Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1992

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 84, NWS Twin Cities, MN

September 16, 1992Olmsted County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 16, 1992, 3:47 AM CDT for Olmsted County, Minnesota. It was in force for 43 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 16, 1992, 3:47 AM CDT (08:47 UTC)
Expired
Sep 16, 1992, 4:30 AM CDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Whole counties

County Olmsted County, MN

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 00:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 134 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 1992-09-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1883 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 00:00Z on 1992-09-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 350 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1883 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-88 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
717 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
350 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
456 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.8
Supercell composite
8.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KRST 160850
SVRRST
MNC109-160930-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER MN
347 AM CDT WED SEP 16 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ROCHESTER MN HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING     EFFECTIVE UNTIL  430 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA
 
   ...SOUTHERN OLMSTED COUNTY
 
AT 340AM CDT...THE WINDS AT THE ROCHESTER AIRPORT WERE CLOCKED AT 64
MILES AN HOUR. THIS WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF OLMSTED COUNTY. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED OVER
THE CITIES OF ROCHESTER AND STEWARTVILLE WHICH IS LOCATED ABOUT 7 MILES
SOUTH OF ROCHESTER.
 
THIS STROM WAS MOVING EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.
 
IT SHOULD BE NEAR THE CITY OF ST. CHARLES BY 415AM CDT.
 
 
 
 
WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING..MOVE INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING
DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS.  DON'T USE TELEPHONES OR ELECTRICAL
APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY. REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOS WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING.

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, Sep 15, 10:56 PM CDT, 4 hours 51 minutes before
MNZALL-WIZ006-160500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS MN
1057 PM CDT TUE SEP 15 1992

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR DAKOTA...SOUTHERN
HENNEPIN...AND SCOTT COUNTIES IN THE TWIN CITIES METRO AREA...
...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN DUNN...
   PEPIN...AND PIERCE COUNTIES OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...

THUNDERSTORMS WITH EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUED OVER SOUTHERN
PORTIONS OF THE GREATER TWIN CITIES METRO AREA AND EXTENDED INTO
WESTERN WISCONSIN AT 1030 PM.  THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WAS IN A 20 MILE
WIDE BAND FROM NEAR HUTCHINSON...ABOUT 50 MILES WEST OF DOWNTOWN
MINNEAPOLIS...TO NORTHFIELD...TO ELLSWORTH WISCONSIN...TO EAU CLAIRE.
IN ADDITION TO THE EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINFALL...HAIL...STRONG GUSTY
WINDS...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES ARE LIKELY WITH THESE
THUNDERSTORMS.  FLASH FLOODING IS LIKELY WITH SOME OF THESE STORMS.
PERSONS IN LOW LYING AREAS ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE AND SHOULD USE
EXTRA CAUTION.  THIS MEANS PERSONS IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND WEST
WISCONSIN WHO MAY BE CAMPING IN HILLY TERRAIN SHOULD TAKE SHELTER ON
HIGHER GROUND.  FLOODING OF UNDERPASSES IN URBAN AREAS IS ALSO LIKELY
...SO MOTORISTS SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.  THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
REDEVELOPING OVER SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...SO IT IS LIKELY THAT
VERY HEAVY RAINFALL MAY CONTINUE OVER THE SAME AREA...INCREASING THE
POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING.  OTHER THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER ABOUT
THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF MINNESOTA AS WELL AS WESTERN WISCONSIN.  THEY WERE
GENERALLY LOCATED TO THE NORTH OF A LINE FROM REDWOOD FALLS IN SOUTHWEST
MINNESOTA TO OWATONNA IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA TO FAIRCHILD IN WESTERN
WISCONSIN...ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTHEAST OF EAU CLAIRE.
KRAFT
Special weather statement, Sep 15, 11:48 PM CDT, 3 hours 59 minutes before
MNZALL-WIZ006-160600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS MN
1145 PM CDT TUE SEP 15 1992

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR DAKOTA...SOUTHERN
   HENNEPIN...SCOTT...GOODHUE...AND RICE COUNTIES IN MINNESOTA...
...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN DUNN...
   PEPIN...AND PIERCE COUNTIES OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...

