Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 3, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 17, 1996Chippewa County, Stevens County, Swift County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 1996, 6:25 PM CDT for Chippewa County, Stevens County, Swift County, Minnesota. It was in force for 65 min. 5 reports 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, 6:25 PM CDT (23:25 UTC)
Expired
May 17, 1996, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
65 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Chippewa County, MN, Stevens County, MN, Swift County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 179 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:24 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 17, 6:45 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 60Alberta, MN
May 17, 6:45 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 60Donnelly, MN
May 17, 6:45 PM CDTHail 1.75Morris, MN
May 17, 7:10 PM CDTHail 1Benson, MN
May 17, 7:15 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Montevideo, MN

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 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 176 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 1996-05-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 489 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 1996-05-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 304 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
489 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-424 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
512 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
304 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
369 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
4.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMSP 172325
SVRMSP
MNC023-149-151-180030-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MINNEAPOLIS MN
625 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MINNEAPOLIS HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  730 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA
 
   ...CHIPPEWA COUNTY...STEVENS COUNTY...SWIFT COUNTY
 
RADAR DETECTED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM ORTONVILLE TO
MADISON.
 
MOVING RAPIDLY TO THE NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 50 MPH.
 
SOME OF THE CITIES IN THE PATH ARE...MORRIS...APPLETON AND MONTEVIDEO.
 
THESE LINE OF STORMS HAS A HISTORY OF LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.
 
AT 620 PM GOLFBALrL HAIL WAS REPORTED AT MARIETTA OR 20 MILES SOUTH OF
ORTONVILLE.
 
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.
 
CARLYON
 
&

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 17, 8:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXAnoka, Chisago, Isanti53 min
May 17, 6:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXLac qui Parle53 min
May 17, 6:44 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXStevens46 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 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.