Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 1990

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Twin Cities, MN

July 16, 1990Watonwan County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at Jul 16, 1990, 7:29 PM CDT for Watonwan County, Minnesota. It was in force for 31 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 16, 1990, 7:29 PM CDT (00:29 UTC)
Expired
Jul 16, 1990, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Whole counties

County Watonwan 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 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 126 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 00:00Z on 1990-07-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 6 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 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 00:00Z on 1990-07-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 11 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
6 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-157 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2107 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
44 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 KRST 170029
TORRST
MNC165-170100-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER MN
729 PM CDT MON JUL 16 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ROCHESTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  800 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
          ...NORTHERN WATONWAN
 
...THIS WARNING INCLUDES THE TOWNS OF LA SALLE AND MADELIA MN...
 
HIGHWAY PATROL REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUD AT 721 PM AT THE EAST EDGE OF
DARFUR MN...33 MILES NORTHWEST OF FAIRMONT MN...
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 17, 2:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMcLeod, Sibley44 min
Jul 17, 3:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBenton46 min
Jul 17, 4:09 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXAnoka, Hennepin, Ramsey66 min
Jul 17, 5:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXAnoka, Isanti58 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 1990Every tornado warning in 1990Tornadoes in 1990

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.