THUNDERSTORMS WITH EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUED OVER ABOUT
THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF MINNESOTA...AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF WEST
CENTRAL WISCONSIN AT 1130 PM.  THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL WAS OCCURRING
FROM HUTCHINSON TO MINNEAPOLIS...AND SOUTH TO WASECA IN SOUTHERN
MINNESOTA...AND IN A NARROW BAND FROM NORTHFIELD MINNESOTA TO JUST
SOUTH OF EAU CLAIRE WISCONSIN.  FARMINGTON MINNESOTA...ABOUT 20 MILES
SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN ST PAUL...REPORTED A RAINFALL TOTAL OF 7.98 INCHES
AS OF 1130 PM.

FLASH FLOODING IS LIKELY WITH SOME OF THESE STORMS.  PERSONS IN LOW
LYING AREAS ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE...AND SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER
GROUND.  PERSONS CAMPING ALONG THE CANNON RIVER IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA
...AND ELSEWHERE IN THE WARNED COUNTIES OF EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
MINNESOTA AND WEST WISCONSIN SHOULD MOVE TO HIGH GROUND FOR SAFETY.
FLOODING OF UNDERPASSES IN URBAN AREAS IS ALSO LIKELY...SO MOTORISTS
SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.  THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE
REDEVELOPING OVER SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...SO IT IS LIKELY THAT
VERY HEAVY RAINFALL MAY CONTINUE OVER THE SAME AREA...INCREASING THE
POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING.  OTHER THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER ABOUT
THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF MINNESOTA AS WELL AS WESTERN WISCONSIN.  THEY WERE
GENERALLY LOCATED TO THE EAST OF A LINE ALBERT LEA TO WILLMAR TO
DULUTH.
KRAFT
Special weather statement, Sep 16, 1:48 AM CDT, 1 hour 59 minutes before
MNZALL-WIZ006-160800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS MN
145 AM CDT WED SEP 16 1992

...TORRENTIAL RAINS CONTINUE OVER EASTERN MINNESOTA
   AND WESTERN WISCONSIN...

THUNDERSTORMS WITH EXTREMELY HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUED OVER PARTS
OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF MINNESOTA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN.  FLASH
FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE TWIN CITIES
METRO AREA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN.  THE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO
REDEVELOP AND MOVE OVER THE SAME AREAS AS THEY HAVE SINCE TUESDAY
EVENING.  THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LOCATED TO THE EAST OF A LINE
FROM HINCKLEY TO WILLMAR TO OWATONNA TO ROCHESTER...WITH THE HEAVIEST
RAINFALL WITHIN 60 MILES OF THE TWIN CITIES.  MOVEMENT WAS TO THE
EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.

FLASH FLOODING IS LIKELY WITH SOME OF THESE STORMS.  PERSONS IN LOW
LYING AREAS ARE ESPECIALLY VULNERABLE...AND SHOULD MOVE TO HIGHER
GROUND.  THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR PERSONS CAMPING IN THE HILLY
TERRAIN IN THE WARNED COUNTIES OF EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
MINNESOTA AND WEST WISCONSIN.  FLOODING OF ROADS AND UNDERPASSES
IN URBAN AREAS IS ALSO LIKELY...SO MOTORISTS SHOULD USE EXTRA CAUTION.
KRAFT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 15, 7:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRice38 min
Sep 15, 9:16 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRice29 min
Sep 15, 10:11 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMPXDakota, Hennepin, Scott4 hr
Sep 16, 2:04 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningMPXDakota, Hennepin, Scott116 min
Sep 16, 3:22 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningMPXGoodhue38 min
Sep 16, 5:09 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXMille Lacs18 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 1992Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1992

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.