Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 118, NWS Grand Forks, ND

July 13, 2003Eddy County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 13, 2003, 7:41 PM CDT for Eddy County, North Dakota. It was in force for 49 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
Jul 13, 2003, 7:41 PM CDT (00:41 UTC)
Expired
Jul 13, 2003, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Eddy County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 134 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:43 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 13, 3:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 165 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, Bismarck Municip, ND at 00:00Z on 2003-07-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2630 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, Bismarck Municip, ND at 00:00Z on 2003-07-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 151 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
2630 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-115 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2407 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
151 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
195 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

008 
WUUS53 KFGF 140041
SVRFGF
NDC027-140130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
740 PM CDT SUN JUL 13 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  EDDY COUNTY IN NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA.

* UNTIL 830 PM CDT.

* AT 738 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES WEST OF SHEYENNE...OR ABOUT 31 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF DEVILS LAKE...MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...

  NEW ROCKFORD AT 755 PM AND
  SHEYENNE AT 755 PM.

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

LAT...LON 4784 9941 4771 9946 4761 9857 4781 9856

$$

DONAVON

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 Jul 13, 3:30 PM CDT, 4 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 13, 3:30 PM CDT, 4 hours 11 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
330 PM CDT SUN JUL 13 2003

.SHORT TERM...
WATER VAPOR LOOP SHOWS SHORT WAVE OVER SOUTHERN MANITOBA WITH
CONVECTION THAT HAS MOVED OUT OF SOUTHEAST MANITOBA AND INTO THE
NORTHEAST ZONES. RIDGE AXIS WAS OVER SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN AND EASTERN
MT. SECONARY AXIS WAS OVER EASTERN DAKOTAS. SHORT WAVE TO THE NORTH
WAS KNOCKING RIDGE DOWN. SAME THEME WILL OCCUR TONIGHT WITH WAVE
OVER NORTHERN ID WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN ND BY 12Z MON. WAVE THEN
DIGS MONDAY AFTER MOVING TO OUR EAST. THETA-E RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN
DAKOTAS MOVES OVER THE CWFA BY MORNING. EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS ALONG
THE THETA-E RIDGE. PRECIPITABLE WATERS RISE TO 1.5 INCHES THIS
AFTERNOON AND TO 1.8 INCHES BY MORNING. 700 HPA TEMPERATURES
PROVIDING A REASONABLE CAP ACROSS THE REGION BUT LOWERS OVERNIGHT
FROM THE NORTHWEST. 88D SHOWING THUNDER NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL
ND MOVING EAST. 110 KT UPPER JET PUNCHES INTO THE REGION MONDAY
AFTERNOON. 850 HPA DEWPOINTS REMAIN AROUND 10-12C IN THE EASTERN
ZONES.  LOW LEVEL JET OVER EASTERN SD IN THE MORNING. ANOTHER WEAK
LOW LEVEL JET OVER THE WESTERN DAKOTAS IN RESPONSE TO APPROACHING
UPPER JET. WILL UP THREAT OF THUNDER TONIGHT AND MONDAY. LOCALLY
HEAVY WILL BE POSSIBLE HOWEVER THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE
PROGRESSIVE AT A MODEST SPEED.

EXTENDED...OPERATIONAL GFS IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER MODELS AND FROM
ITS ENSEMBLE REGARDING THE UPPER LOW CENTERED OVER SASK ON THU. BUT
12Z GFS RUN DID SLOW IT DOWN AND PUSH FARTHER NORTHWARD...MORE IN
THE DIRECTION OF OTHER MODEL SOLUTIONS. GFS APPEARS TO BE HAVING A
TOUGH TIME ALLOWING THE WESTERN U.S. RIDGE TO BUILD ONTO CANADIAN
ROCKY MOUNTAINS IN SPITE OF PLACING RATHER STRONG TROUGHS OVER GULF
OF ALASKA AND OVER EASTERN N.A...SO KEPT TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES
HIGHER THAN MEX GUIDANCE THROUGH THE PERIOD. EUROPEAN MODEL MAY BE
HAVING A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH THE SHORTWAVE IN B.C. BY 12Z SAT. GFS
PLACEMENT OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY LOOKS DECENT ANYWAY AND USED IT
THROUGH SUNDAY.

.FGF...NONE.

HOPPES/GV
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 13, 6:32 AM CDT, 13 hours 9 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-131430-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
632 AM CDT SUN JUL 13 2003

...SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP LATE TODAY AND
TONIGHT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA...WEST
CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AFTER 4 PM
THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE DEVILS LAKE REGION AND THE FAR NORTHERN
PORTION OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY.  THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE IS EXPECTED
TO INCREASE AND SPREAD OVER THE REST OF THE REGION AFTER 7 PM.  THE
THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL THEN CONTINUE INTO MUCH OF THE NIGHT.
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE THE MAIN THREATS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL FORM IN A VERY WARM AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS
TODAY AHEAD OF A WEAK COLD FRONT THAT WILL EXTEND FROM NEAR WINNIPEG
TO MINOT TO DICKINSON LATE THIS AFTERNOON.  THE FRONT WILL MOVE EAST
ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY
A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO MONDAY...BUT NO SEVERE
WEATHER IS EXPECTED.  THE NEXT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL COME
THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED AFTER 4 PM TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT.

RIDDLE

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 13, 8:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFEddy43 min
Jul 13, 8:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGriggs, Nelson44 min
Jul 13, 9:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFSteele63 min
Jul 13, 9:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGrand Forks36 min
Jul 13, 9:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFTraill53 min
Jul 14, 5:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFWalsh55 min
Jul 14, 5:51 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGrand Forks, Nelson39 min
Jul 14, 5:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFSteele, Traill62 min
Jul 14, 2:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFCavalier, Towner46 min
Jul 14, 2:54 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFPembina66 min
Jul 14, 4:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPembina45 min
Jul 14, 4:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRamsey44 min
Jul 14, 4:26 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFCavalier34 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Dakota, 2003Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2003

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.