Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 46, NWS Twin Cities, MN

July 11, 1987Faribault County, Freeborn County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 11, 1987, 4:47 PM CDT for Faribault County, Freeborn County, Minnesota. It was in force for 53 min. 4 reports 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 11, 1987, 4:47 PM CDT (21:47 UTC)
Expired
Jul 11, 1987, 5:40 PM CDT
In force
53 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Faribault County, MN, Freeborn 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 11, 4:50 PM CDTHail 1.75Faribault, MN
Jul 11, 5:20 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Faribault, MN
Jul 11, 5:40 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Faribault, MN
Jul 11, 5:47 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Freeborn, 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, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 131 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 1987-07-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2637 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 1987-07-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 25 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
2637 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-26 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
638 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
25 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
43 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KRST 112147
SVRRST
MNC091-043-047-112240-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER MN
447 PM CDT SAT JUL 11 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 540 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES OF

SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...EASTERN MARTIN...FARIBAULT AND WESTERN 
 FREEBORN

AT 427 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN THE VICINIT
Y OF FAIRMONT MN MOVING EASTNORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

INCLUDED IN THE WARNING ARE THE CITIES OF FAIRMONT...BLUE EARTH...
AND ALBERT LEA.

REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 60
MPH..DESTRUCTIVE HAIL..DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. ALSO
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE A TORNADO WITH
LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING..SO BE ON THE LOOKOUT AND BE PREPARED
TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF ONE IS SPOTTED.

BUSS

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 11, 11:04 AM CDT, 5 hours 43 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL MN
1100 AM CDT SAT JUL 11 1987

AT 1045 AM CDT...POWERFUL THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING ACROSS SOUTHEAST
MINNESTOA AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN.. FROM EAU CLAIRE SOUTHWEST THRU
PEPIN ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER THRU LAKE CITY AND CONTINUING
SOUTHWEST TO JUST WEST OF ROCHESTER.

THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY SEVERE WEATHER REPORTED FROM THIS LINE OF STORMS
AS OF 1045 THIS MORNING.. MOSTLY BREIF BUT STRONG GUSTY WIND.. TORRENTIAL
RAINFALL AND SMALL HAIL.

SOME OF THE CITIES AND TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
ARE.. ROCHESTER AND WABASHA.. MINNESOTA.. ALMA.. EAU CLAIRE.. AND
CHIPPEWA FALLS W#ISCONSIN.

DONT BE FOOLED BY WHAT HAS NOT HAPPENED YET.. IF THREATENING WEATHER
IS SPOTTED TAKE IMMEDIATED ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR LIFE.. YOUR PROPERTY
CAN BE REPLACED.

MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 45 MILES AN HOUR.
 CARLYON
Special weather statement, Jul 11, 11:59 AM CDT, 4 hours 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL MN
1150 AM CDT SAT JUL 11 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR A SMALL PART OF SOUTHEAST
MINNESOTA AND MUCH OF WISCONSIN...UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

AT 1145 AM CDT...POWERFUL THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST
CORNER OF MINNESTOA AND PARTS OF WEST AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN.. FROM
10 MILES SOUTH OF LADYSMITH WISCONSIN SOUTHWEST THRU THE CHIPPEWA FALLS
AND THE EAU CLAIRE AREA CONITINUING SOUTHEAST THRU DURAND AND ALMA THEN
CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER JUST SOUTH OF WABASHA THRU THE EXTREME
SOUTHEAST CORNER OF MINNESOTA..JUST EAST OF ROCHESTER DOWN TO THE IOWA
BORDER 15 MILES EAST OF I-35W.

THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY SEVERE WEATHER REPORTED FROM THIS LINE OF STORMS
AS OF 1145 THIS MORNING.. MOSTLY BREIF BUT STRONG GUSTY WIND..TORRENTIAL
RAINFALL AND SMALL HAIL.

SOME OF THE CITIES AND TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
ARE LADYSMITH.. STANLEY.. OSSEO.. WHITEHALL AND DODGE WISCONSIN.. WINONA
ST. CHARLES.. PRESTON.

JUST BECAUSE THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY SEVERE WEATHER IS NO REASON TO BE
LAX ABOUT THESE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS STORMS. IF THREATENINkG WEATHER
APPROACHES YOU BE PREPARED THE SEEK IMMEADIATE SAFETY FOR YOURSELF AND
FAMILY.. PROPERTY CAN BE REPLACED.

MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 55 MILES AN HOUR.
 CARLYON
Special weather statement, Jul 11, 1:02 PM CDT, 3 hours 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL MN
100 PM CDT SAT JUL 11 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR A SMALL PART OF SOUTHEAST
MINNESOTA AND MUCH OF WISCONSIN...UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

AT 1245 PM CDT...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED PUSHING THROUGH
PARTS OF WEST AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN..FROM 10 MILES SOUTH OF PHILIPS
SOUTH THRU MEDFORD.. NEILSVILLE.. AND BLACK RIVER FALLS TO JUST NORTH OF
LA CROSSE.
HALF INCH HAIL WAS REPORTED IN THE BLACKRIVER FALLS AREA ALONG WITH
WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH. THAT HAS BEEN THE HISTORY OF THESE STORMS
AS THE CROSSED SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN LATE THIS
MORNING AND EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.
THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY SEVERE WEATHER REPORTED FROM THIS LINE OF STORMS
AS OF 1245 PM THIS AFTERNOON BUT.. MOSTLY BREIF BUT STRONG GUSTY WIND..
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL.. SMALL HAIL.. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.
ANOTHER SMALL AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS POPPED UP ALONG THE MINNESOTA
IOWA BORDER JUST SOUTH OF I-90 AT AUSTIN.. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO
THE EAST AT 45 MPH.
OTHERWISE SCATTERED RAINSHOWERS WERE DETECTED ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHEAST
MINNESOTA.. AND THE WESTERN HALF OF WISCONSIN IN THE WAKE OF THE OF THE
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THAT PASSED THROUGH EARLIER TODAY.

MOVEMENT OF THE THUNDERSTORMS AND RAINSHOWERS WAS TO THE EAST AT 45 MPH.
 CARLYON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 10, 10:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXTodd60 min
Jul 10, 10:20 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXTodd25 min
Jul 11, 12:16 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXCarver, Scott, Sibley44 min
Jul 11, 3:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXLac qui Parle, Yellow Medicine60 min
Jul 11, 4:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXYellow Medicine60 min
Jul 11, 5:50 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXKandiyohi60 min
Jul 11, 6:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMeeker60 min
Jul 11, 6:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXWright45 min
Jul 11, 7:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXWatonwan49 min
Jul 11, 7:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXHennepin, Sherburne21 min
Jul 11, 7:19 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXAnoka, Isanti56 min
Jul 11, 7:42 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBlue Earth48 min
Jul 11, 7:52 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXWashington28 min
Jul 11, 7:52 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChisago38 min
Jul 11, 4:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMartin53 min
Jul 11, 5:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDodge, Freeborn, Steele44 min
Jul 11, 5:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXWabasha, Winona42 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 1987Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1987

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.