Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 2016

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Bismarck, ND

July 20, 2016Mountrail County, Ward County, North Dakota

NWS Bismarck, ND issued this tornado warning at Jul 20, 2016, 4:40 PM CDT for Mountrail County, Ward County, North Dakota. It was in force for 35 min. 4 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: Jul 20, 2016, 4:40 PM CDT (21:40 UTC)
Expired: Jul 20, 2016, 5:15 PM CDT
In force: 35 min
Issued by: NWS Bismarck, ND
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

Counties Mountrail County, ND, Ward County, ND

The radar

The Minot AFB radar (KMBX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:42 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
Jul 20, 4:42 PM CDT	TORNADO	15 Wsw Berthold, ND	TORNADO STILL ON THE GROUND.
Jul 20, 4:44 PM CDT	TORNADO	3 E Palermo, ND	TORNADO REPORTED JUST SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 2 MM 101
Jul 20, 4:58 PM CDT	TORNADO	4 Sw Tagus, ND	TORNADO ROPED OUT AND ENDED AT 4...46 PM CDT
Jul 20, 5:02 PM CDT	HAIL 1.75	Tagus, ND	HAIL ONGOING.

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 20, 4:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 195 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: 2285 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -286 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1417 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 27 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 205 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

973 
WFUS53 KBIS 202140
TORBIS
NDC061-101-202215-
/O.NEW.KBIS.TO.W.0021.160720T2140Z-160720T2215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
440 PM CDT WED JUL 20 2016

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN MOUNTRAIL COUNTY IN NORTHWESTERN NORTH DAKOTA...
  WEST CENTRAL WARD COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...

* UNTIL 515 PM CDT
    
* AT 440 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR BLAISDELL...OR 14 MILES EAST OF
  STANLEY...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO. 

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

  IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT
           SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.
           DAMAGE TO ROOFS...WINDOWS...AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR. TREE
           DAMAGE IS LIKELY. 

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  BLAISDELL AROUND 450 PM CDT. 

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE TAGUS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...IN
A MOBILE HOME...OR IN A VEHICLE...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL
SHELTER AND PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 4819 10215 4834 10222 4847 10188 4818 10177
TIME...MOT...LOC 2140Z 257DEG 13KT 4827 10209 

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

$$

HARGROVE

2 follow-up statements

679 
WWUS53 KBIS 202144
SVSBIS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
444 PM CDT WED JUL 20 2016

NDC061-101-202215-
/O.CON.KBIS.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-160720T2215Z/
MOUNTRAIL ND-WARD ND-
444 PM CDT WED JUL 20 2016

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM CDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN MOUNTRAIL AND WEST CENTRAL WARD COUNTIES...
    
AT 443 PM CDT...A CONFIRMED TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR BLAISDELL...OR
15 MILES EAST OF STANLEY...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

HAZARD...DAMAGING TORNADO AND HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL. 

SOURCE...LAW ENFORCEMENT CONFIRMED TORNADO. 

IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT
         SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. DAMAGE
         TO ROOFS...WINDOWS...AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR.  TREE DAMAGE
         IS LIKELY. 

THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF
NORTHEASTERN MOUNTRAIL AND WEST CENTRAL WARD COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE
FOLLOWING LOCATIONS: TAGUS.

LAT...LON 4819 10215 4834 10222 4847 10188 4818 10177
TIME...MOT...LOC 2143Z 257DEG 13KT 4827 10207 

TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...1.25IN

$$

HARGROVE

535 
WWUS53 KBIS 202156
SVSBIS

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
456 PM CDT WED JUL 20 2016

NDC061-101-202215-
/O.CON.KBIS.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-160720T2215Z/
MOUNTRAIL ND-WARD ND-
456 PM CDT WED JUL 20 2016

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM CDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN MOUNTRAIL AND WEST CENTRAL WARD COUNTIES...
    
AT 456 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BLAISDELL...OR 18 MILES EAST OF
STANLEY...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

HAZARD...TORNADO AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL. 

SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT
         SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. DAMAGE
         TO ROOFS...WINDOWS...AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR.  TREE DAMAGE
         IS LIKELY. 

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
BLAISDELL AND TAGUS. 

LAT...LON 4819 10207 4836 10218 4847 10188 4818 10177
TIME...MOT...LOC 2156Z 257DEG 13KT 4828 10200 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.75IN

$$

HARGROVE

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 19, 8:15 PM CDT	Heat Advisory	BIS	Adams, Bowman, Burleigh, Dickey, Dunn, Emmons and 16 more	24 hr
Jul 19, 9:35 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BIS	Slope	25 min
Jul 20, 2:24 PM CDT	Excessive Heat Warning	BIS	Burleigh, Dickey, Emmons, Foster, Grant, Kidder and 8 more	6 hr
Jul 20, 4:24 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BIS	Ward	21 min
Jul 20, 5:12 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Mountrail, Renville, Ward	48 min
Jul 20, 5:31 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BIS	Adams	44 min
Jul 20, 5:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McHenry, Ward	61 min
Jul 20, 6:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Adams	38 min
Jul 20, 6:33 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	BIS	Grant	27 min
Jul 20, 6:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	McHenry, Pierce	63 min
Jul 20, 6:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BIS	Grant	68 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 2016 Every tornado warning in 2016 Tornadoes in 2016

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.