Alert archive / North Dakota / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1576

August 22, 202115 counties in North Dakota; 14 counties in South Dakota

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Aug 22, 2021, 2:21 PM CDT for 15 counties in North Dakota; 14 counties in South Dakota. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 22, 2021, 2:21 PM CDT (19:21 UTC)
Expired
Aug 22, 2021, 4:45 PM CDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch likely
Chance of a watch
80%
All 29 counties

Benson County, ND, Burleigh County, ND, Dickey County, ND, Eddy County, ND, Emmons County, ND, Foster County, ND, Kidder County, ND, LaMoure County, ND, Logan County, ND, McHenry County, ND, McIntosh County, ND, Pierce County, ND, Sheridan County, ND, Stutsman County, ND, Wells County, ND, Beadle County, SD, Brown County, SD, Buffalo County, SD, Campbell County, SD, Edmunds County, SD, Faulk County, SD, Hand County, SD, Hughes County, SD, Hyde County, SD, Jerauld County, SD, McPherson County, SD, Potter County, SD, Spink County, SD, Walworth County, SD

The radar

The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:24 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 watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), launched 12:00Z, 7.4 hours before the alert went out and 135 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 12:00Z on 2021-08-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 2021-08-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 311 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1536 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
311 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
445 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

001 
ACUS11 KWNS 221922
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 221921 
SDZ000-NDZ000-222145-

Mesoscale Discussion 1576
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0221 PM CDT Sun Aug 22 2021

Areas affected...the east-central Dakotas

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch likely 

Valid 221921Z - 222145Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...80 percent

SUMMARY...Storms will likely form by 21Z, with severe hail or a
tornado possible as they mature across the Dakotas.

DISCUSSION...Surface analysis shows a low over north-central ND,
with a developing cold front extending south/southwestward into
western SD, and a dryline from near BIS to PIR. A diffuse warm front
extends east from the low across ND, where pockets of heating and
low-level warm advection are helping to slowly destabilize the air
mass.

Moisture quality is a concern across the region, but cooling aloft
as well as strong lift along the front will likely result in a few
severe storms after 20-21Z. Wind profiles are favorable or
supercells with deep-layer shear around 50 kt and increasing SRH.
Given drying behind the cold front, and relatively coolness
currently over the eastern Dakotas, only a narrow ribbon of
surface-based/effective SRH is expected to exist immediately ahead
of the front. Tornado potential is heavily dependent on
boundary-layer moisture quality, but the overall supercell setup
appears favorable. As such, a watch will likely be needed. Large
hail will be a distinct threat given expected storm mode as well as
cool temperatures aloft.

..Jewell/Kerr.. 08/22/2021

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...FGF...FSD...ABR...BIS...

LAT...LON   44579784 44349804 43929866 43879940 44099996 45680020
            46480036 47330073 47940091 48310090 48600020 48169884
            47579829 46359794 45529781 44579784

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 22, 3:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBarnes, Benson, Bottineau, Burleigh, Cass, Cavalier and 26 more5 hr
Aug 22, 5:59 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarnes, Benson, Cass, Dickey, Eddy, Foster and 17 more91 min
Aug 22, 3:38 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGregory, Tripp97 min
Aug 22, 6:31 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAurora, Davison, Douglas, Hanson, Hutchinson, Jerauld and 4 more3 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in North Dakota, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in South Dakota, 2021Every mesoscale discussion in 2021

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.