Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 10, NWS Grand Forks, ND

August 3, 2012Clay County, Norman County, Minnesota; Cass County, Traill County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Aug 3, 2012, 6:39 PM CDT for Clay County, Norman County, Minnesota; Cass County, Traill County, North Dakota. It was in force for 51 min. 2 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
Aug 3, 2012, 6:39 PM CDT (23:39 UTC)
Expired
Aug 3, 2012, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Clay County, MN, Norman County, MN, Cass County, ND, Traill County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 48 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:40 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
Aug 3, 6:40 PM CDTHAIL 0.88Grandin, NDNEAR MM 91 ON INTERSTATE 91 -- PEA TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL.
Aug 3, 6:45 PM CDTHAIL 1.254 Nnw Gardner, NDREPORTED ON I-29 NORTH OF GARDNER. TIME AND EXACT LOCATION ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.

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
Aug 3, 2:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 288 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 12:00Z on 2012-08-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 254 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 12:00Z on 2012-08-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 93 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
254 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-271 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1688 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
93 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
132 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.

694 
WFUS53 KFGF 032339
TORFGF
MNC027-107-NDC017-097-040030-
/O.NEW.KFGF.TO.W.0010.120803T2339Z-120804T0030Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
639 PM CDT FRI AUG 3 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN CLAY COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...
  SOUTHWESTERN NORMAN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...
  NORTHEASTERN CASS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...
  SOUTHEASTERN TRAILL COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT

* AT 636 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THE STORM WAS
  LOCATED 4 MILES WEST OF GARDNER...OR 21 MILES NORTHWEST OF FARGO...
  MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. HAIL TO ONE INCH IN DIAMETER IS 
  ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

* THE TORNADIC STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  GARDNER AROUND 645 PM CDT.
  GRANDIN AROUND 650 PM CDT.
  PERLEY AROUND 705 PM CDT.
  HENDRUM AROUND 710 PM CDT.

THEREAFTER SOME OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THE TORNADIC STORM
INCLUDE HALSTAD AND BORUP.

FOR MOTORISTS ON INTERSTATE 29...THE TORNADIC STORM WILL BE
BETWEEN...MILE MARKER 84 AROUND 645 PM CDT...AND MILE MARKER 90
AROUND 650 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 4742 9668 4715 9646 4705 9710 4723 9723
TIME...MOT...LOC 2339Z 241DEG 20KT 4715 9703

$$

PR/BB
2 follow-up statements
603 
WWUS53 KFGF 040005
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
705 PM CDT FRI AUG 3 2012

MNC027-107-NDC017-097-040030-
/O.CON.KFGF.TO.W.0010.000000T0000Z-120804T0030Z/
NORMAN MN-CASS ND-TRAILL ND-CLAY MN-
705 PM CDT FRI AUG 3 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN CLAY AND
SOUTHWESTERN NORMAN COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...AND
SOUTHEASTERN TRAILL AND NORTHEASTERN CASS COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST NORTH
DAKOTA UNTIL 730 PM CDT...

AT 703 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 4 MILES WEST OF
PERLEY...OR 20 MILES NORTH OF FARGO...MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 MPH.

THE TORNADIC STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  PERLEY AROUND 715 PM CDT.
  HENDRUM AROUND 720 PM CDT.
  HALSTAD AROUND 725 PM CDT.
  BORUP AROUND 730 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 4707 9698 4729 9705 4742 9668 4715 9646
TIME...MOT...LOC 0005Z 248DEG 18KT 4717 9686

$$

PR/BB
828 
WWUS53 KFGF 040025
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
725 PM CDT FRI AUG 3 2012

MNC027-107-NDC017-097-040035-
/O.EXP.KFGF.TO.W.0010.000000T0000Z-120804T0030Z/
NORMAN MN-CASS ND-TRAILL ND-CLAY MN-
725 PM CDT FRI AUG 3 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN CLAY AND SOUTHWESTERN NORMAN
COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...AND SOUTHEASTERN TRAILL AND
NORTHEASTERN CASS COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA WILL EXPIRE AT
730 PM CDT...

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

LAT...LON 4707 9698 4729 9705 4742 9668 4715 9646
TIME...MOT...LOC 0025Z 248DEG 18KT 4721 9672

$$

ROGERS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 3, 6:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBecker, Clay, Otter Tail, Wilkin57 min
Aug 3, 6:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFNorman, Polk56 min
Aug 3, 3:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBenson, Eddy, Griggs, Nelson, Ramsey54 min
Aug 3, 3:29 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementFGFCavalier61 min
Aug 3, 3:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGrand Forks, Griggs, Nelson, Ramsey, Walsh49 min
Aug 3, 5:30 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementFGFRansom, Richland45 min
Aug 3, 5:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFRansom, Richland, Sargent60 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2012Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 2012Every tornado warning in 2012Tornadoes in 2012

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.