Alert archive / Wisconsin / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 15, NWS Twin Cities, MN
NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 1996, 11:40 PM CDT for Polk County, Saint Croix County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 35 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 17, 1996, 11:40 PM CDT (04:40 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 1996, 12:15 AM CDT
- In force
- 35 min
- Issued by
- NWS Twin Cities, MN
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Polk County, WI, Saint Croix County, WI
The radar
The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:39 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 11:45 PM CDT | Hail 1 | New Richmond, WI |
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.
The nearest sounding before it
Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 4.7 hours before the alert went out and 101 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 3047 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -34 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1569 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 25 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 155 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 270 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.0
- Supercell composite
- 12.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KMSP 180444 COR SVRMSP WIC095-109-180515- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING...CORRECTED FOR VALID TIME... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS MN 1140 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1996 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MINNEAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1215 AM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN ...SOUTHERN POLK COUNTY...ST CROIX COUNTY AT 1135 PM...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR HUDSON WHICH IS 20 MILES EAST OF ST PAUL. THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH AND WILL LIKELY AFFECT SOMERSET...NEW RICHMOND AND AMERY THROUGH 1215 AM. WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS E~XCEEDING 60 MPH AS THESE STORMS NEARED HUDSON. A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT. REMEMBER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING. BE READY TO QUICKLY MOVE TO THE BASEMENT. JJ &
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, May 17, 7:39 PM CDT, 4 hours 1 minute before
MNZ039-040-046-047-054>056-064-180145- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHANHASSEN/TWIN CITIES MN 738 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1996 THE TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 383 HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN PART OF WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA... TRAVERSE...GRANT...STEVENS...BIG STONE...SWIFT...LAC QUI PARLE CHIPPEWA AND YELLOW MEDICINE. A TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 386 WILL GO IN EFFECT 745 PM UNTIL 100 AM FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHExAST MINNESOTA. JVM
Special weather statement, May 17, 9:25 PM CDT, 2 hours 15 minutes before
MNZALL-180300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHANHASSEN/TWIN CITIES MN 925 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1996 THE TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 383 HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED AND IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE OVER THIS AREA UNTIL MIDNIGHT. BRIEF HEAVY RAINS...SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MILES AN HOUR ARE LIKELY WITH PASSAGE OF THE STRONGER STORMS. ADDITIONAL INFORhMATION... A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA UNTIL 100 AM SATURDAY MORNING. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST MINNESOTA UNTIL 200 AM. JVM
Local storm report, May 17, 9:57 PM CDT, 1 hour 43 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHANHASSEN/TWIN CITIES MN
956 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1996
TIME EVENT/COUNTY
620 PM CDT GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL - MARIETTA IN LAC QUI PARLE
COUNTY
650 PM CDT GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED IN WESTERN STEVENS
COUNTY
651 PM CDT TORNADO - JUST WEST OF MORRIS IN STEVENS COUNTY
745 PM CDT FUNNEL CLOUD - WESTERN STEARNS
800 PM CDT MARBLE SIZE HAIL AT SAUK CENTRE IN STEARN COUNTY
820-845 PM CDT MARBLE SIZE HAIL AND 50 MPH WIND GUST NEAR CUSHING
IN MORRISON COUNTY
955 PM CDT GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL AT CLEAR LAKE IN EASTERN STEARNS
COUNTY
JVMThe office that day
Everything else NWS Twin Cities, MN issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 11:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MPX | Polk | 25 min |
| May 17, 11:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MPX | Barron, Dunn | 50 min |
| May 18, 12:38 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MPX | Chippewa, Rusk | 37 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Wisconsin, 1996Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1996
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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.