Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 176, NWS Bismarck, ND

August 25, 2004Stutsman County, North Dakota

NWS Bismarck, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 25, 2004, 9:17 PM CDT for Stutsman County, North Dakota. It was in force for 43 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, 2004, 9:17 PM CDT (02:17 UTC)
Expired: Aug 25, 2004, 10:00 PM CDT
In force: 43 min
Issued by: NWS Bismarck, ND
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Stutsman County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 108 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:18 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
Aug 25, 7:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 161 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: 1559 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -43 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1549 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 59 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 89 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.2
Supercell composite: 2.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS53 KBIS 260217
SVRBIS
NDC093-260300-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
917 PM CDT WED AUG 25 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN STUTSMAN COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA

* UNTIL 1000 PM CDT

* AT 917 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER COURTENAY...OR ABOUT 19 MILES NORTH OF
  JAMESTOWN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  RURAL NORTHEASTERN STUTSMAN COUNTY AROUND 930 PM CDT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOS WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE
WARNING. PREPARE TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN A STURDY STRUCTURE
SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM IF A TORNADO IS SPOTTED.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD PREPARE
FOR DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...LARGE HAIL...AND DEADLY
LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...PREFERABLY
INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

LAT...LON 4732 9881 4698 9877 4698 9846 4732 9851

$$

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 Bismarck, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Aug 25, 2:50 PM CDT, 6 hours 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 25, 2:50 PM CDT, 6 hours 27 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
250 PM CDT WED AUG 25 2004

.SHORT TERM...
ACTIVE WARM FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORMS
TONIGHT. RADARS SHOW THUNDERSTORMS IN BEST LIFT REGION NORTH OF WARM
FRONTAL BOUNDARY THIS AFTERNOON. ANOTHER REGION OF INTEREST THIS
EVENING WILL BE ALONG A SURFACE TROUGH INTO SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA. AS THIS SYSTEM SLIDES EAST THE BETTER CHC FOR PRECIP WILL BE
NORTH AND EAST OF THE SURFACE LOW. HAVE PARCED THE CHC FOR PRECIP
ALONG THESE LINES. MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW BAND OF SHOWERS ALONG
FRONTOGENETIC FORCING ASSOCIATED WITH COLD ADVECTION THURSDAY.
EXPECT COOL SHOWERY DAY WEST TOMORROW. CHC SHOWERS WILL EXTEND INTO
THURSDAY NIGHT...THEN WILL DRY FORECAST OUT FRIDAY.

.LONG TERM...
SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...ZONAL FLOW AT H500 THROUGH THE LONG TERM
FORECAST PERIOD. ON SUNDAY A VORT CENTER MOVES QUICKLY ACROSS
SOUTHERN CANADA WITH A VORT TAIL EXTENDING SOUTH ACROSS NORTH
DAKOTA. KEPT MENTION OF PRECIP OUT MAINLY BECAUSE MOST OF THE ENERGY
REMAINS IN CANADA...AND BEYOND DAY 3 OF FORECAST TIMING PROBLEMS ARE
NOTORIOUS WITH FAST-MOVING SHORTWAVES. DAYS 5-7 INDICATE MAINLY
CHANNELED VORTICITY ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA.

&&

.BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.

&&

WAA/JV

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 25, 4:09 AM CDT, 17 hours 8 minutes before

NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-010000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
409 AM CDT WED AUG 25 2004

NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-260908-
ADAMS-BILLINGS-BOTTINEAU-BOWMAN-BURKE-BURLEIGH-DICKEY-DIVIDE-DUNN-
EMMONS-FOSTER-GOLDEN VALLEY-GRANT-HETTINGER-KIDDER-LA MOURE-LOGAN-
MCHENRY-MCINTOSH-MCKENZIE-MCLEAN-MERCER-MORTON-MOUNTRAIL-OLIVER-
PIERCE-RENVILLE-ROLETTE-SHERIDAN-SIOUX-SLOPE-STARK-STUTSMAN-WARD-
WELLS-WILLIAMS-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WILLISTON...MINOT...JAMESTOWN...
DICKINSON...CROSBY...BOWMAN...BOTTINEAU...BISMARCK...MANDAN...
WATFORD CITY...WASHBURN...STANLEY...RUGBY...MOTT...MEDORA...LINTON...
HETTINGER...HARVEY...ELLENDALE...CARRINGTON...BEULAH...BELCOURT...
BEACH AND ASHLEY
409 AM CDT WED AUG 25 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORMS
OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA TODAY. THUNDERSTORMS MAY
BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH HAIL
AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS THE PRIMARY THREAT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 25, 5:13 PM CDT, 4 hours 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
513 PM CDT WED AUG 25 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0512 PM     HAIL             STEELE                  46.86N 99.92W
08/25/2004  0.75 INCH        KIDDER             ND   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

SW

Local storm report, Aug 25, 5:31 PM CDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
531 PM CDT WED AUG 25 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0530 PM     HAIL             STEELE                  46.86N 99.92W
08/25/2004  1.75 INCH        KIDDER             ND   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

SW

Local storm report, Aug 25, 6:55 PM CDT, 2 hours 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
655 PM CDT WED AUG 25 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0650 PM     HAIL             10 S STANLEY            48.17N 102.39W
08/25/2004  1.00 INCH        MOUNTRAIL          ND   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

SW

Local storm report, Aug 25, 8:53 PM CDT, 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
853 PM CDT WED AUG 25 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0640 PM     HAIL             WILTON                  47.16N 100.78W
08/25/2004  0.75 INCH        MCLEAN             ND   PUBLIC

&&

SW

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 25, 7:00 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BIS	Burleigh	45 min
Aug 25, 7:02 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Stutsman	58 min
Aug 25, 7:52 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BIS	Stutsman	38 min
Aug 25, 8:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Ward	60 min
Aug 25, 8:29 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BIS	Stutsman	46 min
Aug 25, 8:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	BIS	Ward	47 min
Aug 25, 9:51 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Ward	54 min
Aug 26, 12:51 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BIS	Rolette	3 hr
Aug 26, 5:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Dickey	62 min
Aug 26, 6:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Emmons	42 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Dakota, 2004 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2004

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.