Alert archive / South Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Rapid City, SD

July 8, 2009Custer County, Pennington County, South Dakota

NWS Rapid City, SD issued this tornado warning at Jul 8, 2009, 5:12 PM MDT for Custer County, Pennington County, South Dakota. It was in force for 26 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 8, 2009, 5:12 PM MDT (23:12 UTC)
Expired
Jul 8, 2009, 5:38 PM MDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Rapid City, SD
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Custer County, SD, Pennington County, SD

The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 40 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:13 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 8, 2:20 PM MDTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 377 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, Bismarck Municip, ND at 12:00Z on 2009-07-08Temperature 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°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Bismarck Municip, ND at 12:00Z on 2009-07-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -9 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1030 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-9 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
66 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

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 Rapid City, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jul 8, 2:10 PM MDT, 3 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 8, 2:10 PM MDT, 3 hours 2 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR WESTERN SD AND NORTHEASTERN WY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
210 PM MDT WED JUL 8 2009

.DISCUSSION...CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS LOW PRESSURE OVER
NORTHEASTERN WY...WITH WARM FRONT STRETCHING EASTWARD INTO SOUTHERN
SD. SURF TROF EXTENDS NORTH FROM THE LOW INTO SOUTHEAST MT AND COOL
FRONT TRAILS WESTWARD ACROSS CENTRAL WY. UPPER LEVEL ANALYSIS SHOWS
RIDGING OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS...WITH UPPER LOW OVER THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST. SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT IS IN PLACE FROM THE GREAT BASIN
AREA INTO THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS...WITH STRONG JET MOVING
NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE REGION. ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS IN
PLACE ALONG AND NORTH OF THE WARM FRONT ACROSS WESTERN SD. TEMPS ARE
IN THE 70S AND 80S. KUDX RADAR SHOWS A COUPLE OF CELLS OVER SOUTHERN
CAMPBELL CO...WITH CUMULUS BEGINNING TO BUILD OVER THE HILLS...AS
WELL AS ALONG A SURFACE TROF OVER NORTHEAST WY.

AN ACTIVE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING LOOKS TO BE ON TAP FOR PORTIONS
OF THE AREA...ESPECIALLY THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE CWA...AS SHORTWAVE
ENERGY...MID AND UPPER LEVEL JETS...AND FRONTAL BOUNDARY INTERACT.
WARM FRONT WILL SLOWLY LIFT NORTH AND EAST ACROSS THE SD PLAINS AS
LOW MOVES INTO THE BLACK HILLS AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON. BEST
INSTABILITY WILL BE FROM THE BLACK HILLS AREA...NORTH AND
EAST...LATER THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING. SHEAR WILL BE RATHER
IMPRESSIVE...SUPPORTING SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT. LARGE HAIL AND STRONG
WIND GUSTS WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS...WITH WIND LIKELY BECOMING THE
GREATER THREAT DURING THE EVENING AS A POSSIBLE BOW ECHO OR DERECHO
EVENT COULD DEVELOP. TORNADIC THREAT WILL BE GREATEST NORTH AND EAST
OF THE LOW AND WARM FRONT...PRIMARILY ACROSS NORTHWESTERN SD. LOW
PRESSURE AND COOL FRONT WILL PUSH EAST ACROSS THE AREA
TONIGHT...WITH GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS FOR A WHILE BEHIND IT. LOWS
WILL BE IN THE 50S AND LOWER 60S.

THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WILL MAINLY BE DRY DAYS. HOWEVER...CANNOT RULE
OUT A FEW SHOWERS AND STORMS LATE THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY AS WEAK
ENERGY CROSSES THE REGION. HIGHS EACH DAY WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE
MID 70S TO MID 80S.

EXTENDED...UPPER RIDGE WILL REMAIN ACRS SRN CONUS FROM ARIZONA
THROUGH TEXAS DURING THE EXTENDED PERIOD. THIS WILL KEEP NRN PLAINS
ON NRN FRINGES OF UPPER RIDGE WITH OCCASIONAL S/WS MVG THRU THE
UPPER FLOW BRINGING A DAILY CHC OF SHOWERS AND TSTMS TO THE REGION.
TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR SEASONAL NORMALS THRU THE PERIOD.

&&

.AVIATION...MVFR CLDS ON SD PLAINS ARE EXPECTED TO BURN OFF BY
19Z. SCT THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AFT 20Z...ESP ALONG AND NORTH
OF I-90. IFR/MVFR CONDS DUE TO CIGS/VSBYS AND MODERATE TURBULANCE
CAN BE EXPECTED IN AND NEAR ANY TSTMS. TSTM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED
TO DIMINISH AFT 06Z. OTHERWISE...VFR CONDS ARE EXPECTED THRU THE
FCST PERIOD.

