Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

June 12, 1994Rock County, Minnesota

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this tornado warning at Jun 12, 1994, 5:53 PM CDT for Rock County, Minnesota. It was in force for 37 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 12, 1994, 5:53 PM CDT (22:53 UTC)
Expired
Jun 12, 1994, 6:30 PM CDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Whole counties

County Rock County, MN

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KHON), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 219 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, Aberdeen, SD at 12:00Z on 1994-06-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Aberdeen, SD at 12:00Z on 1994-06-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 71 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1741 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
71 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
147 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 122254
TORFSD
MNC133-122330-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
553 PM CDT SUN JUN 12 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  630 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA
 
   ...SOUTHERN ROCK COUNTY
 
AT 550 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 20 MILES EAST OF SIOUX
FALLS NEAR HILLS MINNESOTA. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 20 MPH AND WILL
AFFECT HILLS AND STEEN MINNESOTA.
 
DO NOT USE YOUR 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, Jun 12, 4:42 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
SDZ037-038-052-122235-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HURON SD
440 PM CDT SUN JUN 12 1994

...TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OD CENTRAL AND EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA UNTIL
1000 PM CDT...

AT 425 PM CDT...AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CONTINUED OVER A SMALL
PART OF EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA.

THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WESSINGTON AND INDICATED A
POSSIBLE TORNADO AT 405 PM.  AT 437 PM A WEATHER SPOTTER IN SOUTHERN HAND
COUNTY REPORTED GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AND AN ESTIMATED 60 MPH WIND WITH THIS
STORM.  PERSONS IN SOUTHWEST BEADLE COUNTY SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY
AS THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.

MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR.

PF&EIFFER
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 4:58 PM CDT, 55 minutes before
SDZ040-122300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
457 PM CDT SUN JUN 12 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING TOWARDS BROOKINGS COUNTY OF SOUTH
DAKOTA...

AT 455 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 35 MILES NORTHWEST
OF BROOKINGS SOUTH DAKOTA. THIS STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND
WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT NORTHERN BROOKINGS COUNTY BY 530 PM CDT.

THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE SMALL HAIL...GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVYp RAINS.

PERSONS IN BROOKINGS COUNTY SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF THIS STORM AND BE
PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION IF A WARNING IS ISSUED.

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT.
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 5:08 PM CDT, 45 minutes before
MNZ071-072-080-081-089-090-097-098-122310-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
506 PM CDT SUN JUN 12 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...

AT 505 PM CDT RADAR INDICATED THAT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVED INTO
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA.  THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE LOCATED ACROSS
PIPESTONE AND ROCK COUNTIES.  STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES
AN HOUR.

THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS...AND SMALL
HAIL. PEOPLE IN PIPESTONE...MARSHALL...WORTHINGTON...AND OTHER TOWNS IN
SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA SHOULD MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL
MEDIA FOR THE LATEST ON THESE STORMS OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

MENTZER
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 5:16 PM CDT, 37 minutes before
SDZ062-122320-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
516 PM CDT SUN JUN 12 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPING OVER NORTHWEST MINNEHAHA COUNTY...

AT 510 PM CDT RADAR SHOWED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTHWEST
MINNEHAHA COUNTY OF SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. THE STORM WAS LOCATED 20
MILES NORTHWEST OF SIOUX FALLS NEAR COLTON. MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT
20 MPH. THIS STORM WILL AFFECT NORTHERN MINNEHAHA COUNTY THROUGH 545 PM
CDT.

SMALL HAIL...HEAVY RAINS AND GUSTY WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.

PERSONS IN NORTHERN MINNEHAHA COUNTY SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF THIS STORM
AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION IF A WARNING IS ISSUED.

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT.
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 5:40 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
SDZ022-023-038-039-053-054-122335-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HURON SD
540 PM CDT SUN JUN 12 1994

...TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA UNTIL
1000 PM CDT...

AT 530 PM CDT...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER A SMALL
PART OF EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA.

THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HURON AND 20 MILES SOUTH
OF WATERTOWN AND HAVE PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND STRONG DAMAGING WINDS.
PERSONS IN SOUTHEAST BEADLE...NORTHERN SANBORN...SOUTHEAST HAMLIN
AND SOUTHERN DEUEL COUNTIES SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER
AND SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF SIGHTED.

MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

PFEIFFER
Special weather statement, Jun 12, 5:43 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
SDZ022-023-038-039-053-054-122335-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HURON SD
540 PM CDT SUN JUN 12 1994

...TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA UNTIL
1000 PM CDT...

AT 530 PM CDT...ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVER A SMALL
PART OF EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA.

THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED 15 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HURON AND 20 MILES SOUTH
OF WATERTOWN AND HAVE PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND STRONG DAMAGING WINDS.
PERSONS IN SOUTHEAST BEADLE...NORTHERN SANBORN...SOUTHEAST HAMLIN
AND SOUTHERN DEUEL COUNTIES SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER
AND SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF SIGHTED.

MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

PFEIFFER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 12, 6:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDJackson64 min
Jun 12, 6:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDNobles59 min
Jun 12, 6:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDRock69 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

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.