Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Bismarck, ND

June 18, 2008Grant County, Morton County, North Dakota

NWS Bismarck, ND issued this tornado warning at Jun 18, 2008, 6:21 PM MDT for Grant County, Morton County, North Dakota. It was in force for 24 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: Jun 18, 2008, 6:21 PM MDT (00:21 UTC)
Expired: Jun 18, 2008, 6:45 PM MDT
In force: 24 min
Issued by: NWS Bismarck, ND
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Grant County, ND, Morton County, ND

The radar

The Bismarck radar (KBIS), 43 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:21 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 tornado 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
Jun 18, 3:59 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 47 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: 882 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -33 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1600 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 75 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 69 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KBIS 190021
TORBIS
NDC037-059-190045-
/O.NEW.KBIS.TO.W.0018.080619T0021Z-080619T0045Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
721 PM CDT WED JUN 18 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN GRANT COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...
  CENTRAL MORTON COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...

* UNTIL 745 PM CDT/645 PM MDT/

* AT 719 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 17 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF FLASHER...OR 31 MILES WEST OF BISMARCK...MOVING
  SOUTHEAST AT 21 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RURAL CENTRAL MORTON COUNTY AT 740 PM CDT

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT
WEDNESDAY EVENING/900 PM MDT WEDNESDAY EVENING/ FOR WESTERN NORTH
DAKOTA.

LAT...LON 4657 10095 4639 10126 4656 10145 4667 10149
      4676 10141
TIME...MOT...LOC 0021Z 300DEG 18KT 4666 10137

$$

HEINERT

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS53 KBIS 190028
SVSBIS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
726 PM CDT WED JUN 18 2008

NDC037-059-190045-
/O.CON.KBIS.TO.W.0018.000000T0000Z-080619T0045Z/
GRANT ND-MORTON ND-
726 PM CDT WED JUN 18 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 PM CDT/645 PM MDT/
FOR CENTRAL MORTON AND NORTHEASTERN GRANT COUNTIES...

AT 718 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 16 MILES NORTHWEST OF
FLASHER...OR 30 MILES WEST OF BISMARCK...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 21 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RURAL CENTRAL MORTON COUNTY AT 740 PM CDT

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT
WEDNESDAY EVENING/900 PM MDT WEDNESDAY EVENING/ FOR WESTERN NORTH
DAKOTA.

LAT...LON 4657 10095 4639 10126 4656 10145 4667 10149
      4676 10141
TIME...MOT...LOC 0026Z 300DEG 18KT 4665 10134

$$

SIMOSKO/HEINERT

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Jun 18, 1:45 PM MDT, 4 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 18, 1:45 PM MDT, 4 hours 36 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
245 PM CDT WED JUN 18 2008

.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ALONG A LINE FROM NORTH OF
MINOT...SOUTH INTO SOUTH DAKOTA. THIS IS ALONG A SURFACE FRONT
WHERE DEW POINTS HAVE POOLED AND TEMPERATURES HAVE WARMED TO NEAR
80 DEGREES. THIS HAS INCREASED THE CAPE WITH MID LEVEL CAPES OF
1000 TO 1500 J/KG. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG
THE FRONT AND MOVE SLOWLY EAST THROUGH THIS EVENING. WILL KEEP A
CHANCE OF TSTMS TO THE WEST OF THE FRONT...AS THERE HAVE BEEN A
FEW THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOPED IN NORTHEAST MONTANA. THE
THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL ND WILL LIKELY BE SEVERE AT TIMES WITH
LARGE HAIL...AND A POTENTIAL FOR STRONG WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN.

BY THURSDAY MORNING...THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE NOW OVER THE STATE
WILL RETROGRADE WEST BACK OVER MONTANA...BUT WITH LOW AMPLITUDE.
A WEAK SHORT WAVE MOVING OVER THE RIDGE MAY BE STRONG ENOUGH TO
AID INSTABILITY TO AID IN TSTM FORMATION IN THE AFTERNOON AND WILL
KEEP A SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE FORECAST.

BY FRIDAY THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL SHARPEN OVER CENTRAL MONTANA
AND SHOULD CAUSE INCREASED STABILITY OVER THE AREA WHICH SHOULD
CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BORDER
AREAS. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN SEASONABLE THROUGH SUNDAY.

.LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT...
WARM WEATHER TO CONTINUE WITH ANOTHER POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER MAKER
SUNDAY NIGHT AS BOTH THE GFS AND ECMWF HAVE A LOW LEVEL JET/H85
SOUTH WINDS OF 35KT ACROSS THE CWA...GOOD PRODUCER FOR ELEVATED
CONVECTION. AN INCOMING COLD FRONT AND UPPER WAVE WILL BRING SHOWERS
AND TSTMS ACROSS THE CWA FROM WEST DURING THE DAY SUNDAY...THEN
SPREAD INTO OUR CENTRAL ZONES SUNDAY NIGHT. THREAT OF SEVERE TSTMS
CONTINUE MONDAY ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EAST. PLENTY OF LOW LEVEL
MOISTURE TO WORK WITH AS DEWPOINTS WILL BE AROUND 60F AHEAD OF THE
COLD FRONT. BROAD RIDGING CONTINUES TUESDAY INTO INTO THURSDAY WITH
DISTURBANCES RIDING OVER THE TOP OF THE RIDGE...WHICH WILL CREATE
ADDITIONAL CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS.
&&

.AVIATION...OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORMS...VFR CONDITIONS NEXT 24HR.
HOWEVER...SHOWERS AND TSTMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING MAY
CREATE BRIEF MVFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES IN HEAVY RAIN AND
POSSIBLY SOME HAIL. SOME THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO HAVE STRONG WINDS
GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 35KT. THREAT FOR TSTMS WILL CONTINUE INTO
THURSDAY...BUT AREAL COVERAGE SHOULD BE LESS THURSDAY AFT/EVE.

