Beau's Weather Blog

  Around 8:50 p.m. this evening several tornadoes touched down near Northwood, North Dakota.  There have reports of extensive damage and at least one death and multiple injuries.  The tornado damaged a significant portion of the town including the school, grocery store, the city fire hall, and a number of other businesses and houses.  Storm chasers photographed the tornadic supercell as it passed through the area.  Local law enforcement report that rescue workers are just now able to start the search and rescue efforts. Severe weather has slowed the effort.  National Weather Service local storm report.  4.25" hail was reported in Logan County, North Dakota.  Severe thunderstorms were also reported in Minnesota, Manitoba, and Ontario.

  GR AE Rotation Image - posted by DVDweather

  Satellite animation of the explosive development of the severe thunderstorms.

  Northwood North Dakota - Gibson Ridge Radar Image Grabs - pposted by DVDweather

Gempak Radar Grabs...

Gempak Satellite Grabs...

  Midnight Satellite

Hurricane Dean Follow-up

Auto-Net Follow-up

  I know a lot of people have been asking about the release date for the Auto-Net.  The company has now said that they won't be ready to ship until fall. 

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Additional Information on the Sunday Evening Tornadoes

 NOAA’s National Weather Service Assessment Teams have been in the Northwood North Dakota, Grand Forks County area this Monday morning. Very preliminary damage indications would place the Northwood tornado as a strong Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF) 3 or weak EF4. Wind speeds in an EF3 tornado range from 138 to 167 mph, with EF4 wind speeds in the 168 to 199 mph range.

  Additional information would indicate the tornado was approximately 8/10 of a mile wide. Damage to the city of Northwood is extensive, and recovery efforts are underway at this time.

  Beside the tornado at Northwood, preliminary information supports other tornadoes in the area last evening.  Tornado damage has been reported in the Florian area of Marshall County in northwest Minnesota as well west of Eldred Minnesota in western Polk County. Additional information will be gathered during the next several days as NWS Storm Damage Teams continue to work.

Radar Loop Posted On EasternUSwx by Sam Segnella

WDSSII Mesocyclone Tracks - Hail Swath Paths

  Mesocyclone Tracks                        Hail Swath

  If you are interested in tracking mesocyclone paths or hail swaths then you might want to check out the Google Earth Radar Products on the WDSSII Web-Page.  There are a ton of options that can be used with Google Earth. 

August 28, 2007

  Dry weather continues across our region.  It had appeared that some precipitation would move into the region later this week, along a frontal system.  It now appears that moisture will be limited.  Unfortunately this mean little significant rainfall.  We are going to close the month at 0.00" here at my house...or so it would appear.  We do have a few more days to go. 

  August 27 High Temps

Northwood North Dakota Tornado Rated EF4

  The NOAA’s National Weather Service Grand Forks Storm Damage Assessment Team has rated the tornado which struck Northwood North Dakota on Sunday August 26, between 8:45 and 8:50 pm, as an EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita(EF) Scale. Damage in the northeastern corner of the community indicated top wind speeds of up to 170 mph, which is in the lower end of the EF4 scale.

  Nearly all of the community of Northwood was impacted by the tornado which reached an impressive width of about eight tenths of a mile as it pushed through town. Total length of the tornado was estimated to be 5 miles, beginning 2miles west southwest of town, and extending 2 miles east northeast of town.

  The main residential areas and business areas of the town received widespread EF2 to EF3 damage, with peak winds of 120-150 mph. The most intense damage was likely in the northeast corner of town where open space allowed the tornado to scour to ground level, flattening fields and wrapping and carrying debris in wide arching patterns.

  The most significant damage occurred on the northeast edge of the tornado track, where the Agvise Laboratories and Gabriel Construction buildings were a total loss. In addition, cars and trucks became projectiles and were carried up to one half mile into corn and bean fields which were scoured to the ground. Trucks and vehicles from these locations are still missing.

  This is the latest EF4 tornado of the season in the Grand Forks NWS County Warning Area, as well as North Dakota. The previous latest EF4 tornado was in Medina North Dakota on August 11, 2002. Unfortunately, this tornado resulted in one fatality. Other tornado fatalities in the Grand Forks Area of Responsibility include 10 deaths in the Fargo 1957 tornado, 1 in Cavalier County in 1966, 2 fatalaties in Polk County Minnesota in 1975, then another Polk County tornado fatality in 1978. Prior to the Northwood tornado, there was a fatality in Ottertail County Minnesota in 1987.

  Taken By Orfield Media

More Photos can be viewed Here.  And here.

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