Alert archive / North Dakota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2005

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 33, NWS Bismarck, ND

May 21, 2005Morton County, Oliver County, North Dakota

NWS Bismarck, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 21, 2005, 2:05 AM CDT for Morton County, Oliver County, North Dakota. It was in force for 59 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: May 21, 2005, 2:05 AM CDT (07:05 UTC)
Expired: May 21, 2005, 3:04 AM CDT
In force: 59 min
Issued by: NWS Bismarck, ND
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Morton County, ND, Oliver County, ND

The radar

The Bismarck radar (KBIS), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:05 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
May 21, 1:35 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 62 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: 665 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -54 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2075 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 83 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS53 KBIS 210705
SVRBIS
NDC059-065-210800-
/O.NEW.KBIS.SV.W.0033.050521T0705Z-050521T0800Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
205 AM CDT SAT MAY 21 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL MORTON COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA
  OLIVER COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA

* UNTIL 300 AM CDT

* AT 200 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS
  OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES WEST OF HANNOVER...OR
  ABOUT 49 MILES WEST OF BISMARCK...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  HANNOVER AROUND 220 AM CDT
  8 MILES NORTHWEST OF CENTER AROUND 225 AM CDT
  FORT CLARK AROUND 235 AM CDT
  6 MILES NORTHWEST OF HENSLER AROUND 245 AM CDT

DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATED SOME WEAK ROTATION WITHIN THIS STORM.
WHILE NOT IMMEDIATELY LIKELY...A TORNADO COULD STILL DEVELOP. IF A
TORNADO IS SPOTTED...ACT QUICKLY AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN A
STURDY STRUCTURE...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM.

LAT...LON 4699 10176 4724 10176 4724 10127 4725 10120
      4730 10113 4728 10102 4724 10098 4719 10100
      4715 10095 4707 10092 4676 10166 4698 10181

$$

JC

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS53 KBIS 210804
SVSBIS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
302 AM CDT SAT MAY 21 2005

NDC059-065-210812-
/O.EXP.KBIS.SV.W.0033.000000T0000Z-050521T0800Z/
OLIVER ND-MORTON ND-
302 AM CDT SAT MAY 21 2005

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL MORTON AND
OLIVER COUNTIES EXPIRED AT 300 AM CDT...

THE THUNDERSTORM HAS WEAKENED AND WAS NO LONGER SEVERE.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE AREA FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS AND
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 AM CDT
SATURDAY MORNING FOR SOUTHERN NORTH DAKOTA.

LAT...LON 4699 10176 4724 10176 4724 10127 4725 10120
      4730 10113 4728 10102 4724 10098 4719 10100
      4715 10095 4707 10092 4676 10166 4698 10181

$$

JP MARTIN

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 May 20, 2:05 PM CDT, 12 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 2:05 PM CDT, 12 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
205 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 2005

.SHORT TERM...
TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...
THE BIGGEST CONCERN AT THIS TIME IS THE THREAT OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS IN THE EAST THIS AFTERNOON AND IN THE WEST TONIGHT.
HIGH DEWPOINTS AND SOLAR HEATING MAY CAUSE A FEW SEVERE STORMS IN
THE EAST THIS AFTERNOON. IN THE WEST...A DEVELOPING SURFACE LOW IS
DRAWING HIGHER DEWPOINTS INTO THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA...AND A
SHORT WAVE IS APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTHWEST. ENOUGH DESTABILIZATION
SHOULD OCCUR BY SUNSET IN WESTERN ND FOR THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE
HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.  THESE STORMS WILL MOVE EAST DURING THE
EVENING.  DEWPOINTS IN THE NORTHWEST ARE ONLY IN THE 30S THIS
AFTERNOON...BUT THEY WILL RISE THIS EVENING AS SURFACE LOW DEVELOPS.
THEN ON SATURDAY THERE WILL BE EXPLOSIVE DEVELOPMENT OF AN UPPER LOW
CENTERED JUST NORTH OF THE NORTH DAKOTA BORDER. COUPLING BETWEEN THE
SURFACE AND UPPER SYSTEM WILL CAUSE A PROBLEM WITH WINDS. AS
USUAL...THE HIGHEST WIND GUSTS WILL PROBABLY OCCUR OVER THE HIGHER
TERRAIN OF THE SOUTHWEST. SUNDAY AND MONDAY WILL SEE RIDGING
ALOFT...BUT SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL RETURN AGAIN BY MONDAY NIGHT.

.LONG TERM...
TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...
FAST WESTERLY FLOW BUILDS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS ON TUESDAY WHICH
EVOLVES INTO A CANADIAN LOW BY THURSDAY. SHORTWAVE ENERGY IN THE
AREA ON TUESDAY MAY CREATE SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AND RETURN
AGAIN LATE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL COOL DOWN
DURING THIS PERIOD AS DAMP WEATHER RETURNS.

&&

.BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
...HIGH WIND WATCH SOUTHWEST SATURDAY...
...WIND ADVISORY CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST SATURDAY...

LM/JENSEN

Hazardous weather outlook, May 20, 5:02 AM CDT, 21 hours 3 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
502 AM CDT FRI MAY 20 2005

NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-211001-
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
502 AM CDT FRI MAY 20 2005

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON OVER
WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA...AND OVER ALL OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA TONIGHT...WITH HEAVY RAIN ALSO EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

ON SATURDAY NORTHWEST WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 AND
50 MPH ARE FORECAST OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

VINING

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 20, 8:25 PM CDT, 5 hours 40 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
825 PM CDT FRI MAY 20 2005

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

0816 PM     FLOOD            JAMESTOWN               46.91N 98.70W
05/20/2005                   STUTSMAN           ND   AMATEUR RADIO

            VIADUCT FLOODED

&&

KWELK

Local storm report, May 21, 12:06 AM CDT, 1 hour 59 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
1206 AM CDT SAT MAY 21 2005

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

1202 AM     HAIL             MEDORA                  46.91N 103.52W
05/21/2005  1.00 INCH        BILLINGS           ND   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

VROLLER

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 20, 7:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Stutsman	70 min
May 20, 8:14 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BIS	Stutsman	3 hr
May 20, 8:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Adams	30 min
May 20, 10:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Billings, Golden Valley	57 min
May 20, 11:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McKenzie	36 min
May 20, 11:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Billings	32 min
May 21, 12:31 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Billings	15 min
May 21, 12:40 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Golden Valley	50 min
May 21, 1:06 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Mountrail	39 min
May 21, 1:12 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Billings, Golden Valley, Slope	48 min
May 21, 1:24 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Emmons, McIntosh	66 min
May 21, 1:28 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Dunn, Mercer	47 min
May 21, 1:40 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Stark	68 min
May 21, 2:04 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	BIS	Billings, Dunn, Golden Valley, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer and 4 more	6 hr
May 21, 2:12 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Billings, Slope	56 min
May 21, 2:39 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McLean	69 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in North Dakota, 2005 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2005

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.