Alert archive / North Dakota / Tornado Warnings in 2020

Tornado Warning 24, NWS Grand Forks, ND

July 17, 2020Benson County, Ramsey County, North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Jul 17, 2020, 3:47 PM CDT for Benson County, Ramsey County, North Dakota. It was in force for 22 min. 3 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 17, 2020, 3:47 PM CDT (20:47 UTC)
Expired: Jul 17, 2020, 4:09 PM CDT
In force: 22 min
Issued by: NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.0 in

Counties Benson County, ND, Ramsey County, ND

The radar

The Minot AFB radar (KMBX), 136 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:49 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 17, 3:47 PM CDT	TORNADO 0	3 W Churchs Ferry, ND	A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR HIGHWAY 2 AND LIFTED BY 3 48 PM CDT. TREES WERE SNAPPED IN A SHELTER BELT AND A NEARBY RWIS STATION REPORTED A PEAK WIND TO 101 MPH. THE TORNADO WAS LIKELY WRAPPED IN HEAVY RAIN AND DOWNBURST WINDS. PEAK WINDS ESTIMATED TO 105
Jul 17, 3:47 PM CDT	TORNADO 1	3 W Churchs Ferry, ND	A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR HIGHWAY 2 AND LIFTED BY 3 48 PM CDT. TREES WERE SNAPPED IN A SHELTER BELT AND A NEARBY RWIS STATION REPORTED A PEAK WIND TO 101 MPH. THE TORNADO WAS LIKELY WRAPPED IN HEAVY RAIN AND DOWNBURST WINDS. PEAK WINDS ESTIMATED TO 105
Jul 17, 4:01 PM CDT	TSTM WND GST 59	3 W Churchs Ferry, ND	SECONDARY PEAK WINDS AT AN RWIS STATION ALONG HIGHWAY 2.

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 17, 12:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	10 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 200 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: 610 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -328 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1524 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 213 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 264 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 6.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

829 
WFUS53 KFGF 172047
TORFGF
NDC005-071-172130-
/O.NEW.KFGF.TO.W.0024.200717T2047Z-200717T2130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Grand Forks ND
347 PM CDT Fri Jul 17 2020

The National Weather Service in Grand Forks has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northeastern Benson County in northeastern North Dakota...
  Southwestern Ramsey County in northeastern North Dakota...

* Until 430 PM CDT.
    
* At 347 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Churchs Ferry, or 15 miles northwest of Devils
  Lake, moving east at 40 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Expect damage to mobile homes, roofs, and vehicles.

* This dangerous storm will be near...
  Penn around 355 PM CDT.
  Webster and Lakewood Park around 405 PM CDT.
  Devils Lake around 410 PM CDT.

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 4813 9931 4833 9925 4829 9864 4804 9875
TIME...MOT...LOC 2047Z 278DEG 34KT 4822 9918 

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

$$

Hopkins

1 follow-up statement

765 
WWUS53 KFGF 172109
SVSFGF

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Grand Forks ND
409 PM CDT Fri Jul 17 2020

NDC005-071-172119-
/O.CAN.KFGF.TO.W.0024.000000T0000Z-200717T2130Z/
Benson ND-Ramsey ND-
409 PM CDT Fri Jul 17 2020

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN BENSON AND SOUTHWESTERN
RAMSEY COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...
    
The tornado threat has diminished and the Tornado Warning has been
cancelled. However, large hail and damaging winds remain likely and a
Severe Thunderstorm Warning remains in effect for the area.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 800 PM CDT for
northeastern North Dakota.

LAT...LON 4813 9931 4833 9925 4829 9864 4804 9875
TIME...MOT...LOC 2107Z 278DEG 34KT 4819 9887 

$$

Knutsvig

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 17, 3:31 AM CDT	Heat Advisory	FGF	Barnes, Cass, Ransom, Richland, Sargent	15 hr
Jul 17, 2:01 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Cavalier, Towner	59 min
Jul 17, 2:22 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Benson, Cavalier, Ramsey, Towner	53 min
Jul 17, 2:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Cavalier, Pembina	57 min
Jul 17, 2:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Benson, Cavalier, Pembina, Ramsey, Towner, Walsh	64 min
Jul 17, 3:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Benson, Ramsey	54 min
Jul 17, 3:31 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Pembina	59 min
Jul 17, 3:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Cavalier, Grand Forks, Nelson, Pembina, Ramsey, Walsh	51 min
Jul 17, 4:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Benson, Nelson, Ramsey	66 min
Jul 17, 4:13 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Benson, Ramsey	62 min
Jul 17, 4:18 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Pembina	57 min
Jul 17, 4:21 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	FGF	Benson, Ramsey	3 hr
Jul 17, 4:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Grand Forks, Nelson, Pembina, Walsh	67 min
Jul 17, 4:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Benson, Eddy, Nelson, Ramsey	41 min
Jul 17, 4:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Grand Forks, Traill	62 min
Jul 17, 5:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Benson, Nelson, Ramsey, Towner	65 min
Jul 17, 5:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Cass, Traill	54 min
Jul 17, 5:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Benson, Eddy, Nelson, Ramsey	65 min
Jul 17, 5:39 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Benson, Eddy, Ramsey	66 min
Jul 17, 5:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Cass, Traill	66 min
Jul 17, 6:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Eddy, Griggs, Steele	55 min
Jul 17, 6:46 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Benson	44 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in North Dakota, 2020 Every tornado warning in 2020 Tornadoes in 2020

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.