Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Grand Forks, ND

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

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Jun 18, 2009, 6:30 PM CDT for Otter Tail County, Wilkin County, Minnesota. It was in force for 60 min. 10 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, 6:30 PM CDT (23:30 UTC)
Expired: Jun 18, 2009, 7:30 PM CDT
In force: 60 min
Issued by: NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Otter Tail County, MN, Wilkin County, MN

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 148 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:29 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, 6:45 PM CDT	TSTM WND GST 79	3 Sw Fergus Falls, MN
Jun 18, 6:45 PM CDT	TSTM WND GST 79	5 Sw Fergus Falls, MN
Jun 18, 6:48 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	3 W Elizabeth, MN	TWO SEMI TRUCKS BLOWN OVER ON I-94 BETWEEN ROTHSAY AND FERGUS FALLS EXITS.
Jun 18, 6:50 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Fergus Falls, MN	SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN IN TOWN.
Jun 18, 6:50 PM CDT	TORNADO	3 W Elizabeth, MN	A TORNADO TRACKED FOR ABOUT 3 MILES TO AROUND 1NW OF ELIZABETH BY 657 PM CDT. PEAK WINDS ESTIMATED AT 80 MPH.
Jun 18, 6:55 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Fergus Falls, MN	SEMI TRACTOR AND TRAILER BLOWN OFF I-94 NEAR DALTON EXIT.
Jun 18, 6:55 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Fergus Falls, MN	SEMI TRACTORS AND TRAILERS BLOWN OFF THE INTERSTATE NEAR FERGUS FALLS.
Jun 18, 7:00 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Dalton, MN	SEVERAL LARGE 4-6 INCH BRANCHES BLOWN DOWN AROUND TOWN.
Jun 18, 7:15 PM CDT	TORNADO 1	Dent, MN	A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY NEAR DENT KNOCKING DOWN SEVERAL LARGE TREES AND RIPING THE ROOF OFF THE DUGOUT AT THE BASEBALL FIELD. THE TORNADO TRACKED FOR ABOUT A MILE AND LASTED UNTIL 717 PM CDT. PEAK WINDS ESTIMATED AT 90 MPH. MAXIMUM TORNADO WIDTH ABOUT 1
Jun 18, 7:15 PM CDT	TORNADO 1	Dent, MN	A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY NEAR DENT KNOCKING DOWN SEVERAL LARGE TREES AND RIPING THE ROOF OFF THE DUGOUT AT THE BASEBALL FIELD. THE TORNADO TRACKED FOR ABOUT A MILE AND LASTED UNTIL 717PM. PEAK WINDS ESTIMATED AT 90 MPH. MAXIMUM TORNADO WIDTH ABOUT 150 YA

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jun 18, 1:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 253 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: 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 182330
TORFGF
MNC111-167-190030-
/O.NEW.KFGF.TO.W.0008.090618T2330Z-090619T0030Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WESTERN OTTER TAIL COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF FERGUS FALLS...
  EASTERN WILKIN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT

* AT 627 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 2 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF FOXHOME...OR 13 MILES WEST OF FERGUS FALLS...MOVING TO
  THE NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  CARLISLE AT 710 PM CDT...
  9 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ROTHSAY AT 715 PM CDT...
  8 MILES NORTHWEST OF FERGUS FALLS AT 720 PM CDT...
  ELIZABETH AT 730 PM CDT...

  INTERSTATE 94 BETWEEN MILE MARKER 39 AROUND 720 PM CDT...
  AND MILE MARKER 57 AROUND 715 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 4662 9615 4671 9616 4670 9568 4611 9565
      4611 9641 4662 9640
TIME...MOT...LOC 2330Z 237DEG 9KT 4631 9632

$$

HOPKINS

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS53 KFGF 190003
SVSFGF

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

MNC111-167-190030-
/O.CON.KFGF.TO.W.0008.000000T0000Z-090619T0030Z/
WILKIN MN-OTTER TAIL MN-
703 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR WESTERN
OTTER TAIL AND EASTERN WILKIN COUNTIES...

AT 702 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THE TORNADO WAS LOCATED
3 MILES NORTHWEST OF DALTON...OR 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FERGUS FALLS...
MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  UNDERWOOD BY 720 PM CDT...
  BATTLE LAKE AND 8 MILES SOUTH OF PHELPS BY 730 PM CDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM MAY PRODUCE DESTRUCTIVE 
STRAIGHT LINE WINDS OF UP TO 70 MILES PER HOUR.

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

&&

LAT...LON 4662 9615 4671 9616 4670 9568 4611 9565
      4611 9641 4662 9640
TIME...MOT...LOC 0003Z 242DEG 18KT 4620 9596

$$

HOPKINS

000 
WWUS53 KFGF 190027
SVSFGF

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

MNC111-167-190037-
/O.EXP.KFGF.TO.W.0008.000000T0000Z-090619T0030Z/
WILKIN MN-OTTER TAIL MN-
727 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR WESTERN OTTER TAIL AND EASTERN WILKIN
COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 730 PM CDT...

AT 727 PM CDT...THE TORNADO HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED AREA IN 
EASTERN WILKIN AND WESTERN OTTER TAIL COUNTIES SO THE WARNING WILL 
BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 730 PM CDT.

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

LAT...LON 4662 9615 4671 9616 4670 9568 4611 9565
      4611 9641 4662 9640
TIME...MOT...LOC 0027Z 242DEG 18KT 4625 9581

$$

HOPKINS

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 18, 1:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Otter Tail	64 min
Jun 18, 3:43 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Kittson	32 min
Jun 18, 4:32 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Becker	28 min
Jun 18, 5:38 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Wilkin	52 min
Jun 18, 6:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Wilkin	37 min
Jun 18, 6:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Grant	55 min

Nearby

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