Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 161, NWS Grand Forks, ND

July 20, 2003Sargent County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 20, 2003, 5:01 AM CDT for Sargent County, North Dakota. It was in force for 44 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, 5:01 AM CDT (10:01 UTC)
Expired: Jul 20, 2003, 5:45 AM CDT
In force: 44 min
Issued by: NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Sargent County, ND

The radar

The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:02 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 20, 3:05 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 00:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 122 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.

000 
WUUS53 KFGF 201001
SVRFGF
NDC081-201045-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  SOUTHWESTERN SARGENT COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA.

* UNTIL 545 AM CDT.

* AT 456 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES WEST OF STRAUBVILLE...OR ABOUT 63 MILES
  SOUTH OF VALLEY CITY...MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR
   STRAUBVILLE AT 505 AM.

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

LAT...LON 4610 9797 4597 9814 4565 9768 4581 9747

$$
8

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 20, 3:36 AM CDT, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 20, 3:36 AM CDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
336 AM CDT SUN JUL 20 2003

...DISCUSSION DELAYED DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER...

.OBSERVATIONAL OVERVIEW...08Z SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SHOWING FRONT HAS
MOVED THROUGH APPROXIMATELY THE NORTHERN 2/3 OF THE FORECAST AREA.
BOUNDARY IS MORE OF A DEWPOINT DISCONTINUITY THAN AN ACTUAL FRONT.
ELEVATED TSRA CONTINUING TO FORM GENERALLY SOUTH OF A MOT-GFK LINE.

.SHORT TERM...WENT WITH ETA FOR GENERAL DETAILS. 250 MB JET AXIS TO
BISECT THE FORECAST AREA TODAY. 500 MB COLD POOL OF -16C AIR TO MOVE
ACROSS THE NORTHEAST PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA. SURFACE CONVECTIVE
TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 70S IN THE
NORTHEAST TO THE LOWER 80S IN THE SOUTH. ANTICIPATED HIGH
TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA SHOULD REACH THESE VALUES. RESIDUAL
CAPE ACROSS THE FAR SOUTH AND EAST WILL ALLOW TSRA THREAT TO
CONTINUE INTO THE MORNING HOURS. SHRA ACTIVITY EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP
DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON AS DAYTIME HEATING AND UPPER LEVEL
DYNAMICS CREATE A FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT.

.MID TERM...NO CHANGES ATTM.

.EXTENDED...NO CHANGES ATTM.

FGF...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #769 UNTIL 7 AM GENERALLY SOUTH OF A
VALLEY CITY...FARGO...DETROIT LAKES LINE.

BRAMER

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 19, 11:10 AM CDT, 17 hours 51 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 20, 12:52 AM CDT, 4 hours 9 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, 2:48 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Ransom, Sargent	42 min
Jul 20, 4:13 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Sargent	47 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.