&&

.UNR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...NONE.
WY...NONE.
&&
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 8, 6:47 AM MDT, 10 hours 25 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
647 AM MDT WED JUL 8 2009

SDZ001-002-012>014-024>032-041>044-046-047-049-072>074-WYZ054>058-
071-091300-
BENNETT-BUTTE-CENTRAL BLACK HILLS-CUSTER CO PLAINS-FALL RIVER-HAAKON-
HARDING-HERMOSA FOOT HILLS-JACKSON-MELLETTE-NORTHEASTERN CROOK-
NORTHERN BLACK HILLS-NORTHERN CAMPBELL-NORTHERN FOOT HILLS-
NORTHERN MEADE CO PLAINS-PENNINGTON CO PLAINS-PERKINS-RAPID CITY-
SHANNON-SOUTHERN BLACK HILLS-SOUTHERN CAMPBELL-SOUTHERN FOOT HILLS-
SOUTHERN MEADE CO PLAINS-STURGIS/PIEDMONT FOOT HILLS-TODD-TRIPP-
WESTERN CROOK-WESTON-WYOMING BLACK HILLS-ZIEBACH-
647 AM MDT (747 AM CDT) WED JUL 8 2009

...MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER FAR NORTHWESTERN SOUTH
DAKOTA...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND
NORTHEASTERN WYOMING.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION LATER
TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE
HIGHER TERRAIN OF WYOMING AND THE BLACK HILLS IN THE AFTERNOON
THEN MOVE EAST ONTO THE SOUTH DAKOTA PLAINS LATER THIS
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS OVER FAR NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA...WITH A SLIGHT RISK
FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MOST OF NORTHEAST WYOMING AND
THE REMAINDER OF WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA WITH VERY LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WIND GUSTS POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION...A FEW TORNADOES
ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA GENERALLY NORTH OF
INTERSTATE 90. THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD PUSH EAST OF OUR AREA BY OR
SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT.

TAKE TIME TO REVIEW YOUR SEVERE WEATHER PLANS AND PREPARE FOR
HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS BEFORE STORMS DEVELOP. MONITOR NOAA WEATHER
RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA FOR UPDATED INFORMATION ON THIS POTENTIAL
SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY...ESPECIALLY ACROSS
NORTHWEST SOUTH DAKOTA.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 8, 4:51 PM MDT, 21 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
451 PM MDT WED JUL 08 2009

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

0435 PM     HAIL             7 NE HULETT             44.75N 104.50W
07/08/2009  E1.25 INCH       CROOK              WY   PUBLIC

&&

LCZEPYHA
Local storm report, Jul 8, 4:52 PM MDT, 20 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
452 PM MDT WED JUL 08 2009

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

0426 PM     HAIL             OSAGE                   43.98N 104.42W
07/08/2009  E1.75 INCH       WESTON             WY   PUBLIC

&&

LCZEPYHA
Local storm report, Jul 8, 4:53 PM MDT, 19 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
453 PM MDT WED JUL 08 2009

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

0425 PM     HAIL             4 E DOWNTOWN STURGIS    44.41N 103.43W
07/08/2009  E1.00 INCH       MEADE              SD   CO-OP OBSERVER

&&

LCZEPYHA
Local storm report, Jul 8, 4:54 PM MDT, 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
454 PM MDT WED JUL 08 2009

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

0430 PM     HAIL             4 N HULETT              44.74N 104.60W
07/08/2009  E0.88 INCH       CROOK              WY   PUBLIC

&&

LCZEPYHA
Local storm report, Jul 8, 5:05 PM MDT, 7 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAPID CITY SD
505 PM MDT WED JUL 08 2009

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

0445 PM     HAIL             10 W HARDING            45.39N 104.04W
07/08/2009  E1.75 INCH       HARDING            SD   PUBLIC

            HAIL FROM 445 PM MDT TO 455 PM MDT.

&&

WETENKAMP
Local storm report, Jul 8, 5:09 PM MDT, 3 minutes before
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The office that day

Everything else NWS Rapid City, SD issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 7, 9:29 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryUNRFall River13 hr
Jul 8, 4:20 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningUNRMeade20 min
Jul 8, 4:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningUNRHarding45 min
Jul 8, 4:58 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningUNRCuster, Pennington62 min
Jul 8, 5:07 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningUNRCuster, Fall River53 min
Jul 8, 5:50 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningUNRCuster, Pennington55 min
Jul 8, 5:57 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningUNRButte, Harding46 min
Jul 8, 4:13 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningUNRWeston62 min
Jul 8, 4:22 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningUNRCrook53 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in South 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.