&&

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

TSW/KS

Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 18, 3:46 AM MDT, 14 hours 35 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
446 AM CDT WED JUN 18 2008

NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-191000-
DIVIDE-BURKE-RENVILLE-BOTTINEAU-ROLETTE-WILLIAMS-MOUNTRAIL-WARD-
MCHENRY-PIERCE-MCKENZIE-DUNN-MERCER-OLIVER-MCLEAN-SHERIDAN-WELLS-
FOSTER-GOLDEN VALLEY-BILLINGS-STARK-MORTON-BURLEIGH-KIDDER-
STUTSMAN-SLOPE-HETTINGER-GRANT-BOWMAN-ADAMS-SIOUX-EMMONS-LOGAN-
LA MOURE-MCINTOSH-DICKEY-
446 AM CDT WED JUN 18 2008 /346 AM MDT WED JUN 18 2008/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
NORTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA...SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A GOOD CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. SOME STORMS MAY BE SEVERE
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT IS LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. SOME LOCALES MAY RECEIVE HEAVY
RAINFALL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

SLIGHT CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR THURSDAY...THEN SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH
TUESDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

JV

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 18, 4:53 PM MDT, 1 hour 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
553 PM CDT WED JUN 18 2008

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

0548 PM     HAIL             STANTON                 47.32N 101.38W
06/18/2008  M2.75 INCH       MERCER             ND   TRAINED SPOTTER

            GOLFBALL TO BASEBALL SIZED HAIL

&&

VROLLER

Local storm report, Jun 18, 4:58 PM MDT, 1 hour 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
558 PM CDT WED JUN 18 2008

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

0551 PM     HAIL             7 N MINOT               48.33N 101.30W
06/18/2008  E1.75 INCH       WARD               ND   BROADCAST MEDIA

0553 PM     HAIL             5 N MINOT               48.31N 101.30W
06/18/2008  E1.00 INCH       WARD               ND   BROADCAST MEDIA

&&

NHEINERT

Local storm report, Jun 18, 5:02 PM MDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
602 PM CDT WED JUN 18 2008

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

0601 PM     HAIL             10 N FAIRFIELD          47.33N 103.22W
06/18/2008  M1.00 INCH       MCKENZIE           ND   TRAINED SPOTTER

            QUARTER SIZE HAIL

&&

KSIMOSKO

Local storm report, Jun 18, 5:14 PM MDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
614 PM CDT WED JUN 18 2008

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

0602 PM     HAIL             7 SE STANTON            47.25N 101.28W
06/18/2008  M2.50 INCH       MERCER             ND   TRAINED SPOTTER

            HAILED FOR 9 MINUTES GOLFBALL TO TENNIS BALL SIZE

&&

VROLLER

Local storm report, Jun 18, 5:47 PM MDT, 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
647 PM CDT WED JUN 18 2008

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

0647 PM     HAIL             6 S MINOT               48.15N 101.30W
06/18/2008  M0.88 INCH       WARD               ND   BROADCAST MEDIA

&&

NHEINERT

Local storm report, Jun 18, 6:12 PM MDT, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
712 PM CDT WED JUN 18 2008

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

0711 PM     HAIL             CENTER                  47.12N 101.30W
06/18/2008  M1.00 INCH       OLIVER             ND   PUBLIC

&&

KSIMOSKO

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 18, 6:01 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BIS	Burleigh, Morton, Oliver	29 min
Jun 18, 6:11 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Bottineau, Renville, Ward	64 min
Jun 18, 6:13 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McHenry, McLean, Sheridan, Ward	62 min
Jun 18, 6:29 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BIS	Morton	31 min
Jun 18, 6:35 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McKenzie	55 min
Jun 18, 6:40 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Grant, Morton	35 min
Jun 18, 6:47 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BIS	Grant, Morton	43 min
Jun 18, 6:55 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BIS	Burleigh, Morton	35 min
Jun 18, 6:56 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Sheridan, Wells	64 min
Jun 18, 6:58 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Burleigh, Emmons, Grant, McLean, Morton, Oliver	62 min
Jun 18, 7:32 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Emmons, Grant, Morton, Sioux	58 min
Jun 18, 7:44 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Burleigh, McLean, Sheridan	61 min
Jun 18, 7:56 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BIS	Sioux	49 min
Jun 18, 8:10 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McHenry, Ward	50 min
Jun 18, 8:17 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Burleigh, McLean	48 min
Jun 18, 8:22 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Mountrail	38 min
Jun 18, 8:27 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Emmons, Grant, Morton, Sioux	63 min
Jun 18, 9:31 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McLean, Mercer	29 min
Jun 18, 10:01 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Mercer	29 min
Jun 19, 1:04 PM MDT	River Flood Warning	BIS	McKenzie, Williams	22 days
Jun 19, 2:06 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Burke, Renville, Ward	39 min
Jun 19, 2:44 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Renville, Ward	46 min
Jun 19, 5:20 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McHenry, McLean, Ward	55 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes in 2008

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.