Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2009

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 16, NWS Grand Forks, ND

June 18, 2009Otter Tail County, Wadena County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 18, 2009, 7:13 PM CDT for Otter Tail County, Wadena County, Minnesota. It was in force for 62 min. 5 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: Jun 18, 2009, 7:13 PM CDT (00:13 UTC)
Expired: Jun 18, 2009, 8:15 PM CDT
In force: 62 min
Issued by: NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Otter Tail County, MN, Wadena County, MN

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 199 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:16 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jun 18, 7:30 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	4 Ese Frazee, MN	A PERSISTENT WALL CLOUD WITH WEAK FUNNEL WAS NOTED.
Jun 18, 7:43 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	4 Nw New York Mills, MN	A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS VIEWED OVER BIG PINE LAKE MOVING EAST.
Jun 18, 7:50 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Deer Creek, MN	SEVERAL 4-6 INCH BRANCHES DOWN AROUND TOWN. LARGE TREE DOWN 1N OF TOWN.
Jun 18, 8:02 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	4 W Verndale, MN	SEVERAL LARGE 6-8 INCH TREE LIMBS DOWN. DAMAGING WINDS LASTED ABOUT 5 MINUTES.
Jun 18, 8:10 PM CDT	TSTM WND GST 60	Nimrod, MN	SEVERAL 4-6 INCH TREE BRANCHES BLOWN DOWN.

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

Did it verify

Verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow matched 3 storm reports to this severe thunderstorm warning; the first came 37 minutes after it went out.

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, 1:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 220 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: 1331 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -51 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1216 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 54 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 93 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.3
Supercell composite: 2.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS53 KFGF 190013
SVRFGF
MNC111-159-190115-
/O.NEW.KFGF.SV.W.0016.090619T0013Z-090619T0115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
713 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  WADENA COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  EASTERN OTTER TAIL COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 815 PM CDT

* AT 712 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IN
  EXCESS OF 70 MPH. THE STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR BATTLE LAKE...OR 16
  MILES EAST OF FERGUS FALLS...MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  CLITHERALL AT 725 PM CDT...
  VINING AT 735 PM CDT...
  7 MILES SOUTH OF OTTERTAIL AT 740 PM CDT...
  HENNING AT 750 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.

&&

LAT...LON 4671 9519 4671 9480 4638 9479 4639 9517
      4612 9516 4611 9564 4671 9567
TIME...MOT...LOC 0013Z 263DEG 19KT 4631 9573

$$

HOPKINS

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS53 KFGF 190044
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
744 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

MNC111-159-190115-
/O.CON.KFGF.SV.W.0016.000000T0000Z-090619T0115Z/
WADENA MN-OTTER TAIL MN-
744 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 815 PM CDT
FOR EASTERN OTTER TAIL AND WADENA COUNTIES...

AT 744 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IN EXCESS
OF 70 MPH. THE STORM WAS LOCATED 3 MILES WEST OF HENNING...OR 27
MILES EAST OF FERGUS FALLS...MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  HENNING BY 750 PM CDT...
  6 MILES NORTH OF ALMORA BY 800 PM CDT...
  DEER CREEK BY 810 PM CDT...
  6 MILES NORTHWEST OF WRIGHTSTOWN...9 MILES SOUTH OF BLUFFTON AND 9
  MILES SOUTHWEST OF WADENA BY 815 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT
THURSDAY EVENING FOR NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA AND SOUTHEAST NORTH
DAKOTA.

&&

LAT...LON 4671 9519 4671 9480 4638 9479 4639 9517
      4612 9516 4611 9564 4671 9567
TIME...MOT...LOC 0044Z 263DEG 19KT 4632 9550

$$

HOPKINS

000 
WWUS53 KFGF 190112
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
812 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

MNC111-159-190122-
/O.EXP.KFGF.SV.W.0016.000000T0000Z-090619T0115Z/
WADENA MN-OTTER TAIL MN-
812 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR EASTERN OTTER TAIL AND WADENA
COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 815 PM CDT...

AT 812 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM LOCATED 4 MILES SOUTH OF DEER CREEK...OR 37 MILES EAST
OF FERGUS FALLS...MOVING TO THE EAST AT 40 MPH.

THE THUNDERSTORM HAS WEAKENED AND WAS NO LONGER CONSIDERED SEVERE SO 
THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 815 PM CDT. 

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT
THURSDAY EVENING FOR NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA AND SOUTHEAST NORTH
DAKOTA.

