Tornadoes · United States · North Dakota · 2003

F0 tornado, Oakes to Ludden, North Dakota, June 27, 2003

From Oakes to Ludden, this F0 tornado ran 0.0 miles across Dickey County on June 27, 2003, touching down at 5:30 PM CDT and reaching 40 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F040 to 72 mphthis tornado

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F173 to 112 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2113 to 157 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3158 to 206 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4207 to 260 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5261 to 318 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
F0
Date
June 27, 2003
Touchdown
5:30 PM CDT (22:30 UTC)
Path length
0.0 miles (0.0 km)
Path width
40 yards (37 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Dickey County
Touchdown point
45.980, -98.100
Lift-off point
45.980, -98.100
Record number
482

What the Weather Service recorded

Tornado dipped up and down remaining over open country.

Tornado touched down in open country just north of the South Dakota border. Tornado lifted before crossing into South Dakota.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

18 minutes of warning. NWS BIS issued a tornado warning for this county at 22:12 UTC, 18 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 22:45 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
21:27 UTC22:00 UTCTornado WarningBIS
22:12 UTC22:45 UTCTornado WarningBIS

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 19:52 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Bismarck, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Jun 27, 2:50 PM CDT, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 27, 2:50 PM CDT, 2 hours 40 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
400 AM CDT FRI JUN 27 2003

FCST PROBLEM WILL BE SEVERE WX POTENTIAL FOR EASTERN CWA. BEST SVR
WX POTENTIAL WILL BE SOUTHEASTERN CWA AND AFTER COORD WITH SPC AND
SURROUNDING OFFICES...WL START FIRST PERIOD WITH A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR FOSTER...STUTSMAN...LAMOURE AND DICKEY
COUNTIES. BEST DEEP MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL BE HERE ALONG WITH
MOST SHEAR. MID LVL CLOUD LAYER INHIBITING HEATING IS MAIN CONCERN
HERE. I WOULD NOT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED SEVERE TSTM FARTHER WEST
HOWEVER WIDESPREAD CONVECTION NOT ANTICIPATED HERE. WILL NOT MENTION
SEVERE EXCEPT FOR THOSE FAR EASTERN COUNTIES. CONVECTION SHOULD EXIT
AREA BY 06Z AND BEYOND THIS WILL SEE BUILDING HEIGHTS AS UPPER LEVEL
RIDGE BUILDS OVER CWA. GUIDANCE TEMPS ARE CLOSE AND WILL GENERALLY
FOLLOW. ALSO LITTLE CHANGE TO PREV FCST TEMPS.

IN THE EXTENDED...DID BUMP UP TEMPS A BIT EARLY AND LOWERED THEM A
TAD LATE IN FCST PD AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BEGINS TO BREAK DOWN. WILL
FOLLOW HPC LEAD AND ADD A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ON FRIDAY AS SFC
LOW DEVELOPS OVER WRN CWA WITH SOUTHWEST UPPER FLOW ALOFT.

.BIS...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL AND
       SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...INCLUDING JAMESTOWN AND OAKES.

TWH
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 27, 5:00 AM CDT, 12 hours 30 minutes before
NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-281000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
500 AM CDT FRI JUN 27 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE
THAT SOME OF THE STORMS WILL BE SEVERE IN EASTERN COUNTIES THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED IN EASTERN AREAS OF THE COUNTY
WARNING AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

SHULZ

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 27, 3:57 PM CDT, 1 hour 33 minutes before
ZCZC BISLSRBIS ALL

TTAA00 KBIS DDHHMM

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND

357 PM CDT FRI JUN 27 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...

           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0328 PM    5 N JUD                   ND   .75 INCH HAIL

06/27/03   LA MOURE                       REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

NNNN
Local storm report, Jun 27, 4:54 PM CDT, 36 minutes before
ZCZC BISLSRBIS ALL

TTAA00 KBIS DDHHMM

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND

454 PM CDT FRI JUN 27 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...

           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0355 PM    10 NW MAXBASS             ND   1.75 INCH HAIL

06/27/03   BOTTINEAU                      REPORTED BY STORM

                                          SPOTTER.

NNNN
Local storm report, Jun 27, 4:58 PM CDT, 32 minutes before
ZCZC BISLSRBIS ALL

TTAA00 KBIS DDHHMM

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND

458 PM CDT FRI JUN 27 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...

           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0448 PM    10 W OAKES                ND   TORNADO

06/27/03   DICKEY                         TORNADO DROPPED UP AND

                                          DOWN FROM THE CLOUDS.

                                          REPORTED BY LAW

                                          ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.

NNNN

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), 12:00Z

10.5 hours before the tornado, 122 km from the path. June 27, 2003.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Aberdeen, SD at 12:00Z on 2003-06-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1 joules per kilogram, CIN -242, lifted condensation level 2046 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.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. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Aberdeen, SD at 12:00Z on 2003-06-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 134 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 43 knots.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. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-242 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2046 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
134 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
172 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
5.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), 00:00Z

1.5 hours after it, 122 km from the path. June 28, 2003.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Aberdeen, SD at 00:00Z on 2003-06-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 330 joules per kilogram, CIN -61, lifted condensation level 1668 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.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. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Aberdeen, SD at 00:00Z on 2003-06-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 22 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 36 knots.1939587897Sfc1 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. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
330 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-61 J/kg
Surface CAPE
1809 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1668 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
22 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
105 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4
0-3 km lapse rate
7.9 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Aberdeen (ABR), 64 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
20:53 UTC7456230° 7 kt1009.1
21:53 UTC7555280° 5 kt1008.5
22:53 UTC7560270° 11 kt1008.1
23:53 UTC7354310° 7 kt1008.8
00:18 UTC6857.220° 12 kt1008.8

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 22:27 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2003 tornado in North DakotaEvery tornado in North Dakota since 1950Warnings in force in North Dakota nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 27, 2003

10 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 274:48 PM CDTF0Dickey, ND5.030
June 275:40 PM CDTF0Sargent, ND1.025
June 276:35 PM CDTF0Towner, ND0.125
June 276:54 PM CDTF0Towner, ND0.125
June 277:02 PM CDTF0Towner, ND0.125
June 278:00 PM CDTF0Towner, ND0.125
June 278:10 PM CDTF0Benson, ND0.125
June 278:12 PM CDTF0Ramsey, ND0.125
June 279:18 PM CDTF0Eddy, ND0.525
June 279:23 PM CDTF0Foster, ND0.030

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.