Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Grand Forks, ND

May 11, 2004Becker County, Otter Tail County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at May 11, 2004, 7:59 PM CDT for Becker County, Otter Tail County, Minnesota. It was in force for 46 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 11, 2004, 7:59 PM CDT (00:59 UTC)
Expired
May 11, 2004, 8:45 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Becker County, MN, Otter Tail County, MN

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 137 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:02 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 11, 8:21 PM CDTHAIL 0.75Rochert, MN
May 11, 8:40 PM CDTHAIL 1Rochert, MN

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 11, 3:55 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr
May 11, 7:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 278 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2004-05-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1061 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2004-05-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 286 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
1061 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-45 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1423 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
286 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
502 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KFGF 120059
TORFGF
MNC005-111-120145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
759 PM CDT TUE MAY 11 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...

  SOUTHWESTERN BECKER COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
  NORTHWESTERN OTTER TAIL COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 845 PM CDT.

* AT 754 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH STRONG ROTATION OVER DUNVILLA...OR ABOUT
  14 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DETROIT LAKES...MOVEMENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST
  AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...

  CORMORANT AT 800 PM...
  SHOREHAM AT 815 PM...
  DETROIT LAKES AT 815 PM AND
  ROCHERT AT 845 PM.

THE STORM MAY BE RAIN WRAPPED AND IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO
ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A STURDY BUILDING.

LAT...LON 4669 9617 4652 9604 4680 9557 4701 9574

$$

DK/TG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 11, 7:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFMarshall, Pennington51 min
May 11, 7:14 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFBecker, Otter Tail46 min
May 11, 7:31 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFClay, Wilkin44 min
May 11, 7:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRed Lake28 min
May 11, 8:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFMarshall, Pennington60 min
May 11, 8:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRed Lake58 min
May 11, 8:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPolk31 min
May 11, 8:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFClay, Wilkin44 min
May 11, 8:45 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFBecker, Otter Tail45 min
May 11, 8:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFMarshall, Pennington, Red Lake62 min
May 11, 9:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPolk50 min
May 11, 9:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBecker, Hubbard46 min
May 11, 9:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFNorman52 min
May 11, 10:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPolk51 min
May 11, 11:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFNorman40 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2004Every tornado warning in 2004Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.