Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 159, NWS Grand Forks, ND

July 20, 2003Ransom County, Sargent County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 20, 2003, 2:48 AM CDT for Ransom County, Sargent County, North Dakota. It was in force for 42 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 20, 2003, 2:48 AM CDT (07:48 UTC)
Expired: Jul 20, 2003, 3:30 AM CDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Ransom County, ND, Sargent County, ND

The radar

The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 108 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:52 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 19, 11:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 00:00Z, 7.8 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2126 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -46 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2042 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 35 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 145 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 2.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

188 
WUUS53 KFGF 200748
SVRFGF
NDC073-081-200830-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
247 AM CDT SUN JUL 20 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  SOUTHWESTERN RANSOM COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA AND
  SARGENT COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA.

* UNTIL 330 AM CDT.

* AT 245 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES WEST OF ENGLEVALE...OR ABOUT 39 MILES
  SOUTH OF VALLEY CITY...MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...

  ENGLEVALE AT 250 AM...
  CRETE AT 255 AM...
  STIRUM AT 310 AM AND
  GWINNER AT 315 AM.

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

LAT...LON 4656 9798 4632 9826 4596 9751 4623 9729

$$

BERG

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 19, 8:45 PM CDT, 6 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 19, 8:45 PM CDT, 6 hours 3 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
845 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2003

.CURRENT OBSERVATIONAL OVERVIEW...
01Z MSAS ANALYSIS DEPICTED PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH FROM ARROWHEAD OF
MINNESOTA TO NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA WHILE PARENT COLD FRONT WAS
POISED FROM SOUTHERN MANITOBA TO NORTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA. LATEST
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATED SOUTHEAST PUNCHING SHORTWAVE TROUGH
AND ASSOCIATED 250MB 90KT JET MAX VICINITY OF SOUTHERN MANITOBA.
BOTH FEATURES WERE AIDING LARGE SCALE ASCENT AND RESULTANT
CONVECTION DEVELOPMENT IN TROPICAL AIRMASS ACROSS NORTHEAST
NORTH DAKOTA.

.FORECAST DETAILS...
CURRENT JUICY AIRMASS IN PLACE/UPPER LEVEL JET INTERACTION AHEAD
OF IMPENDING COLD FRONT SHOULD RESULT IN LINGERING CONVECTIVE
THREAT WITH SCATTERED SEVERE POTENTIAL THROUGH LATE EVENING.
BASED ON EXTRAPOLATION/TIMING OF FRONT WILL LINGER THUNDER THREAT
ACROSS FAR SOUTH AND EAST INTO THE MORNING HOURS. HOWEVER SOME
UNCERTAINTY EXITS WITH RESPECT TO INTENSITY/AREAL COVERAGE IN
THOSE LOCATIONS LATER TONIGHT. WILL UPDATE ZONES RE-EVALUATE
CONVECTIVE THREAT AS EVENING PROGRESSES AND BETTER CONVECTIVE
TRENDS ARE ESTABLISHED.

FGF...NONE.

BERG

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 19, 11:10 AM CDT, 15 hours 38 minutes before

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-191815-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
1110 AM CDT SAT JUL 19 2003

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 OVER EASTER
NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA BETWEEN 4 PM TODAY AND 3 AM
TONIGHT.

A WEAK TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE EAST INTO NORTHWESTERN
MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ALONG
THIS TROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING EAST OF THE RED
RIVER...WITH A FEW OF THESE POSSIBLY SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND
LARGE HAIL.  THERE IS ALSO A SMALL CHANCE FOR AN ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORM OVER EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA LATE THIS AFTERNOON OR
EVENING.

THERE IS A GREATER CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT ACROSS THE
REGION..A FEW OF THESE MAY BECOME SEVERE AS WELL WITH DAMAGING WINDS
AND LARGE HAIL.  A STRONGER FRONT WILL DROP SOUTHEAST OUT OF CANADA
AND INTO NORTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND ACROSS EASTERN
NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA OVERNIGHT.  THIS FRONT WILL
HAVE BETTER UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT AND IS EXPECTED TO GIVE A BETTER
CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY LINGER INTO SUNDAY MORNING ACROSS SOUTHEAST
NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA.  A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS
EXISTS AGAIN LATE THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED AFTER 4 PM TODAY AND THROUGH THE
EVENING.

