Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 72, NWS Bismarck, ND

July 20, 2011Pierce County, North Dakota

NWS Bismarck, ND issued this tornado warning at Jul 20, 2011, 6:34 AM CDT for Pierce County, North Dakota. It was in force for 26 min. 7 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: Jul 20, 2011, 6:34 AM CDT (11:34 UTC)
Expired: Jul 20, 2011, 7:00 AM CDT
In force: 26 min
Issued by: NWS Bismarck, ND
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Pierce County, ND

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jul 20, 6:45 AM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	5 Nw Balta, ND	BOX ELDER TREES TOPPLED. BENT FLAGPOLE
Jul 20, 6:50 AM CDT	TORNADO	5 S Rugby, ND	SANITATION BUILDING LEVELED. THREE POWER POLES SW OF THE SANITATION BUILDING SNAPPED MIDWAY UP AND A LOT OF TREENS STRIPPED. HAYBALES SCATTERED WITH SOME RIPPED APART. SEMI TRUCK PICKED UP ALONG ND HIGHWAY 3 AND THROWN INTO A DITCH. NO FATALITIES OR INJURIES R
Jul 20, 6:50 AM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Pleasant Lake, ND	STEEL POLE BARN DESTROYED
Jul 20, 6:52 AM CDT	TSTM WND GST 0	Rugby, ND	WIND ESTIMATED AT 70 MPH.
Jul 20, 6:52 AM CDT	TSTM WND GST 70	Rugby, ND
Jul 20, 6:55 AM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	5 E Rugby, ND	STRAIGHT LINE WINDS ESTIMATED TO 75 MPH. 60 FOOT SPRUCE TREES DOWN. HEAVY RAIN 0.80 INCHES.
Jul 20, 6:56 AM CDT	TSTM WND GST 68	Rugby, ND	MEASURED WIND GUST AT RUGBY AWOS.

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
Jul 20, 5:25 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 187 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: 5088 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -73 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1472 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 95 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.4
Supercell composite: 5.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

963 
WFUS53 KBIS 201134
TORBIS
NDC069-201200-
/O.NEW.KBIS.TO.W.0072.110720T1134Z-110720T1200Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
634 AM CDT WED JUL 20 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN PIERCE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...

* UNTIL 700 AM CDT

* AT 629 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
  SEVERE SQUALL LINE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF TORNADOES IN         
  ADDITION TO WIDESPREAD STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE. THIS DANGEROUS 
STORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES SOUTH OF BERWICK...OR 41 MILES   SOUTH OF 
BOTTINEAU...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  RUGBY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES AND
WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT WIND DAMAGE. DO NOT WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE
TORNADO. FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.

&&

LAT...LON 4854 9978 4837 9968 4836 9973 4836 9983
      4821 9984 4815 10024 4836 10024
TIME...MOT...LOC 1133Z 241DEG 29KT 4827 10019

$$

HEINERT

2 follow-up statements

651 
WWUS53 KBIS 201144
SVSBIS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
644 AM CDT WED JUL 20 2011

NDC069-201200-
/O.CON.KBIS.TO.W.0072.000000T0000Z-110720T1200Z/
PIERCE ND-
644 AM CDT WED JUL 20 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN PIERCE COUNTY
UNTIL 700 AM CDT...

AT 643 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTH OF RUGBY...OR 42 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
BOTTINEAU...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  RUGBY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES AND
WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT WIND DAMAGE. DO NOT WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE
TORNADO. FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.

&&

LAT...LON 4854 9978 4837 9968 4836 9973 4836 9983
      4821 9984 4815 10024 4836 10024
TIME...MOT...LOC 1145Z 241DEG 29KT 4830 9999

$$

HEINERT

601 
WWUS53 KBIS 201200
SVSBIS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
700 AM CDT WED JUL 20 2011

NDC069-201209-
/O.EXP.KBIS.TO.W.0072.000000T0000Z-110720T1200Z/
PIERCE ND-
700 AM CDT WED JUL 20 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHERN PIERCE COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 700 
AM CDT...

THE TORNADO THREAT HAS DIMINISHED...THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING HAS
EXPIRED. HOWEVER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT 
FOR THE AREA. PLEASE REFER TO THAT PRODUCT FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION.

LAT...LON 4854 9978 4837 9968 4836 9973 4836 9983
      4821 9984 4815 10024 4836 10024
TIME...MOT...LOC 1159Z 241DEG 29KT 4835 9984

$$

HEINERT

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 19, 7:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Billings, Golden Valley, Slope	39 min
Jul 19, 10:57 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BIS	Billings, Golden Valley, Slope	18 hr
Jul 20, 5:02 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McLean, Ward	58 min
Jul 20, 5:43 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McHenry, McLean, Sheridan, Ward	62 min
Jul 20, 6:22 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McHenry, Pierce, Sheridan, Wells	53 min
Jul 20, 7:05 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Pierce, Rolette	40 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 2011 Every tornado warning in 2011 Tornadoes in 2011

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.