Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 248, NWS Grand Forks, ND

August 23, 2002Polk County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 23, 2002, 8:14 PM CDT for Polk County, Minnesota. It was in force for 46 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 23, 2002, 8:14 PM CDT (01:14 UTC)
Expired
Aug 23, 2002, 9:00 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Polk County, MN

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 55 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:17 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.

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

International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 273 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, International Fa, MN at 00:00Z on 2002-08-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 889 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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, International Fa, MN at 00:00Z on 2002-08-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 12 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
889 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1340 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
19 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

432 
WUUS53 KFGF 240114
SVRFAR
MNC119-240200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
815 PM CDT FRI AUG 23 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  WESTERN POLK COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

* UNTIL 900 PM CDT.

* AT 812 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF MALLORY...OR ABOUT 4
  MILES NORTHWEST OF GRAND FORKS...MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 30
  MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...

  MALLORY AT 830 PM...
  DAVIDSON AT 835 PM...
  KEY WEST AT 840 PM AND
  FISHER AT 845 PM.

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

LAT...LON 4805 9703 4777 9692 4763 9667 4797 9654


08

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 23, 1:09 PM CDT, 7 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 23, 1:09 PM CDT, 7 hours 5 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
109 PM CDT FRI AUG 23 2002

...FORECAST CHALLENGE WILL BE PRECIPITATION CHANCES OVERNIGHT...

.CURRENT OBSERVATIONS...
WEAK SURFACE FRONT LOCATED WELL NORTH OF THE BORDER AND IS SLOWLY
MOVING SOUTH. SHORT WAVE EVIDENT ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY ALONG AND
AHEAD OF FRONT. A FEW LIGHTNING STRIKES HAVE BEEN NOTED ALONG FRONT.
DEWPOINTS ACROSS AREA REMAIN IN THE MID 60S WITH ALL MODELS
UNDERDOING THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE.

.SHORT TERM...
MAIN CHALLENGE IS THUNDER OVERNIGHT. SOME LOW LEVEL MOISTURE PRESENT
BUT LIMITED ABOVE THIS LAYER. SOME WEAK SURFACE/850MB CONVERGENCE
AND INSTABILITY TONIGHT. WILL PUT ISOLATED MENTION ACROSS MUCH OF
THE FORECAST AREA(FA) WITH SLIGHTLY HIGHER POPS ACROSS NORTHWEST
MINNESOTA.

.MID TERM...
WEAK SURFACE HIGH WILL PUSH FRONT SOUTH OF FA ON SATURDAY AND WILL
KEEP PRECIPITATION OUT OF THE REGION UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT. BY SUNDAY
NIGHT...UPPER LEVEL LOW EJECTS OUT OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND INTO
THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS. SEVERAL WAVES EXPECTED TO ROTATE AROUND
SYSTEM AND WILL BRING CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TO THE RED RIVER
VALLEY AND AREAS WEST INTO MONDAY...HOWEVER MOISTURE WILL BE LIMITED
WITH A BLOCKING PATTERN TO THE SOUTH.

.EXTENDED FORECAST...
ECMWF IS ODD MODEL OUT IS SHOWING AMPLIFYING UPR LOW AND COLD AIR
DROPPING SOUTHEAST TOWARD NRN MN BY 12Z THU.  NCEP
ENSEMBLES/NOGAPS/MRF/CANADIAN ALL GO AGAINST THIS SHOWING MAIN POLAR
JET AND COLD AIR WELL NORTH ACROSS NRN CANADA WITH MUCH WEAKER 50H
SYSTEMS DROPPING THRU NRN PLAINS TUE-WED TIME FRAME.  CANADIAN AND
NOGAPS ARE EVEN WEAKER THAN THE MRF AND WOULD IMPLY ONLY SMALL
CHANCES OF PCPN TUE-WED VERSUS HEAVIER QPF OF MRF.  BELIEVE THIS MAY
BE RIGHT.  WILL HOWEVER STILL KEEP CHC IN PER CURRENT EXTENDED FOR
TUE-WED...THEN DRY THU-FRI AND STILL MILD WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPS.

.FGF...NONE
DONAVON/RIDDLE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 23, 6:40 PM CDT, 1 hour 34 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
640 PM CDT FRI AUG 23 2002

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

0635 PM    2 E MOUNTAIN              ND   2.00 INCH HAIL
08/23/02   PEMBINA                        REPORTED BY CO-OP
                                          OBSERVER.

DPORTER
Local storm report, Aug 23, 6:53 PM CDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
653 PM CDT FRI AUG 23 2002

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

0600 PM    2 NE CONCRETE             ND   .88 INCH HAIL
08/23/02   PEMBINA                        REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0615 PM    5 NW BISBEE               ND   .75 INCH HAIL
08/23/02   TOWNER                         HAIL FELL FOR 15 MINUTES

DPORTER
Local storm report, Aug 23, 6:56 PM CDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
656 PM CDT FRI AUG 23 2002

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

0650 PM    2 NW CRYSTAL              ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
08/23/02   PEMBINA                        REPORTED BY CO-OP
                                          OBSERVER.

DPORTER
Local storm report, Aug 23, 7:08 PM CDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
708 PM CDT FRI AUG 23 2002

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

0702 PM    HOOPLE                    ND   .75 INCH HAIL
08/23/02   WALSH                          REPORTED BY FIRE
                                          DEPARTMENT.

DPORTER
Local storm report, Aug 23, 7:23 PM CDT, 51 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
723 PM CDT FRI AUG 23 2002

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

0720 PM    HALLOCK                   MN   WIND DAMAGE
08/23/02   KITTSON                        3 INCH DIAMETER BRANCHES
                                          DOWN. SHINGLES BLOWN OFF
                                          COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS.
                                          ESTIMATED 60 MPH WINDS.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT.

DPORTER
Local storm report, Aug 23, 7:50 PM CDT, 24 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
750 PM CDT FRI AUG 23 2002

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

0721 PM    HALLOCK                   MN   WIND DAMAGE
08/23/02   KITTSON                        POWER POLES BUSTED...EIGHT
                                          INCH DIAMETER TREES
                                          DOWN...TWO ROOFS LIFTED.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT.

DPORTER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 23, 7:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFKittson48 min
Aug 23, 7:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRoseau47 min
Aug 23, 8:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFMarshall26 min
Aug 23, 9:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPennington45 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.