
MNC051-150315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
944 PM CDT WED AUG 14 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  NORTHERN GRANT COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA.

* UNTIL 1015 PM CDT.

* AT 939 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF WENDELL...OR ABOUT 16
  MILES SOUTH OF FERGUS FALLS...MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...

  5 MILES NORTH OF ELBOW LAKE AT 945 PM AND
  ASHBY AT 955 PM.

IF SEVERE WEATHER IS OBSERVED CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND
ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR INFORMATION TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

LAT...LON 4610 9613 4596 9612 4597 9539 4608 9540


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 14, 8:45 PM CDT, 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 14, 8:45 PM CDT, 59 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
845 PM CDT WED AUG 14 2002

FCST CONCERNS IS THUNDRESTORM POTENTIAL OVERNIGHT.

LOW MOVING INTO NW ONTARIO WITH COLD FRONT FROM ROSEAU TO GRAND
FORKS TO BETWEEN JAMESTOWN AND FARGO.  THE FRONT HAS NOT MOVED MUCH
SINCE 22Z AWAITING ARRIVAL OF THE NEXT 50H VORT MOVING THRU MONTANA.
ISOLD SVR CELLS DEVELOPED ALONG FRONT IN NW MN WITH LOW 50 VILS
PRODUCING UP TO 2 INCH HAIL.

ANOTHER AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WAS OVER EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA WITH
WARM FRONT INTO SRN MINNESOTA.  AS ADVERTISED BY 12Z MODEL
RUNS...LATEST RUC AND SWOMCD 40-50KT 85H JET WILL DEVELOP OVERNIGHT
AND PROVIDE ENOUGH ELEVATED INSTABILITY IN COMBINATION WITH STRONG
50H WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH 50H VORT TO GENERATE ELEVATED TSRA
OVERNIGHT...WITH BEST CHANCE OVER CNTRL MN...CLIPPING OUR FAR SE
CWFA.  STILL TO EARLY TO TELL HOW WIDESPREAD THIS EVENT WILL BE.

MEANWHILE...MORE GENERAL SHOWERS AND ISOLD -TSRA WILL SPREAD THRU
CWFA OVERNIGHT AS WAVE PASSES THRU.

WILL CHECK OVER THE FCST TO SEE IF ANY FINE TUNING IS NEEDED.

.FGF...NONE.
RIDDLE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 14, 8:06 PM CDT, 1 hour 38 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
806 PM CDT WED AUG 14 2002

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

0750 PM    3 NE STRATHCONA           MN   2.00 INCH HAIL
08/14/02   ROSEAU
Local storm report, Aug 14, 8:35 PM CDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
835 PM CDT WED AUG 14 2002

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

0755 PM    8 NW GATZKE               MN   .88 INCH HAIL
08/14/02   MARSHALL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 14, 7:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRoseau52 min
Aug 14, 7:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFMarshall39 min
Aug 14, 8:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFLake of the Woods39 min
Aug 14, 9:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFLake of the Woods30 min
Aug 14, 9:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGrant35 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.