Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 34, NWS Grand Forks, ND

July 16, 2011Benson County, Ramsey County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Jul 16, 2011, 7:53 PM CDT for Benson County, Ramsey County, North Dakota. It was in force for 52 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 16, 2011, 7:53 PM CDT (00:53 UTC)
Expired
Jul 16, 2011, 8:45 PM CDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Benson County, ND, Ramsey County, ND

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 16, 7:56 PM CDTTORNADO3 S Minnewaukan, NDTORNADO REPORTED OVER LONG LAKE SUCKING UP WATER

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 16, 4:57 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 0.9 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Bismarck Municip, ND at 00:00Z on 2011-07-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4274 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, Bismarck Municip, ND at 00:00Z on 2011-07-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 54 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
4274 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1100 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
54 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
205 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.4
Supercell composite
13.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

175 
WFUS53 KFGF 170053
TORFGF
NDC005-071-170145-
/O.NEW.KFGF.TO.W.0034.110717T0053Z-110717T0145Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
753 PM CDT SAT JUL 16 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL BENSON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...
  SOUTHWESTERN RAMSEY COUNTY IN NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...

* UNTIL 845 PM CDT

* AT 748 PM CDT...LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A TORNADO 4 MILES SOUTH OF
  MINNEWAUKAN...OR 18 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DEVILS LAKE. THE TORNADO    
  WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 MPH.

* THE TORNADIC STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  FORT TOTTEN AROUND 815 PM CDT.
  CAMP GRAFTON AND ST MICHAEL AROUND 830 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 4820 9895 4797 9883 4788 9936 4805 9945
TIME...MOT...LOC 0053Z 248DEG 19KT 4802 9919

$$

JK
2 follow-up statements
765 
WWUS53 KFGF 170100
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
800 PM CDT SAT JUL 16 2011

NDC005-071-170145-
/O.CON.KFGF.TO.W.0034.000000T0000Z-110717T0145Z/
BENSON ND-RAMSEY ND-
800 PM CDT SAT JUL 16 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWESTERN RAMSEY AND
CENTRAL BENSON COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 845 PM CDT...

AT 758 PM CDT...STORM SPOTTERS OBSERVED AND NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO. THE DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED 3
MILES SOUTH OF MINNEWAUKAN...OR 14 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DEVILS 
LAKE...MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 MPH.  

AT 756 PM...THE TORNADO WAS OBSERVED 3 MILES SOUTH OF MINNEWAUKAN 
OVER LONG LAKE.  

AT 758 PM...SPOTTERS REPORTED THE TORNADO HAD LIFTED...BUT THE 
TORNADO COULD DROP BACK DOWN AT ANYTIME. 

THE TORNADIC STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  FORT TOTTEN AROUND 815 PM CDT.
  CAMP GRAFTON AROUND 825 PM CDT.
  ST MICHAEL AROUND 830 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 4820 9895 4797 9883 4788 9936 4805 9945
TIME...MOT...LOC 0059Z 248DEG 19KT 4803 9915

$$

DTR
726 
WWUS53 KFGF 170125
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
825 PM CDT SAT JUL 16 2011

NDC005-071-170145-
/O.CON.KFGF.TO.W.0034.000000T0000Z-110717T0145Z/
BENSON ND-RAMSEY ND-
825 PM CDT SAT JUL 16 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHWESTERN RAMSEY AND
EAST CENTRAL BENSON COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 845 PM
CDT...

AT 821 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 2 MILES NORTHWEST
OF FORT TOTTEN...OR 11 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DEVILS LAKE...MOVING TO THE
EAST AT 20 MPH.

RADAR INDICATED THE STRONGEST CIRCULATION WILL AFFECT THE FORT 
TOTTEN AREA AND SPIRIT LAKE CASINO AREA.  

THE TORNADIC STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  CAMP GRAFTON AROUND 835 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 4796 9904 4813 9914 4819 9894 4801 9885
TIME...MOT...LOC 0125Z 263DEG 19KT 4800 9900

$$

DTR

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 16, 7:10 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFGriggs50 min
Jul 16, 8:36 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFBenson, Ramsey39 min
Jul 16, 9:24 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFBenson, Nelson, Ramsey51 min
Jul 16, 10:02 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFGFNelson, Ramsey10 hr
Jul 16, 10:41 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryFGFPembina, Walsh8 hr
Jul 16, 11:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFWalsh52 min
Jul 17, 11:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBenson60 min
Jul 17, 12:33 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFEddy42 min
Jul 17, 1:11 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFEddy49 min
Jul 17, 2:24 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFBarnes, Griggs36 min
Jul 17, 2:57 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFBarnes, Griggs48 min
Jul 17, 3:34 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFBarnes, Griggs, Steele41 min
Jul 17, 4:12 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFBarnes, Cass63 min
Jul 17, 5:13 PM CDTTornado WarningFGFCass45 min

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.