Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 2013

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Grand Forks, ND

May 31, 2013Walsh County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at May 31, 2013, 1:53 PM CDT for Walsh County, North Dakota. It was in force for 52 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: May 31, 2013, 1:53 PM CDT (18:53 UTC)
Expired: May 31, 2013, 2:45 PM CDT
In force: 52 min
Issued by: NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.0 in

County Walsh County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:54 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 31, 1:53 PM CDT	TORNADO	1 Sw Oakwood, ND
May 31, 2:17 PM CDT	TORNADO	4 Ene Grafton, ND	NARROW TORNADO TRACKED INTERMITTENTLY FOR ABOUT 2 MILES TO AROUND 2 NE OF GRAFTON BY ABOUT 225PM CDT.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 12:00Z, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 300 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: 274 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 479 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 27 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: -0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

839 
WFUS53 KFGF 311853
TORFGF
NDC099-311945-
/O.NEW.KFGF.TO.W.0003.130531T1853Z-130531T1945Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
153 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL WALSH COUNTY IN NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...

* UNTIL 245 PM CDT

* AT 150 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR OAKWOOD...AND WAS MOVING TO THE WEST AT 10
  MPH.

  HAZARD...DEVELOPING TORNADO.

  SOURCE...WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUD.

  IMPACT...MOBILE HOMES WILL BE HEAVILY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.
           SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL
           OCCUR. FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DEADLY TO PEOPLE AND ANIMALS.
           EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE IS LIKELY.

* THE DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  GRAFTON AROUND 220 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 4840 9746 4848 9742 4846 9723 4838 9727
TIME...MOT...LOC 1853Z 102DEG 10KT 4842 9728

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...0.00IN

$$
GUST

2 follow-up statements

400 
WWUS53 KFGF 311913
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
213 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

NDC099-311945-
/O.CON.KFGF.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-130531T1945Z/
WALSH ND-
213 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL WALSH COUNTY
UNTIL 245 PM CDT...

AT 208 PM CDT...A CONFIRMED TORNADO WAS LOCATED 2 MILES EAST OF
GRAFTON...AND WAS MOVING TO THE WEST AT 10 MPH.

HAZARD...DAMAGING TORNADO.

SOURCE...WEATHER SPOTTERS CONFIRMED TORNADO.

IMPACT...MOBILE HOMES WILL BE HEAVILY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.
         SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL
         OCCUR. FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DEADLY TO PEOPLE AND ANIMALS.
         EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE IS LIKELY.

THE TORNADIC STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  GRAFTON AROUND 220 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 4840 9746 4848 9742 4846 9723 4838 9727
      4839 9734
TIME...MOT...LOC 1912Z 102DEG 10KT 4842 9736

TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

GUST

855 
WWUS53 KFGF 311938
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
238 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

NDC099-311948-
/O.CAN.KFGF.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-130531T1945Z/
WALSH ND-
238 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL WALSH COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

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

LAT...LON 4840 9746 4848 9742 4846 9723 4838 9727
      4839 9734
TIME...MOT...LOC 1938Z 102DEG 10KT 4845 9746

$$

GUST

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 31, 7:21 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	FGF	Walsh	30 hr
May 31, 10:55 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	FGF	Cavalier, Pembina	30 hr
May 31, 11:11 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	FGF	Walsh	5 days
May 31, 11:11 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	FGF	Walsh	6 days
May 31, 11:11 AM CDT	River Flood Warning	FGF	Pembina	4 days

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 2013 Every tornado warning in 2013 Tornadoes in 2013

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.