Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Grand Forks, ND

June 18, 2009Wilkin County, Minnesota; Richland County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Jun 18, 2009, 5:38 PM CDT for Wilkin County, Minnesota; Richland County, North Dakota. It was in force for 52 min. 4 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, 5:38 PM CDT (22:38 UTC)
Expired
Jun 18, 2009, 6:30 PM CDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Wilkin County, MN, Richland County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 140 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:38 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
Jun 18, 5:50 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD6 Nnw Wahpeton, NDPERSISTENT WALL CLOUD WITH WEAK FUNNEL.
Jun 18, 6:10 PM CDTTSTM WND GST 604 Wnw Foxhome, MNGUSTNADO OBSERVED IN THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOW WELL AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING SHELF CLOUD.
Jun 18, 6:10 PM CDTHAIL 12 N Wahpeton, NDQUARTER SIZED HAIL AND WINDS GUSTS TO 50 MPH REPORTED AT THE ND STATE SCHOOL OF SCIENCE.
Jun 18, 6:15 PM CDTTSTM WND DMG4 Se Brushvale, MNSEVERAL LARGE 4-6 INCH TREE BRANCHES BLOWN DOWN.

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
Jun 18, 1:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 221 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 12:00Z on 2009-06-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 725 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 2009-06-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 41 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
725 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-94 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
995 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
41 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
31 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 182238
TORFGF
MNC167-NDC077-182330-
/O.NEW.KFGF.TO.W.0006.090618T2238Z-090618T2330Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL RICHLAND COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...
  CENTRAL WILKIN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 630 PM CDT

* AT 534 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 2 MILES EAST OF
  GALCHUTT...OR 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF WAHPETON...MOVING TO THE EAST
  AT 20 MPH.

* THIS STORM ALSO HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING BASEBALL SIZE HAIL. 

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BRUSHVALE AT 550 PM CDT...
  EVERDELL AT 625 PM CDT...
  FOXHOME AT 630 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 900 PM CDT
THURSDAY EVENING FOR NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA AND SOUTHEAST NORTH
DAKOTA.

&&

LAT...LON 4646 9630 4620 9629 4635 9688 4651 9684
TIME...MOT...LOC 2236Z 283DEG 19KT 4638 9675

$$

TG
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS53 KFGF 182253
SVSFGF

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

MNC167-NDC077-182330-
/O.CON.KFGF.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-090618T2330Z/
WILKIN MN-RICHLAND ND-
553 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 630 PM CDT FOR EAST
CENTRAL RICHLAND AND CENTRAL WILKIN COUNTIES...

AT 548 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THE TORNADO WAS LOCATED
NEAR BRUSHVALE...OR 7 MILES NORTH OF WAHPETON...MOVING TO THE EAST AT
20 MPH. STORM SPOTTERS CONTINUE TO REPORT A WALL CLOUD WITH STRONG 
ROTATION. THIS STORM ALSO HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL UP 
TO THE SIZE OF A BASEBALL. 

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  EVERDELL BY 625 PM CDT...
  FOXHOME BY 630 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 4646 9630 4620 9629 4635 9688 4651 9684
TIME...MOT...LOC 2252Z 283DEG 19KT 4636 9663

$$

TG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 18, 1:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFOtter Tail64 min
Jun 18, 3:43 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementFGFKittson32 min
Jun 18, 4:32 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementFGFBecker28 min
Jun 18, 6:15 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFWilkin37 min
Jun 18, 6:30 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFOtter Tail, Wilkin60 min
Jun 18, 6:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGrant55 min
Jun 18, 1:54 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementFGFRansom36 min
Jun 18, 2:18 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementFGFPembina57 min
Jun 18, 2:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPembina52 min
Jun 18, 2:31 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementFGFRansom29 min
Jun 18, 2:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFCavalier65 min
Jun 18, 3:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFPembina42 min
Jun 18, 3:22 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFGFCavalier, Pembina18 hr
Jun 18, 3:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBarnes, Ransom41 min
Jun 18, 3:56 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementFGFCavalier34 min
Jun 18, 4:05 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFGFCavalier17 hr
Jun 18, 4:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFCass, Ransom, Richland56 min
Jun 18, 4:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRansom, Sargent64 min
Jun 18, 4:28 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryFGFBarnes, Cass, Ransom5 hr
Jun 18, 4:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFCass, Richland59 min
Jun 18, 4:52 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFRichland53 min
Jun 18, 5:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRansom, Richland, Sargent58 min
Jun 18, 5:33 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFRichland57 min
Jun 18, 6:41 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryFGFCavalier, Towner3 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2009Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 2009Every tornado warning in 2009Tornadoes 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.