Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 2007

Tornado Warning 25, NWS Grand Forks, ND

July 15, 2007Cass County, Ransom County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Jul 15, 2007, 7:20 PM CDT for Cass County, Ransom County, North Dakota. It was in force for 40 min. 13 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
Jul 15, 2007, 7:20 PM CDT (00:20 UTC)
Expired
Jul 15, 2007, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Cass County, ND, Ransom County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:22 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
Jul 15, 7:20 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD10 Nw Leonard, NDSPOTTER REPORTED A POSSIBLE FUNNEL CLOUD. HE WAS LOCATED 10 MILES WEST OF KINDRED OR 1 SW OF LEONARD ON CASS COUNTY HWY 46 AND WAS LOOKING NORTHWEST.
Jul 15, 7:20 PM CDTHAIL 0.881 W Embden, NDA TWO FOOT DRIFT OF HAIL WAS LEFT NEAR A HOUSE. WINDOWS WERE KNOCKED OUT. EXTENSIVE CROP DAMAGE OCCURRED WITH WINDS TO 70 MPH AND MUCH WIND DRIVEN HAIL.
Jul 15, 7:25 PM CDTTORNADO 15 Sw Chaffee, NDTORNADO TRACKED FOR ABOUT 10 MILES TO AROUND 6 MILES EAST OF SHELDON BY 740 PM CDT. THE TORNADO CROSSED INTO RANSOM COUNTY AROUND 735 PM CDT ABOUT 6 ENE OF SHELDON. THE TORNADO YANKED ONE ALUMINUM HIGH VOLTAGE POWER TOWER OUT OF ITS STEEL FOOTINGS AND TOPPLED
Jul 15, 7:27 PM CDTTSTM WND DMG7 S Embden, NDA 2 MILE SECTION OF ALUMINUM HIGH VOLTAGE POWER TOWERS WERE CRUMPLED BY DOWNBURST WINDS AND AT LEAST ONE TORNADO. THE NINE TOWERS WERE OPERATED BY MINNKOTA POWER COOPERATIVE. WIND SPEEDS LIKELY EXCEEDED 100 MILES PER HOUR BASED ON UTILITY COMPANY ESTIMATES.
Jul 15, 7:35 PM CDTTORNADO 16 Ene Sheldon, NDTORNADO CROSSED FROM CASS COUNTY AND CONTINUED FOR ANOTHER 4 MILES TO ABOUT 6 MILES EAST OF SHELDON BY 740 PM CDT. THE TORNADO SNAPPED SEVERAL WOODEN POWER POLES ALONG ITS PATH IN RANSOM COUNTY. MAXIMUM WIDTH WAS 200 YDS. PEAK WINDS ESTIMATED AT 105 MPH.
Jul 15, 7:42 PM CDTTSTM WND GST 625 E Sheldon, NDMEASURED BY MOBILE WEATHER SYSTEM.
Jul 15, 7:42 PM CDTTSTM WND GST 625 E Sheldon, NDERIC WHITHALL MEASURE TSTM WIND GUST OF 62MPH.
Jul 15, 7:42 PM CDTTSTM WND GST 70Sheldon, NDTREES WERE BLOWN DOWN AT THE SHELDON CEMETERY, DAMAGING SOME GRAVESTONES. ADDITIONAL CROP DAMAGE OCCURRED IN GREENE TOWNSHIP.
Jul 15, 7:42 PM CDTNON-TSTM WND GST 625 E Sheldon, NDERIC WHITHALL MEASURE TSTM WIND GUST OF 62MPH.
Jul 15, 7:42 PM CDTNON-TSTM WND GST 70Sheldon, NDTREES WERE BLOWN DOWN AT THE SHELDON CEMETERY, DAMAGING SOME GRAVESTONES.
Jul 15, 7:45 PM CDTTSTM WND GST 685 E Sheldon, NDREPORTED BY RAWS EQUIPMENT. TIME ESTIMATED.
Jul 15, 7:46 PM CDTTORNADO 27 Se Sheldon, NDTORNADO TRACKED FOR ABOUT 3 MILES TO AROUND 4 MILES NNW OF MCLEOD BY 750 PM CDT. THE TORNADO CUT A LARGE GAP IN MATURE HARDWOOD TREES NEAR THE SHEYENNE RIVER...SNAPPED SEVERAL WOODEN POWER POLES AND LIKELY TUMBLED SEVERAL SECTIONS OF AN IRRIGATION SYSTEM. MAXI
Jul 15, 7:55 PM CDTTSTM WND GST 685 E Anselm, NDREPORTED BY RAWS EQUIPMENT. TIME ESTIMATED.

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
Jul 15, 5:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 223 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, Aberdeen, SD at 00:00Z on 2007-07-16Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Aberdeen, SD at 00:00Z on 2007-07-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 30 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2083 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
160 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 
WFUS53 KFGF 160021
TORFGF
NDC017-073-160100-
/O.NEW.KFGF.TO.W.0025.070716T0020Z-070716T0100Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
720 PM CDT SUN JUL 15 2007

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN CASS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...
  NORTHEASTERN RANSOM COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 714 PM CDT...WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD 8 MILES
  SOUTH OF EMBDEN...OR 29 MILES SOUTHEAST OF VALLEY CITY...MOVING TO
  THE SOUTH AT 45 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  SHELDON AT 725 PM CDT...
  ANSELM AT 730 PM CDT...

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

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT MONDAY
MORNING FOR NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA.

LAT...LON 4705 9736 4689 9765 4648 9765 4650 9729

$$

JK
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS53 KFGF 160041
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
740 PM CDT SUN JUL 15 2007

NDC017-073-160100-
/O.CON.KFGF.TO.W.0025.000000T0000Z-070716T0100Z/
RANSOM ND-CASS ND-
740 PM CDT SUN JUL 15 2007

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHWESTERN CASS AND EASTERN RANSOM COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST NORTH
DAKOTA...

AT 735 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THE TORNADO WAS LOCATED
4 MILES NORTHEAST OF VENLO...OR 36 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FARGO...MOVING
TO THE SOUTH AT 40 MPH.

THIS STORM ALSO HAS A LONG HISTORY OF PRODUCING GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  MCLEOD BY 750 PM CDT...

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

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT MONDAY
MORNING FOR NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA.

LAT...LON 4705 9736 4689 9765 4630 9743 4640 9728

$$

JK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 15, 7:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRamsey, Towner61 min
Jul 15, 7:58 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFRansom, Richland23 min
Jul 15, 8:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBenson, Eddy49 min
Jul 15, 8:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBarnes, Cass, Steele65 min
Jul 15, 8:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFCass, Traill60 min
Jul 15, 9:29 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFCass31 min
Jul 15, 9:49 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFRansom26 min
Jul 15, 10:12 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFRansom, Richland, Sargent48 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 2007Every tornado warning in 2007Tornadoes in 2007

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.