Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Grand Forks, ND

May 28, 2015Marshall County, Minnesota; Walsh County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at May 28, 2015, 5:11 PM CDT for Marshall County, Minnesota; Walsh County, North Dakota. It was in force for 29 min. 5 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 28, 2015, 5:11 PM CDT (22:11 UTC)
Expired: May 28, 2015, 5:40 PM CDT
In force: 29 min
Issued by: NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

Counties Marshall County, MN, Walsh County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:13 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 28, 5:17 PM CDT	TORNADO 0	8 Ese Grafton, ND	TORNADO TRACKED FOR FOR NEARLY 2 MILES IN SOUTHERN ACTON TOWNSHIP...TO AROUND 10 ESE OF GRAFTON BY 521 PM CDT. SEVERAL MEDIUM TO LARGE COTTONWOOD TREES /12 TO 18 INCH DIAMETER/ WERE SNAPPED NEAR THE GROUND AND NUMEROUS TREE BRANCHES AND LIMBS WERE BROKEN OFF I
May 28, 5:20 PM CDT	HAIL 1.75	9 E Grafton, ND	VIA SOCIAL MEDIA POST.
May 28, 5:25 PM CDT	HAIL 1	5 Nne Big Woods, MN	HAIL WAS ACCOMPANIED BY VERY HEAVY RAINS AND DAMAGING WINDS. SEVERAL LARGE BRANCHES AND TREE LIMBS WERE BROKEN DOWN IN A FARMYARD.
May 28, 5:33 PM CDT	HAIL 1.75	9 E Grafton, ND	VIA FACEBOOK.
May 28, 5:33 PM CDT	HAIL 1.75	9 E Grafton, ND	VIA SOCIAL MEDIA POST.

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, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 284 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1379 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 141 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 167 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.

168 
WFUS53 KFGF 282211
TORFGF
MNC089-NDC099-282300-
/O.NEW.KFGF.TO.W.0004.150528T2211Z-150528T2300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
511 PM CDT THU MAY 28 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN MARSHALL COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN MINNESOTA...
  EAST CENTRAL WALSH COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA...

* UNTIL 600 PM CDT
    
* AT 510 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR OAKWOOD...OR 8 MILES EAST OF GRAFTON...
  MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO. 

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

  IMPACT...EXPECT DAMAGE TO MOBILE HOMES...ROOFS AND VEHICLES. 

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  BIG WOODS AROUND 525 PM CDT.
  STEPHEN AROUND 550 PM CDT.
  ARGYLE AROUND 555 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER CONTACT YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.
THEY WILL SEND YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN
GRAND FORKS.

&&

LAT...LON 4832 9735 4842 9736 4854 9687 4827 9681
TIME...MOT...LOC 2210Z 268DEG 21KT 4838 9722 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

JR

2 follow-up statements

091 
WWUS53 KFGF 282229
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
529 PM CDT THU MAY 28 2015

NDC099-282239-
/O.CAN.KFGF.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-150528T2300Z/
WALSH ND-
529 PM CDT THU MAY 28 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL WALSH COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
    
THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT 
OF THE WARNED AREA. THEREFORE THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

LAT...LON 4827 9681 4831 9714 4833 9714 4834 9712
      4837 9716 4839 9716 4841 9713 4842 9713
      4842 9712 4843 9714 4844 9713 4844 9715
      4845 9713 4847 9715 4854 9687
TIME...MOT...LOC 2229Z 268DEG 21KT 4838 9705 

$$

MNC089-282300-
/O.CON.KFGF.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-150528T2300Z/
MARSHALL MN-
529 PM CDT THU MAY 28 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT FOR
NORTHWESTERN MARSHALL COUNTY...
    
AT 529 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED NEAR BIG WOODS...OR 16 MILES EAST OF GRAFTON...MOVING
EAST AT 25 MPH.

HAZARD...TORNADO. 

SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

IMPACT...EXPECT DAMAGE TO MOBILE HOMES...ROOFS AND VEHICLES. 

THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  STEPHEN AROUND 550 PM CDT.
  ARGYLE AROUND 555 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF A TORNADO OR OTHER SEVERE WEATHER IS SPOTTED...REPORT IT TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OR YOUR LOCAL NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY
WHO WILL SEND YOUR REPORT. THIS ACT MAY SAVE LIVES OF OTHERS IN THE
PATH OF DANGEROUS WEATHER.

&&

LAT...LON 4827 9681 4831 9714 4833 9714 4834 9712
      4837 9716 4839 9716 4841 9713 4842 9713
      4842 9712 4843 9714 4844 9713 4844 9715
      4845 9713 4847 9715 4854 9687
TIME...MOT...LOC 2229Z 268DEG 21KT 4838 9705 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

JR

759 
WWUS53 KFGF 282240
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
540 PM CDT THU MAY 28 2015

MNC089-282249-
/O.CAN.KFGF.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-150528T2300Z/
MARSHALL MN-
540 PM CDT THU MAY 28 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN MARSHALL COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...
                
THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS...AND NO LONGER APPEARS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.
THEREFORE THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.  HOWEVER GUSTY WINDS AND
HEAVY RAIN ARE STILL POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 4827 9681 4831 9714 4833 9714 4834 9712
      4837 9716 4839 9716 4841 9713 4842 9713
      4842 9712 4843 9714 4844 9713 4844 9715
      4845 9713 4847 9715 4854 9687
TIME...MOT...LOC 2238Z 268DEG 21KT 4834 9693 

$$

JR

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 28, 3:13 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Polk, Red Lake	62 min
May 28, 3:47 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Pennington, Polk, Red Lake	31 min
May 28, 4:40 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Clay, Norman	65 min
May 28, 5:50 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Kittson	55 min
May 28, 6:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Kittson, Marshall	36 min
May 27, 7:18 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Cass	57 min
May 28, 2:28 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Barnes	62 min
May 28, 3:24 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Steele	66 min
May 28, 4:54 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Richland	66 min
May 28, 4:58 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Walsh	62 min
May 28, 5:28 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Grand Forks	62 min
May 28, 6:14 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Barnes	61 min
May 28, 6:21 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Richland, Sargent	54 min
May 28, 6:32 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	FGF	Ransom, Richland, Sargent	12 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2015 Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 2015 Every tornado warning in 2015 Tornadoes in 2015

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.