Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 1993

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

May 7, 1993Lyon County, Minnesota

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this tornado warning at May 7, 1993, 6:43 PM CDT for Lyon County, Minnesota. It was in force for 47 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
May 7, 1993, 6:43 PM CDT (23:43 UTC)
Expired
May 7, 1993, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Whole counties

County Lyon County, MN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 7, 7:20 PM CDTTornado F1Cottonwood, MNA short-lived tornado destroyed a home and injured four people.

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, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 184 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 1993-05-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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 12:00Z on 1993-05-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 236 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
634 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
236 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
209 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 KFSD 072342
TORFSD
MNC083-080030-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
643 PM CDT FRI MAY 7 1993
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA
 
   ...LYON COUNTY
 
AT 635 PM CDT A TORNADO WAS REPORTED NEAR AMIRET MINNESOTA OR ABOUT 10
MILES SOUTHEAST OF MARSHALL. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS AND
TORNADOES TOUCHING DOWN IN SOUTHEAST LYON COUNTY HAVE ALSO BEEN MADE IN
THE TRACY AND GARVIN AREAS OR ABOUT 15 TO 20 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MARSHALL
MN. PERSONS IN GARVIN...TRACY AND AMIRET SHOULD TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.
THE FUNNEL CLOUDS AND TORNADOES WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES
AN HOUR AND WILL MOVE INTO THE CITY OF DUDELY BY 7 PM CDT.
 
 
A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...
NORTHWEST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA.
 
DO NOT USE YOU>R CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT
IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG
BUILDING. IF NO STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR
LOW SPOT.
 
 
 
&

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, May 7, 5:08 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
IAZ020-031-043-NEZ094-095-096-SDZ066-072300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED TYPO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
508 PM CDT FRI MAY 7 1993

...THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED OUT OF THE AREA...

AT 500 PM CDT THE STRONG THUNDERSTORM THAT HAD BEEN NEAR BERESFORD SOUTH
DAKOTA IN UNION COUNTY HAD MOVED NORTH OUT OF THE AREA.  ACROSS THE REST
OF THE AREA THERE WERE ONLY A FEW SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS.

CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON ARE SET FOR RAPID
DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS.  THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL
TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.  TORNADOES COULD
ALSO FORM WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCED NOTICE.  THEREFORE A TORNADO WATCH
IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM FOR UNION COUNTY SOUTH DAKOTA...DIXON...
DAKOTA AND THURSTON COUNTIES IN IOWA AND PLYMOUTH...WOODBURY AND MONONA
COUNTIES IN IOWA.

IRELAND
Special weather statement, May 7, 5:08 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
IAZ020-031-043-NEZ094-095-096-SDZ066-072300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED TYPO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
508 PM CDT FRI MAY 7 1993

...THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED OUT OF THE AREA...

AT 500 PM CDT THE STRONG THUNDERSTORM THAT HAD BEEN NEAR BERESFORD SOUTH
DAKOTA IN UNION COUNTY HAD MOVED NORTH OUT OF THE AREA.  ACROSS THE REST
OF THE AREA THERE WERE ONLY A FEW SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS.

CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON ARE SET FOR RAPID
DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS.  THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL
TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.  TORNADOES COULD
ALSO FORM WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCED NOTICE.  THEREFORE A TORNADO WATCH
IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM FOR UNION COUNTY SOUTH DAKOTA...DIXON...
DAKOTA AND THURSTON COUNTIES IN IOWA AND PLYMOUTH...WOODBURY AND MONONA
COUNTIES IN IOWA.

IRELAND
Special weather statement, May 7, 5:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before
SDZ004-005-010-011-012-016-080015-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HURON SD
530 PM CDT FRI MAY 7 1993

CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT...

THUNDERSTORMS...SOME OF WHICH MAY BE SEVERE...ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT
AS A LINE MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. VERY HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY
WIND ARE LIKELY WITH HAIL...DAMAGING WIND...AND TORNADOES POSSIBLE.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA NEED TO WATCH FOR SUDDEN CHANGES
IN THE WEATHER AND STAY TUNED TO RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR STATEMENTS
AND WARNINGS.

SPRINGER
Special weather statement, May 7, 5:35 PM CDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
SDZ004-005-010-011-012-016-080015-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HURON SD
530 PM CDT FRI MAY 7 1993

CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT...

THUNDERSTORMS...SOME OF WHICH MAY BE SEVERE...ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT
AS A LINE MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. VERY HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG GUSTY
WIND ARE LIKELY WITH HAIL...DAMAGING WIND...AND TORNADOES POSSIBLE.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR THE WATCH AREA NEED TO WATCH FOR SUDDEN CHANGES
IN THE WEATHER AND STAY TUNED TO RADIO OR TELEVISION FOR STATEMENTS
AND WARNINGS.

SPRINGER
Special weather statement, May 7, 6:02 PM CDT, 41 minutes before
IAZ020-021-031-032-043-NEZ094-095-096-SDZ066-080000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
602 PM CDT FRI MAY 7 1993

...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE AREA...

AT 600 PM A THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES NORTH OF KINGSLEY IN
PLYMOUTH...OR 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY.  ANOTHER STORM WAS
BETWEEN SOLDIER AND MOORHEAD IN MONONA COUNTY.  BOTH STORMS WERE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND WERE NOT PRODUCING ANY SEVERE WEATHER.

A LINE OF SEVERE STORMS STRETCHED ACROSS CENTRAL NEBRASKA.  THIS LINE OF
STORMS WILL BEGIN TO APPROACH THE WEST SECTIONS OF THE AREA AROUND
800 PM.  A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES UNTIL 1000 PM FOR DIXON...DAKOTA AND
THURSTON COUNTIES IN NEBRASKA...PLYMOUTH...WOODBURY AND MONONA IN IOWA
AND UNION IN SOUTH DAKOTA.

IRELAND
Special weather statement, May 7, 6:04 PM CDT, 39 minutes before
IAZ020-021-031-032-043-NEZ094-095-096-SDZ066-080000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX CITY IA
602 PM CDT FRI MAY 7 1993

...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE AREA...

AT 600 PM A THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES NORTH OF KINGSLEY IN
PLYMOUTH...OR 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF SIOUX CITY.  ANOTHER STORM WAS
BETWEEN SOLDIER AND MOORHEAD IN MONONA COUNTY.  BOTH STORMS WERE MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND WERE NOT PRODUCING ANY SEVERE WEATHER.

A LINE OF SEVERE STORMS STRETCHED ACROSS CENTRAL NEBRASKA.  THIS LINE OF
STORMS WILL BEGIN TO APPROACH THE WEST SECTIONS OF THE AREA AROUND
800 PM.  A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES UNTIL 1000 PM FOR DIXON...DAKOTA AND
BTHURSTON COUNTIES IN NEBRASKA...PLYMOUTH...WOODBURY AND MONONA IN IOWA
AND UNION IN SOUTH DAKOTA.

IRELAND

The office that day

Everything else NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 5:07 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDPipestone53 min
May 7, 5:55 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDMurray50 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 1993Every tornado warning in 1993Tornadoes in 1993

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.