Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1994

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 178, NWS Twin Cities, MN

August 19, 1994Houston County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 19, 1994, 8:52 AM CDT for Houston County, Minnesota. It was in force for 38 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 19, 1994, 8:52 AM CDT (13:52 UTC)
Expired
Aug 19, 1994, 9:30 AM CDT
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Whole counties

County Houston County, MN

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 12:00Z, 1.9 hours before the alert went out and 213 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 1994-08-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 526 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 1994-08-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 194 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
526 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-196 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1006 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
194 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
209 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KRST 191353 RRA
SVRRST
MNC055-191430-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER MN
852 AM CDT FRI AUG 19 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ROCHESTER MN HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING     EFFECTIVE UNTIL  920 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA
 
   ...EASTERN HOUSTON COUNTY
 
AT 845 AM...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ABOUNT 5 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF HOUSTON...17 MILES WEST OF LA CROSSE. IT WAS MOVING TO THE
SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
 
IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM IS BEAVER CREEK VALLEY STATE PARK...ALONG WITH
THE CITIES OF HOKAH AND FREEBURG.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...
DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.  FOR YOUR PROTECTION
MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM.  PEOPLE IN MOBILE HOMES SHOULD GO
TO A STORM SHELTER.
 
RLT

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, Aug 19, 4:37 AM CDT, 4 hours 15 minutes before
MNZ052-053-059>063-065>070-073-WIZ014>016-023-028-191040-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL MN
437 AM CDT FRI AUG 19 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM ENTERING TWIN CITIES METRO AREA...

AT 435 AM...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED BETWEEN HUTCHINSON AND LE
SUEUR...JUST WEST OF THE GREATER TWIN CITIES METRO AREA.  THIS STORM IS
MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR...AND SHOULD REACH DOWNTOWN
MINNEAPOLIS BY ABOUT 600 AM.  EARLY RUSH-HOUR MOTORISTS SHOULD USE
CAUTION AS THIS STORM IS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN WHICH WILL RESTRICT
VISIBILITY.

OTHER SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS WERE LOCATED IN A 120 MILE WIDE BAND
FROM NEAR WORTHINGTON MINNESOTA TO HAYWARD WISCONSIN.  MOVEMENT WAS TO
THE EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
DLK
Special weather statement, Aug 19, 4:39 AM CDT, 4 hours 13 minutes before
MNZ052-053-059>063-065>070-073-WIZ014>016-023-028-191040-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL MN
437 AM CDT FRI AUG 19 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM ENTERING TWIN CITIES METRO AREA...

AT 435 AM...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED BETWEEN HUTCHINSON AND LE
SUEUR...JUST WEST OF THE GREATER TWIN CITIES METRO AREA.  THIS STORM IS
MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR...AND SHOULD REACH DOWNTOWN
MINNEAPOLIS BY ABOUT 600 AM.  EARLY RUSH-HOUR MOTORISTS SHOULD USE
CAUTION AS THIS STORM IS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN WHICH WILL RESTRICT
VISIBILITY.

OTHER SCATTERED THUNDERSHOWERS WERE LOCATED IN A 120 MILE WIDE BAND
FROM NEAR WORTHINGTON MINNESOTA TO HAYWARD WISCONSIN.  MOVEMENT WAS TO
THE EAST AT 25 MILES AN HOUR.
DLK
Special weather statement, Aug 19, 5:37 AM CDT, 3 hours 15 minutes before
MNZ052-053-059>063-065>070-073-WIZ014>016-023-028-191140-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL MN
537 AM CDT FRI AUG 19 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER SOUTHWEST TWIN CITIES METRO AREA...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPED RAPIDLY OVER SCOTT COUNTY IN THE
SOUTHWEST SUBURBS OF THE GREATER TWIN CITIES METRO AREA AT 535 AM.
THIS STORM MAY PRODUCE HAIL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS TO 40 OR 50 MPH...AND
PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL.  IT WAS LOCATED ON THE SOUTHERN SCOTT COUNTY
LINE...NEAR NEW PRAGUE.  IT WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN
HOUR INTO NORTHERN LE SUEUR AND RICE COUNTIES.

PERSONS ENGAGED IN OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES IN THE NEW PRAGUE AREA SHOULD BE
AWARE OF THE LIGHTNING DANGER AND BE READY TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER.
DLK
Special weather statement, Aug 19, 5:38 AM CDT, 3 hours 14 minutes before
MNZ052-053-059>063-065>070-073-WIZ014>016-023-028-191140-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL MN
537 AM CDT FRI AUG 19 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER SOUTHWEST TWIN CITIES METRO AREA...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPED RAPIDLY OVER SCOTT COUNTY IN THE
SOUTHWEST SUBURBS OF THE GREATER TWIN CITIES METRO AREA AT 535 AM.
THIS STORM MAY PRODUCE HAIL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS TO 40 OR 50 MPH...AND
PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL.  IT WAS LOCATED ON THE SOUTHERN SCOTT COUNTY
LINE...NEAR NEW PRAGUE.  IT WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES AN
HOUR INTO NORTHERN LE SUEUR AND RICE COUNTIES.

PERSONS ENGAGED IN OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES IN THE NEW PRAGUE AREA SHOULD BE
AWARE OF THE LIGHTNING DANGER AND BE READY TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER.
DLK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 19, 5:46 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXLe Sueur, Rice29 min
Aug 19, 6:13 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRice, Steele47 min
Aug 19, 6:59 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDodge31 min
Aug 19, 7:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXOlmsted37 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 1994Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.