LAT...LON 4671 9519 4671 9480 4638 9479 4639 9517
      4612 9516 4611 9564 4671 9567
TIME...MOT...LOC 0112Z 263DEG 19KT 4633 9529

$$

HOPKINS

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 Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jun 18, 2:34 PM CDT, 4 hours 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 18, 2:34 PM CDT, 4 hours 39 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
234 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

.SHORT TERM...
MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGE FOR TONIGHT WILL BE SEVERE WEATHER
POTENTIAL. MODELS IN AGREEMENT ON THE LARGE SCALE DETAILS...
BUT DIFFER IN THE SMALL SCALE QPF AMOUNT/PLACEMENT DETAILS. PREFER
THE GFS QPF SCENARIO AND WILL FOLLOW IT FOR THE MOST PART.

TONIGHT...VERY COMPLEX SFC PATTERN OUT THERE THIS AFTERNOON DUE
TO THE VERY WEAK SFC FLOW. COMPUTER ANALYSIS SHOWS MANY DIFFERENT
WEAK SFC LOWS ACROSS THE ENTIRE TRI STATE REGION. ONE OF THESE IS
OVER FAR SOUTHEAST ND WHERE TEMPS ARE FINALLY RECOVERING AFTER THE
CLOUDY/COOLER START. CLEAR HOLE OVER NORTHEAST SD HAS EXPANDED
FURTHER NORTH AND HAS ALLOWED GOOD HEATING NOW OVER SOUTHEAST
ND/WEST CENTRAL MN. ONE TSTM CELL FIRED UP NEAR KAXN...BUT NOT
MUCH ELSE IN THIS AREA YET. OTHER CELLS ARE FLARING UP IN THE
NORTHERN FA...AND ARE APPROACHING THE SOUTHWEST FA. MAIN VORT THAT
WE WERE WATCHING THIS MORNING IS NOW MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL
DAKOTAS. THIS HAS HELPED SUSTAIN THE TSTM ACTIVITY AROUND AND
SOUTH OF KBIS. FOR TONIGHT...FOLLOWING THE GFS...WOULD FAVOR A
CORRIDOR WITH BETTER PCPN CHANCES FROM POSSIBLY KJMS TO KTVF.
TRAINING CELLS OVER THE SAME AREA WILL ALSO HAVE TO BE MONITORED.
IF THE ABOVE PCPN CORRIDOR IS CORRECT...THE FAR SOUTHERN VALLEY
SHOULD STAY OUT OF THE HEAVIER RAINS. OUTSIDE OF THE ABERCROMBIE
ND/KENT MN AREAS...FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE IS PRETTY HIGH. THEREFORE
IT WILL TAKE TRAINING TSTMS OR VERY SLOW MOVING TSTMS TO CAUSE
FLASH FLOODING. OTHERWISE HAIL AND AN ISOLATED TORNADO ARE
POSSIBLE. LCL HEIGHTS ARE VERY LOW ALONG WITH VGP VALUES AROUND
0.2.

FRI-SUN...LOOKS LIKE THERE COULD BE ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS/TSTMS
ON FRIDAY...ESPECIALLY BY AFTERNOON. ANOTHER 500MB SHORT WAVE WILL
ROTATE THROUGH THE REGION AND WILL BE THE FOCUS ONCE AGAIN.
HEIGHTS BEGIN TO RISE BY SAT WHICH SHOULD GIVE THE AREA A
TEMPORARY BREAK FROM THE SHOWER/TSTM CHANCES. SUNDAY IS STILL A
BIT UP IN THE AIR...WITH THE ECMWF SHOWING IT WET ONCE AGAIN IN
SOUTHWEST FLOW. 12Z GFS IS A BIT SLOWER BRINGING BACK IN PCPN...
SO DO NOT HAVE MUCH CONFIDENCE IN EITHER SOLUTION. WILL THEREFORE
PLAY THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD FOR NOW AND MATCH SURROUNDING OFFICES
WITH A LOW CHANCE.

.LONG TERM...MODELS REMAIN IN DECENT AGREEMENT. SW FLOW
ALOFT THROUGH THE PERIOD. THIS PATTERN WOULD SUGGEST MULTIPLE
CHANCES FOR THUNDER AS WAVES EJECT FROM MAIN W COAST TROUGH. TIMING
OF BEST THUNDER CHANCES ALWAYS A PROBLEM THIS FAR OUT AND WILL NOT
GO HIGHER THAN 30 POPS AT THIS POINT. TEMPERATURES AT OR ABOVE
NORMAL GIVEN THE EXPECTED SYNOPTIC PATTERN.