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/FGF/INDEX.HTML (ALL LOWER CASE)

RIDDLE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 19, 8:57 PM CDT, 5 hours 51 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
857 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2003

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

0845 PM    6 W NORTHWOOD             ND   .75 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   GRAND FORKS

WJB

Local storm report, Jul 19, 9:17 PM CDT, 5 hours 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
917 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2003

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

0850 PM    9 ENE SHARON              ND   70 MPH TSTORM WIND
07/19/03   STEELE                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0900 PM    14 NE FINLEY              ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   STEELE                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

WJB

Local storm report, Jul 19, 9:41 PM CDT, 5 hours 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
941 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2003

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

0930 PM    3 1/2 E CLIFFORD          ND   1.50 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   TRAILL

LK

Local storm report, Jul 19, 10:05 PM CDT, 4 hours 43 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
1005 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2003

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

0930 PM    3 1/2 E CLIFFORD          ND   1.50 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   TRAILL

0945 PM    4 E GALESBURG             ND   .88 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   TRAILL

0955 PM    2 S HUNTER                ND   .88 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   CASS

LK

Local storm report, Jul 20, 12:52 AM CDT, 1 hour 56 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
1252 AM CDT SUN JUL 20 2003

...UPDATED STORM REPORT FOR 7/19/03...

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

0300 AM    3 W MADDOCK               ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   BENSON

1210 PM    LAKE ITASCA               MN   .75 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   CLEARWATER                     REPORTED BY CO-OP OBSERVER.

1215 PM    LAKE ITASCA               MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   CLEARWATER                     REPORTED BY LAKE ITASCA
                                          STATE PARK PERSONNEL.

1223 PM    GUTHRIE                   MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   HUBBARD

1240 PM    10 NE PARK RAPIDS         MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   HUBBARD

1240 PM    11 NE PARK RAPIDS         MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   HUBBARD

0105 PM    5 ENE NEVIS               MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   HUBBARD                        REPORTED BY TRAINED
                                          SPOTTER.

0150 PM    6 NW NEVIS                MN   .75 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   HUBBARD                        REPORTED BY TRAINED
                                          SPOTTER.

0215 PM    5 S PARK RAPIDS           MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   HUBBARD                        REPORTED BY TRAINED
                                          SPOTTER.

0300 PM    3 N OYLEN                 MN   .75 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   WADENA                         REPORTED BY TRAINED
                                          SPOTTER.

0610 PM    2 S WALES                 ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   CAVALIER

0620 PM    4 W DRESDEN               ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   CAVALIER

0630 PM    1 W LANGDON               ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   CAVALIER                       REPORTED BY STATE RADIO.

0645 PM    4 S LANGDON               ND   4.50 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   CAVALIER

0650 PM    4 N NEKOMA                ND   2.00 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   CAVALIER

0710 PM    FAIRDALE                  ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   WALSH                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0726 PM    EDMORE                    ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   RAMSEY

0732 PM    2 N LAWTON                ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   RAMSEY

0738 PM    8 S ADAMS                 ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   WALSH

0740 PM    9 SW LANKIN               ND   1.50 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   WALSH

0750 PM    4 N BROCKET               ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   RAMSEY

0750 PM    15 S ADAMS                ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   WALSH

0755 PM    3 SE WHITMAN              ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   NELSON

0805 PM    3 NE PETERSBURG           ND   .88 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   NELSON                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0825 PM    3 S NIAGARA               ND   .75 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   GRAND FORKS

0830 PM    3.5 NW LOGAN CENTER       ND   .88 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   GRAND FORKS

0845 PM    6 W NORTHWOOD             ND   .75 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   GRAND FORKS

0850 PM    9 ENE SHARON              ND   70 MPH TSTORM WIND
07/19/03   STEELE                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0900 PM    14 NE FINLEY              ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   STEELE                         REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

0930 PM    3 1/2 E CLIFFORD          ND   1.50 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   TRAILL

0945 PM    4 E GALESBURG             ND   .88 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   TRAILL

0955 PM    2 S HUNTER                ND   .88 INCH HAIL
07/19/03   CASS

DONAVON

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 19, 7:29 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Nelson, Ramsey, Walsh	61 min
Jul 19, 8:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Grand Forks	66 min
Jul 19, 8:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Steele	56 min
Jul 19, 8:53 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Traill	37 min
Jul 19, 9:37 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Cass, Traill	38 min
Jul 19, 10:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Ramsey	45 min
Jul 19, 10:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Nelson	51 min
Jul 20, 4:13 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Sargent	47 min
Jul 20, 5:01 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Sargent	44 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Dakota, 2003 Every 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.