Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 31, NWS Grand Forks, ND

July 15, 2011Ransom County, Richland County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Jul 15, 2011, 4:18 AM CDT for Ransom County, Richland County, North Dakota. It was in force for 42 min. 1 report 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 15, 2011, 4:18 AM CDT (09:18 UTC)
Expired
Jul 15, 2011, 5:00 AM CDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Ransom County, ND, Richland County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 120 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:18 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
Jul 15, 4:40 AM CDTHAIL 1.255 Wnw Galchutt, ND

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
Jul 15, 2:56 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 00:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 202 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 00:00Z on 2011-07-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4277 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 00:00Z on 2011-07-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 180 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
4277 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
763 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
180 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
197 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
4.1
Supercell composite
19.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

846 
WFUS53 KFGF 150918
TORFGF
NDC073-077-151000-
/O.NEW.KFGF.TO.W.0031.110715T0918Z-110715T1000Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
418 AM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN RANSOM COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...
  NORTHWESTERN RICHLAND COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...

* UNTIL 500 AM CDT

* AT 414 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THE STORM WAS
  LOCATED 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MCLEOD...OR 36 MILES WEST OF
  WAHPETON...MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADIC STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  WALCOTT AND COLFAX AROUND 500 AM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A STURDY BUILDING.

&&

LAT...LON 4663 9686 4630 9683 4629 9743 4647 9746
TIME...MOT...LOC 0917Z 266DEG 20KT 4638 9732

$$
GUST
2 follow-up statements
739 
WWUS53 KFGF 150943
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
443 AM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

NDC073-150951-
/O.CAN.KFGF.TO.W.0031.000000T0000Z-110715T1000Z/
RANSOM ND-
443 AM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN RANSOM COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST
NORTH DAKOTA IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED 
AREA.

LAT...LON 4652 9728 4663 9686 4630 9685 4629 9728
TIME...MOT...LOC 0941Z 266DEG 20KT 4639 9713

$$

NDC077-151000-
/O.CON.KFGF.TO.W.0031.000000T0000Z-110715T1000Z/
RICHLAND ND-
443 AM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN RICHLAND
COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 500 AM CDT...

AT 437 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES EAST OF
MCLEOD...OR 27 MILES WEST OF WAHPETON...MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH.

THE TORNADIC STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  WALCOTT AND COLFAX AROUND 500 AM CDT AND
  PASS NORTH OF WYNDMERE AND BARNEY THROUGH 500 AM CDT.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A STURDY BUILDING.

&&

LAT...LON 4652 9728 4663 9686 4630 9685 4629 9728
TIME...MOT...LOC 0941Z 266DEG 20KT 4639 9713

$$

GUST
662 
WWUS53 KFGF 151002
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
502 AM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

NDC077-151012-
/O.EXP.KFGF.TO.W.0031.000000T0000Z-110715T1000Z/
RICHLAND ND-
502 AM CDT FRI JUL 15 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN RICHLAND COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST
NORTH DAKOTA HAS EXPIRED...

THE TORNADO THREAT HAS DIMINISHED...THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING HAS
EXPIRED. HOWEVER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT
FOR THE AREA.

LAT...LON 4652 9728 4663 9686 4630 9685 4629 9728
TIME...MOT...LOC 0943Z 266DEG 20KT 4639 9711

$$

GUST

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 15, 2:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGriggs64 min
Jul 15, 2:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBarnes64 min
Jul 15, 3:25 AM CDTTornado WarningFGFBarnes50 min
Jul 15, 3:53 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRansom, Richland52 min
Jul 15, 4:03 AM CDTExcessive Heat WatchFGFBarnes, Benson, Cass, Eddy, Grand Forks, Griggs and 9 more24 hr
Jul 15, 4:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBarnes, Cass56 min
Jul 15, 4:50 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRichland55 min
Jul 15, 5:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFCass, Traill43 min
Jul 15, 5:11 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryFGFBarnes9 hr
Jul 15, 5:12 AM CDTTornado WarningFGFRichland39 min
Jul 15, 5:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRichland58 min
Jul 15, 3:15 PM CDTExcessive Heat WarningFGFBarnes, Cass, Eddy, Grand Forks, Griggs, Nelson and 5 more5 days

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 2011Every tornado warning in 2011Tornadoes 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.