&&

.AVIATION...THUNDER CHANCES WILL BE THE MAIN CHALLENGE AND HAZARD
FOR THIS PERIOD. APPEARS BEST CHANCES WILL BE FROM A JAMESTOWN TO
GRAND FORKS TO BAUDETTE LINE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING (KGFK AND
KTVF TAF SITES). THUNDER/SHOWER CHANCES STILL EXIST AT OTHER
SITES...BUT PROBABILITIES TOO LOW FOR MENTION IN FORECAST. MVFR
CIGS/VSBY POSSIBLE WITH ANY HEAVIER STORM.

&&

.FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ND...NONE.
MN...NONE.
&&

GODON/TG

Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 18, 4:57 AM CDT, 14 hours 16 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
457 AM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-191000-
WEST POLK-NORMAN-CLAY-KITTSON-ROSEAU-LAKE OF THE WOODS-
WEST MARSHALL-EAST MARSHALL-NORTH BELTRAMI-PENNINGTON-RED LAKE-
EAST POLK-NORTH CLEARWATER-SOUTH BELTRAMI-MAHNOMEN-
SOUTH CLEARWATER-HUBBARD-WEST BECKER-EAST BECKER-WILKIN-
WEST OTTER TAIL-EAST OTTER TAIL-WADENA-GRANT-TOWNER-CAVALIER-
PEMBINA-BENSON-RAMSEY-EASTERN WALSH COUNTY-EDDY-NELSON-
GRAND FORKS-GRIGGS-STEELE-TRAILL-BARNES-CASS-RANSOM-SARGENT-
RICHLAND-WESTERN WALSH COUNTY-
457 AM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NORTH
DAKOTA...WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING HEAVY RAIN ARE POSSIBLE IN SOUTHEAST
NORTH DAKOTA INTO WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA TODAY AND TONIGHT.
ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN MAY AGGRAVATE ONGOING FLOODING ALONG THE
WILD RICE RIVER AT ABERCROMBIE...THE RED RIVER AT FARGO...AND THE
SOUTH BRANCH BUFFALO RIVER AT SABIN. THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT RISK
FOR SEVERE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT...WITH LARGE HAIL
THE MAIN THREAT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ONCE AGAIN
FRIDAY. THE PRIMARY THREATS WILL BE HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT.

ROGERS/DK

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 18, 6:11 PM CDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
611 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

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

0545 PM     TSTM WND DMG     WYNDMERE                46.26N 97.13W
06/18/2009                   RICHLAND           ND   PUBLIC

            UPROOTED TREES

&&

JH

Local storm report, Jun 18, 6:15 PM CDT, 58 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
615 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

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

0452 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     5 SW COLFAX             46.42N 96.95W
06/18/2009                   RICHLAND           ND   TRAINED SPOTTER

            2 FUNNELS OBSERVED

&&

JH

Local storm report, Jun 18, 6:49 PM CDT, 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
649 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

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

0545 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     10 S WARROAD            48.76N 95.32W
06/18/2009                   ROSEAU             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            FUNNEL CLOUD

&&

JH

Local storm report, Jun 18, 6:57 PM CDT, 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
657 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

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

0645 PM     TSTM WND GST     3 SW FERGUS FALLS       46.25N 96.11W
06/18/2009  M79 MPH          OTTER TAIL         MN   STORM CHASER

&&

JH

Local storm report, Jun 18, 6:58 PM CDT, 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
658 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

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

0655 PM     TSTM WND DMG     FERGUS FALLS            46.28N 96.07W
06/18/2009                   OTTER TAIL         MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            SEMI TRACTORS AND TRAILERS BLOWN OFF THE INTERSTATE NEAR
            FERGUS FALLS.

&&

GGUST

Local storm report, Jun 18, 7:00 PM CDT, 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
700 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

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

0655 PM     TSTM WND DMG     FERGUS FALLS            46.28N 96.07W
06/18/2009                   OTTER TAIL         MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            SEMI TRUCKS BLOWN OVER NEAR FERGUS FALLS

&&

JH

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 18, 7:23 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	FGF	Wilkin	15 hr
Jun 19, 9:59 AM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	FGF	Wilkin	52 hr
Jun 19, 5:14 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Mahnomen	61 min
Jun 19, 5:28 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Becker, Clearwater, Mahnomen, Norman	62 min
Jun 19, 6:39 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Becker	36 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 2009 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2009

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.