Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 229, NWS Grand Forks, ND

August 16, 2002Clay County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 16, 2002, 10:29 PM CDT for Clay County, Minnesota. It was in force for 46 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 16, 2002, 10:29 PM CDT (03:29 UTC)
Expired
Aug 16, 2002, 11:15 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Clay County, MN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 16, 10:45 PM CDTThunderstorm WindMoorhead, MNTrees were blown down, some fell across roads.

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 16, 6:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr
Aug 16, 10:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 00:00Z, 3.5 hours before the alert went out and 266 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 2002-08-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 134 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 2002-08-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 272 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
134 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-501 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
802 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
66 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
272 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
424 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

072 
WUUS53 KFGF 170329
SVRFAR
MNC027-170415-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
1029 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  CLAY COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

* UNTIL 1115 PM CDT.

* AT 1024 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THE
  LEADING EDGE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 21
  MILES NORTH OF FARGO TO 17 MILES SOUTH OF FARGO...MOVEMENT WAS TO
  THE EAST AT 50 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR...

  GLYNDON AT 1030 PM...
  DOWNER AT 1035 PM AND
  MUSKODA AT 1040 PM.

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

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 AM SATURDAY 
MORNING FOR NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA AND SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA.

LAT...LON 4713 9680 4666 9672 4667 9628 4711 9636


7

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 16, 8:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 16, 8:45 PM CDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
845 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 2002

TWO CHALLENGES REMAIN FOR THIS EVENING...FIRST IS CONVECTION AND THE
SECOND IS WIND. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR
SOUTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE FA UNTIL MIDNIGHT. AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS
THE BEST THREAT MAY BE SHIFTING FURTHER SOUTH...WITH MORE WIDESPREAD
SHOWER/WEAKER TSTORM ACTIVITY FOR THIS AREA. STILL SOME BOUNDARIES
APPARENT ON THE KMVX 88D THAT MAY INTERSECT AND PROVIDE SOME SEVERE
WEATHER. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR BUT EXPECT LITTLE CHANGE TO
THUNDER WORDING IN ZONES. HIGH WIND WATCH ALSO LEFT OVER FROM DAY
SHIFT. APPEARS THAT BEST SFC PRESSURE GRADIENT IS OVER SOUTHWEST ND.
SEEING QUITE A FEW GUSTS IN THAT AREA OVER 50 KNOTS. 12Z/18Z MODEL
RUNS NOT HANDLING THE SFC LOW TRACK VERY WELL. MSAS 3 HOUR PRESSURE
FALLS STILL BEST EAST OF THE LOW (NOT NORTHEAST). THIS FURTHER
SOUTHWARD TRACK WOULD FAVOR A FURTHER SOUTHWARD PUSH OF THE
STRONGEST WINDS. THE EARLIER MODEL RUNS ALSO SHOW BEST PUSH OF COLD
ADVECTION OVER THE FA FROM 06Z-12Z WHICH CORRESPONDS TO THE COLD
FRONTAL PASSAGE. AVN LOOKS TO BE DOING A SLIGHTLY BETTER JOB SHOWING
THE BEST 850 MB WIND SURGE FROM WESTERN ND AND SOUTHEAST UNTIL
06Z...THEN THE AVN IS WEAKER ON 850 MB WIND SPEEDS AFTER 12Z THAN
THE ETA. WILL THEREFORE GO WITH A WIND ADVISORY FOR THE ENTIRE FA
FOR LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY.

.FGF...WIND ADVISORY FOR LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY ENTIRE FA.

GODON

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 16, 9:57 PM CDT, 32 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
957 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 2002

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

0905 PM    5 E GRANDIN               ND   .75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02   CASS

0930 PM    9 NE ADA                  MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02   NORMAN

PVB
Local storm report, Aug 16, 10:08 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
1008 PM CDT FRI AUG 16 2002

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

0940 PM    4 E KATHRYN               ND   .75 INCH HAIL
08/16/02   BARNES

PVB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 16, 9:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFNorman29 min
Aug 16, 9:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPolk50 min
Aug 16, 9:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFMahnomen, Norman46 min
Aug 16, 9:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFOtter Tail44 min
Aug 16, 10:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFWilkin41 min
Aug 16, 10:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBecker41 min
Aug 16, 10:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFOtter Tail52 min
Aug 16, 11:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFHubbard50 min
Aug 16, 11:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBecker30 min
Aug 16, 11:55 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFOtter Tail50 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.