Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Twin Cities, MN

July 18, 1986Ramsey County, Washington County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at Jul 18, 1986, 5:23 PM CDT for Ramsey County, Washington County, Minnesota. It was in force for 27 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jul 18, 1986, 5:23 PM CDT (22:23 UTC)
Expired
Jul 18, 1986, 5:50 PM CDT
In force
27 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Ramsey County, MN, Washington County, MN

The radar

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

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 18, 5:40 PM CDTHail 1.75Washington, MN

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 52 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 1986-07-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2817 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 1986-07-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 16 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
2817 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
862 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
36 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMSP 182223
TORMSP
MNC123-163-182250-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS MN
523 PM CDT FRI JUL 18 1986

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 550 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...NORTHERN RAMSEY AND NORTHERN WASHINGTON

AT 515PM CDT A TORNADO WAS STILL ON THE GROUND IN SOUTHERN ANOKA
COUNTY SOUTH OF THE LINO LAKES ON THE ANOKA..RAMSEY COUNTY LINE.

THE TORNAODO WAS MOVING EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. THIS WOULD TAKE
THE TORNADO OVER THE CITIES OR ARDEN HILLS..WHITE BEAR LAKE..
FOREST LAKE..AND STILLWATER.

PERSONS IN THIS AREA TAKE COVER IM_MEDIATELY.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO..GO TO A BASEMENT SHELTER OR
A CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. ABANDON CARS AND
MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING.

RICHARDSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 18, 4:54 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXAnoka, Hennepin, Ramsey36 min
Jul 18, 5:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXSherburne60 min
Jul 18, 5:48 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXAnoka, Ramsey, Washington32 min
Jul 18, 5:48 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXHennepin32 min
Jul 18, 6:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChisago55 min
Jul 18, 6:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChippewa65 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 1986Every tornado warning in 1986Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.