Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 178, NWS Grand Forks, ND

August 25, 2003Kittson County, Roseau County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 25, 2003, 6:00 PM CDT for Kittson County, Roseau County, Minnesota. It was in force for 45 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 25, 2003, 6:00 PM CDT (23:00 UTC)
Expired
Aug 25, 2003, 6:45 PM CDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Kittson County, MN, Roseau County, MN

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 171 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:02 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Aug 25, 5:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 225 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 12:00Z on 2003-08-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 2003-08-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 63 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2330 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
63 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
90 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.

000 
WUUS53 KFGF 252300
SVRFGF
MNC069-135-252345-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
600 PM CDT MON AUG 25 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

  NORTHEASTERN KITTSON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
  WESTERN ROSEAU COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 645 PM CDT.

* AT 557 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES SOUTH OF CARIBOU...OR ABOUT 31 MILES
  WEST OF ROSEAU...MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...

  HAUG AT 620 PM.

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

LAT...LON 4906 9645 4891 9660 4869 9616 4887 9598

$$
VOELKER/04

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 25, 3:10 PM CDT, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 25, 3:10 PM CDT, 2 hours 50 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
310 PM CDT MON AUG 25 2003

FCST CHALLENGE...TSTM AND SVR THREAT THIS EVENING...AND WED PM.

NEAR TERM/ANALYSIS...ISOLATED CONVECTION IS OCCURRING ALG AND EAST
OF THE SFC TROF FM SOUTHERN MB INTO EASTERN ND...TO THE SFC LOW
PRESSURE CENTER IN CENTRAL SD. INSTABILITY IS HIGH ACROSS THE ENTIRE
FORECAST AREA WITH SLIGHT CONVECTIVE INHIBITION ACROSS THE SOUTHERN
HALF OF THE RRV. MEANWHILE...STRONG STORM ARE DEVELOPING NORTH OF
THE CANAM BORDER WHERE ATMOSPHERE IS UNCAPPED. 18Z MESOETA NOW SHOWS
THE SLOW EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF THE SFC LOW IN SD...WHICH KEEPS LOW
LEVEL MOISTURE AND HEATING FOCUSED INTO THE SOUTHERN RRV FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. ACTIVITY FROM SOUTHERN
MB SHOULD SKIRT FAR NORTHERN MINNSOTA ZONES THROUGH THE LATE
AFTERNOON. STILL EXPECT STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS TO DEVELOP IN
SOUTHEASTERN ND AND SPREAD NORTH AND EASTWARD FROM LATE AFTERNOON
INTO THE EVENING. ANTICIPATE POSSIBLE CONVECTIVE WATCH FOR THIS
EVENING.

TUESDAY THRU THURS...FAIRLY FLAT 500MB FLOW WILL BRING
RELATIVELY DRY AND STABLE AIR INTO THE AREA LATE TONIGHT INTO
WEDNESDAY. TEMPERATURES SHOULD SLOWLY COOL CLOSER TO NORMALS OVER
THE EARLY WEEK PERIOD. BY WEDNESDAY...AVN SHOWS DEELP SURFACE LOW
DIGGING INTO THE WESTERN DKTAS AND SETTING UP THE AREA FOR THE NEXT
SERIOUD CONVECTION. TEMPS IN EASTERN ND SHOULD SEE RAPID WARMUP
WEDNESDAY AS LOW DEVELOPS WHILE COOLER FLOW WILL HOLD OVER NORTHWEST
MN. WIDESPREAD CONVECTION IS EXPECTED FROM WEDNESDAY PM INTO
THURSDAY AND SHOULD WET MUCH OF THE AREA.

EXTENDED (FRI-MON)...500 MB PATTERN LOOKS PRETTY STAGNANT THROUGHOUT
THE EXTENDED PERIOD...AS MAIN LOW WOBBLES AROUND HUDSON BAY. SPOKES
OF ENERGY WILL ROTATE AROUND THE LOW ALONG WITH PRETTY COLD 500 MB
TEMPS. WITH SFC HIGH BUILDING INTO THE WESTERN DAKOTAS THE BEST
CHANCES FOR PCPN SHOULD REMAIN OVER THE EASTERN FA/SOUTHERN ONTARIO.
FIRST WAVE DROPS DOWN BEHIND THE DEPARTING SFC FRONT EARLY FRI WITH
ANOTHER EARLY SAT. WILL LEAVE REMAINDER OF FORECAST DRY ATTM AS
TIMING WILL BE DIFFICULT. WILL NOT MAKE MUCH CHANGE TO TEMPS
EITHER...WHICH LOOK TO BE BELOW NORMAL.

.FGF...NONE.

GUST/GODON
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 25, 1:45 PM CDT, 4 hours 15 minutes before
MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-026>030-
038-039-049-052>054-252100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
145 PM CDT MON AUG 25 2003

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE UNTIL 9 PM MONDAY EVENING ALONG
AND EAST OF A LINE FROM PEMBINA...THROUGH GRAND FORKS AND SOUTHWEST
THROUGH JAMESTOWN INTO NORTHCENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA. A SURFACE TROF
FROM WINNIPEG TO A LOW PRESSURE CENTER IN NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA
WILL FOCUS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND HEAT INTO SOUTHEASTERN NORTH
DAKOTA AND ALONG THE RED RIVER VALLEY THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. STORMS
WILL LIKELY DEVELOP THROUGH MID AFTERNOON IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA
AND BUILD NORTH AND EASTWARD INTO NORTHWEST MINNESOTA THROUGH LATE
AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. A FEW STORMS MAY CONTAIN HAIL UP TO ONE
INCH IN DIAMETER AND PRODUCE WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THE NEXT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL COME WEDNESDAY NIGHT WHEN A
STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES INTO EASTERN DAKOTAS. THE MAIN
THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE INTENSE LIGHTNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY
EVENING.

GUST

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 25, 5:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFKittson, Roseau40 min
Aug 25, 6:36 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFRoseau39 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 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.