Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 102, NWS Twin Cities, MN

July 15, 1986Le Sueur County, Nicollet County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 15, 1986, 10:46 AM CDT for Le Sueur County, Nicollet County, Minnesota. It was in force for 49 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 15, 1986, 10:46 AM CDT (15:46 UTC)
Expired
Jul 15, 1986, 11:35 AM CDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Le Sueur County, MN, Nicollet County, MN

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 12:00Z, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 63 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 1986-07-15Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 1986-07-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 58 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
NaN m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
58 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
112 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KRST 151546
SVRRST
MNC103-079-151635-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER MN
1046 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1135 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES OF

SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST NICOLLET AND SOUTHERN LESUEUR

AT 1030 CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES
NORTHWEST OF ST. PETER MINNESOTA IN NICOLLET COUNTY AND
MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH. SOME OF THE CITIES
INCLUDED IN THIS WARNING ARE ST. PETER AND WATERVILLE.

 A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCES STRONG DAMAGING WINDS..LARGE HAIL
 ..VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

 FLAGSTAD

What forecasters said that day

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

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 15, 7:02 AM CDT, 3 hours 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL MN
645 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 1986

AT 6 30 AM...THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY TO LOCALLY VERY HEAVY RAINS
WERE INCREASING FROM NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA ACROSS WEST CENTRAL INTO
CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA.  HEAVIEST RAINS WERE OCCURRING FROM THE
SOUTH DAKOTA BORDER NEAR ORTONVILLE THRU THE ALEXANDRIA AREA TO NEAR
BRAINERD AND LITTLE FALLS IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PART OF A BROAD AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDER-
STORMS THAT EXTENDED UP TO 75 MILES WIDE...WITH THE LEADING EDGE OF THE
RAIN AREA FROM THE SOUTH DAKOTA BORDER NEAR CANBY TO NEAR ST CLOUD.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

MOTORISTS SHOULD TRAVEL WITH CAUTION IN THESE AREAS...THE HEAVY RAINS
COULD QUICKLY REDUCE VISIBILITY TO NEAR ZERO AND CAUSE PONDING OF WATER
IN LOW SPOTS.
  DOM
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 7:55 AM CDT, 2 hours 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL MN
745 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 1986

AT 7 30 AM...THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH HEAVY TO LOCALLY VERY HEAVY RAINS
CONTINUED FROM NEAR WATERTOWN IN NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA ACROSS CENTRAL
MINNESOTA.  HEAVIEST RAINS WERE OCCURRING FROM THE SOUTH DAKOTA BORDER
SOUTH DAKOTA BORDER SOUTH OF ORTONVILLE THRU THE ALEXANDRIA AREA TO NEAR
BRAINERD AND MILLE LACS LAKE IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PART OF A BROAD AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDER-
STORMS THAT EXTENDED UP TO 75 MILES WIDE...WITH THE LEADING EDGE OF THE
RAIN AREA FROM THE SOUTH DAKOTA BORDER NEAR CANBY THRU ST CLOUD INTO
NORTHWEST WISCONSIN...NEAR ASHLAND.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST ABOUT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

MOTORISTS SHOULD TRAVEL WITH CAUTION IN THESE AREAS...THE HEAVY RAINS
COULD QUICKLY REDUCE VISIBILITY TO NEAR ZERO AND CAUSE PONDING OF WATER
IN LOW SPOTS.              DOM
Special weather statement, Jul 15, 9:30 AM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST CLOUD MN
930 AM CDT TUE JUL 15 1986.

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTHERN MINNESOTA UNTIL 3PM CDT...

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR LAC PARLE AND YELLOW MEDICINE
COUNTIES EXPIRED AT 9 30AM CDT...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THAT WERE IN LAC PARLE AND YELLOW MEDICINE
COUNTIES OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA HAVE MOVED INTO RENVILLE AND REDWOOD
COUNTIES WHERE WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED UNTIL 10AM CDT.

AT 9 30 AM CDT A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR
WILLMAR IN KANDIYOHI COUNTY NORTH THROUGH WESTERN STEARNS COUNTY..30
MILES WEST OF ST. CLOUD..TO MORRISON COUNTY NEAR MILLE LACS LAKE.

ALL THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

DEVOE/NISTLER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Twin Cities, MN issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 15, 8:33 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXLac qui Parle, Yellow Medicine57 min
Jul 15, 9:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRedwood, Renville43 min
Jul 15, 10:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMcLeod, Sibley55 min
Jul 15, 11:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXFaribault, Martin53 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 1986Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1986

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.