Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 29, NWS Grand Forks, ND

August 26, 2002Becker County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Aug 26, 2002, 7:58 PM CDT for Becker County, Minnesota. It was in force for 47 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 26, 2002, 7:58 PM CDT (00:58 UTC)
Expired
Aug 26, 2002, 8:45 PM CDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Becker County, MN

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 127 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:01 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 26, 8:15 PM CDTTornado F0Lake Park, MNThe tornado briefly touched down in an open field.

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.

The nearest sounding before it

International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 262 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 2002-08-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 643 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, International Fa, MN at 00:00Z on 2002-08-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 86 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
643 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-70 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1520 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
86 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
119 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.

708 
WFUS53 KFGF 270058
TORFAR
MNC005-270145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
758 PM CDT MON AUG 26 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...

  CENTRAL BECKER COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

* UNTIL 845 PM CDT.

* AT 756 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF LAKE
  PARK...OR ABOUT 18 MILES NORTHWEST OF DETROIT LAKES...MOVEMENT WAS
  TO THE EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...

  LAKE PARK AT 800 PM...
  AUDUBON AT 810 PM...
  WESTBURY AT 815 PM AND
  RICHWOOD AT 825 PM.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO
ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A STURDY BUILDING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM MONDAY
EVENING FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA.

LAT...LON 4704 9614 4684 9616 4683 9543 4708 9544


8

NNNN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 26, 7:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFLake of the Woods46 min
Aug 26, 7:38 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFClay52 min
Aug 26, 7:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBecker46 min
Aug 26, 8:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFOtter Tail51 min
Aug 26, 11:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPolk42 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes 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.