Alert archive / Minnesota / Winter Storm Watches in 2020

Winter Storm Watch 3, NWS Grand Forks, ND

April 1, 202018 counties in Minnesota; 17 counties in North Dakota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this winter storm watch at Apr 1, 2020, 4:37 AM CDT for 18 counties in Minnesota; 17 counties in North Dakota. It took effect at Apr 2, 2020, 6:00 AM CDT. It was in force for .

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 1, 2020, 4:37 AM CDT (09:37 UTC)
In effect from
Apr 2, 2020, 6:00 AM CDT
Expired
Apr 2, 2020, 4:04 AM CDT
In force
Issued by
NWS Grand Forks, ND
All 35 counties

Becker County, MN, Beltrami County, MN, Clay County, MN, Clearwater County, MN, Grant County, MN, Hubbard County, MN, Kittson County, MN, Lake of the Woods County, MN, Mahnomen County, MN, Marshall County, MN, Norman County, MN, Otter Tail County, MN, Pennington County, MN, Polk County, MN, Red Lake County, MN, Roseau County, MN, Wadena County, MN, Wilkin County, MN, Barnes County, ND, Benson County, ND, Cass County, ND, Cavalier County, ND, Eddy County, ND, Grand Forks County, ND, Griggs County, ND, Nelson County, ND, Pembina County, ND, Ramsey County, ND, Ransom County, ND, Richland County, ND, Sargent County, ND, Steele County, ND, Towner County, ND, Traill County, ND, Walsh County, ND

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 32 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 09:41 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 00:00Z, 9.6 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Bismarck Municip, ND at 00:00Z on 2020-04-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 41 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Bismarck Municip, ND at 00:00Z on 2020-04-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 63 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
41 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-133 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1431 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
63 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
178 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this winter storm watch went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before this winter storm watch went out at Apr 1, 4:30 AM CDT, 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 1, 4:30 AM CDT, 7 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 31, 3:18 PM CDT, 13 hours 19 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Grand Forks ND
318 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2020

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-012030-
West Polk-Norman-Clay-Kittson-Roseau-Lake Of The Woods-
West Marshall-East Marshall-North Beltrami-Pennington-Red Lake-
East Polk-North Clearwater-South Beltrami-Mahnomen-
South Clearwater-Hubbard-West Becker-East Becker-Wilkin-
West Otter Tail-East Otter Tail-Wadena-Grant-Towner-Cavalier-
Pembina-Benson-Ramsey-Eastern Walsh-Eddy-Nelson-Grand Forks-
Griggs-Steele-Traill-Barnes-Cass-Ransom-Sargent-Richland-
Western Walsh-
318 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2020

This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of eastern North
Dakota, west central and northwest Minnesota.

.DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight

The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday

The likelihood is high for an elongated and narrow area of
snowfall on Thursday somewhere across the region. This band of
snow will begin Thursday morning and continue into Thursday
afternoon, with snowfall rates exceeding an inch per hour at
times. At least 4 inches of snow is expected in a short period of
time, with higher amounts possible. The entire region is within
the threat area for this snowfall, although it will only affect a
small part of the region. Significant travel impacts are possible
where the snow occurs, which includes the morning and evening
rush hour periods. The details with this event remain uncertain
due to the complex nature of this system. Stay tuned to the latest
forecasts as confidence will increase in the location and
snowfall amounts.

Lighter but more widespread snowfall is expected Thursday night
into Friday, bringing additional winter travel concerns to the
region.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not anticipated.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 1, 3:30 PM CDTWinter Storm WarningFGFBecker, Clay, Grant, Kittson, Mahnomen, Marshall and 7 more42 hr

Nearby

Winter Storm Watches in Minnesota, 2020Winter Storm Watches in North Dakota, 2020Every winter storm watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.