Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 156, NWS Twin Cities, MN

August 9, 1986Meeker County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 9, 1986, 4:45 PM CDT for Meeker County, Minnesota. It was in force for 45 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 9, 1986, 4:45 PM CDT (21:45 UTC)
Expired
Aug 9, 1986, 5:30 PM CDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Whole counties

County Meeker 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, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 79 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 1986-08-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 1986-08-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 84 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 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
2241 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
84 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
76 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSTC 092145
SVRSTC
MNC093-092230-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST CLOUD MN
445 PM CDT SAT AUG 9 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

CENTRAL MINNESOTA... NORTHERN MEEKER INCLUDING  THE CITIES OF EDEN
VALLY ANDY WATKINS

.AT 443PM PUBLIC REPORTED MARBLE SIZE HAIL ALONG WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN
AND VISIBILITY NEAR ZERO AT EDEN VALLY WHICH IS 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
ST CLOUD.

RADAR HAS SHOWED THESE STORMS TO BE MOVING SOUTH EAST AT 25 MPH

LARGE HAIL..DAMGEROUS LIGHTINING..HEAVY RAINFALL..AND DAMAGING WINDS
CAN BE EXPECTED FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. 

REMEMBER THESE STORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY PRODUCE A TORNADO WITH
LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING SO BE ON THE LOOK OUT.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES..YOU SHOULD GO TO A SAFE PLACE
IMMEDIATELY..AND YOU SHOULD ASK THE NEAREST LAW ENFOR~CEMENT AGENCY TO
RELAY YOUR SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS TO THE LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE.

DE VOE/RUBIN

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, Aug 9, 2:56 PM CDT, 1 hour 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL MN
250 PM CDT SAT AUG 9 1986

...INTENSE LINE OF POWERFUL THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPES RAPIDLY OVER
   NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED RAPIDLY ALONG A LINE THAT EXTENDED
FROM THE SOUTH DAKOTA BORDER NEAR ORTONVILLE MINNESOTA..NORTHEAST
THROUGH ALEXANDRIA..BRAINERD AND INTO THE NORTHEAST ARROWHEAD SECTION
OF MINNESOTA.

AT 340 PM CDT..THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED NEAR ALEXANDRIA
AND JUST NORTHWEST OF BRAINERD.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING STRONG WINDS..PEA TO MARBLE SIZE
HAIL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES AS THEY MOVE EAST AT 25 MILES AN
HOUR.

OTHER WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE BUILDING OUT AHEAD
OF THIS LINE MAINLY OVER SOUTH CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA.

THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS AREA WERE ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF DULUTH NEAR MOOSE LAKE AND BETWEEN ST CLOUD AND THE TWIN CITIES IN
THE BUFFALO AREA.

MOVEMENT HERE WAS NORTHEAST AT 25 TO 30 MILES AN HOUR.

..A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
MINNESOTA UNTIL 730PM..
SWANBERG
Special weather statement, Aug 9, 3:54 PM CDT, 51 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL MN
350 PM CDT SAT AUG 9 1986

...STRONG THUNDERSTOMS CONTINUE OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MINNSOTA...

VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH CENTRAL
MINNESOTA. THE STORMS STRETCHED ACROSS THE STATE FROM LAKE SUPERIOR..
NORTH OF DULUTH..INTO WEST CENTRAL MINNESTOA..NORTH OF ST. CLOUD AND
SOUTH OF ALEXANDRIA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING HAIL..STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND
FREQUENT LIGHTENING. A WARNING WAS ISSUED FOR TODD COUNTY IN CENTRAL
MINNESOTA AND WILL EXPIRE AT 400 PM CDT.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 TO 30 MPH..WHILE AT THE
SAME TIME OTHER..WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING OVER
SOUTHEAST PORTIONS OF THE STATE AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 TO 25 MPH.

THE STRONGEST OF THE STORMS IN THE SECOND AREA WERE LOCATED NEAR
MONTICELLO..NORTHWEST OF THE TWIN CITIES.

..A TORNADO W:ATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
MINNESOTA UNTIL 730PM..
HALDEMAN
Special weather statement, Aug 9, 4:17 PM CDT, 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL MN
415 PM CDT SAT AUG 9 1986

...STRONG THUNDERSTOMS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY IN THE NORTHWESTERN TWIN
   CITIES SUBURBS...

AT 415 PM A COUPLE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVLOPING OVER THE
INDEPENDENCE AREA OF WESTERN HENEPIN COUNTY AND JUST NORTH OF ANOKA
IN ANOKA COUNTY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE SOME STRONG GUSTY WINDS..PEA TO
MARBLE SIZE HAIL AND VERY TURBULMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS OVER THE
NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE TWIN CITIES DURING THE NEXT 45 MINUTES.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
HALDEMAN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 9, 3:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXTodd60 min
Aug 9, 4:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXSherburne, Stearns60 min
Aug 9, 4:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXAnoka, Isanti57 min
Aug 9, 5:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBenton, Mille Lacs, Sherburne60 min
Aug 9, 5:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXWright36 min
Aug 9, 6:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXAnoka35 min
Aug 9, 6:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMcLeod, Wright45 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.