Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 74, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

July 13, 1997Cottonwood County, Jackson County, Minnesota

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 13, 1997, 6:29 PM CDT for Cottonwood County, Jackson County, Minnesota. It was in force for 31 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
Jul 13, 1997, 6:29 PM CDT (23:29 UTC)
Expired
Jul 13, 1997, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cottonwood County, MN, Jackson County, MN

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 129 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:31 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
Jul 13, 6:41 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Windom, 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 13, 4:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Aberdeen, SD (KABR), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 283 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 1997-07-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 825 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, Aberdeen, SD at 12:00Z on 1997-07-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 68 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
825 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-98 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1060 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
68 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
87 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KFSD 132331 RRA
SVRFSD
MNC033-063-140000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
629 PM CDT SUN JUL 13 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  SOUTHERN COTTONWOOD COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN MINNESOTA
  NORTHERN JACKSON COUNTY IN SOUTHWESTERN MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 700 PM CDT
 
* SOME AREAS AFFECTED
  HERON LAKE               AROUND 635 PM CDT

* AT 625 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 14 MILES NORTHEAST OF WORTHINGTON  OR 4
  MILES NORTHWEST OF HERON LAKE MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.
 
AT SIGNS OF AN IMPENDING STORM...TOWERING THUNDERHEADS...DARKENING
SKIES...LIGHTNING AND INCREASING WINDS...MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY.
TUNE TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLET FOR THE LATEST
WEATHER INFORMATION.

HARMON

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.

NWS Sioux Falls, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 13, 9:57 AM CDT, 8 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 13, 9:57 AM CDT, 8 hours 32 minutes before
SOUTH DAKOTA/NORTHWEST IOWA/SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
955 AM CDT SUN JUL 13 1997

SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS REMAINED BETWEEN THE MISSOURI AND JAMES RIVERS OF
SD AT 1445Z WILE THE THUNDERSTORMS HAD MOVED BEYOND OUR CWA IN
NORTHWEST IA AND SOUTHWEST MN.  UPPER LOW IS FORECAST TO TRACK EAST
ALONG THE ND/SD BORDER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  THIS SHOULD KEEP
THE BEST CONVERGENCE AND LIFT TO THE NORTH OF OUR CWA.  BUT COOLING
ALOFT AND H5 AND DIURNAL HEATING IS EXPECTED TO CREATE SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE CWA AS IN EARLIER FORECAST.  WILL UPDATE THE
ZONES TO CHANGE SOME WORDING AND TO SLOW DOWN THE FORECAST WIND SHIFT.

.FSD...NONE
UML(AND

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 13, 6:18 PM CDT, 11 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  SIOUX FALLS SD
618 PM CDT SUN JUL 13 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0345 PM    HARTFORD                  SD   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA                      4 SOUTHEAST OF HARTOFRD

NWS
Local storm report, Jul 13, 6:20 PM CDT, 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  SIOUX FALLS SD
618 PM CDT SUN JUL 13 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0345t PM    HARTFORD                  SD   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA                      4 SOUTHEAST OF HARTOFRD

NWS
Local storm report, Jul 13, 6:23 PM CDT, 6 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  SIOUX FALLS SD
623 PM CDT SUN JUL 13 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0357 PM    CROOKS                    SD   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA

0418 PM    BALTIC                    SD   3.00 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA                      BROKE WINDOWS AT EROS
                                          DATA CENTER

0355 PM    ELLIS                     MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA                      CROP DAMAGE

0445 PM    JASPER                    MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   ROCK                           5 MILES WEST

0345 PM    HARTFORD                  SD   3.00 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA                      5 SOUTHEAST OF HARTFORD

NWS
Local storm report, Jul 13, 6:25 PM CDT, 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  SIOUX FALLS SD
623 PM CDT SUN JUL 13 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0357 PM    CROOKS                    SD   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA

0418 PM    BALTIC                    SD   3.00 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA                      BROKE WINDOWS AT EROS
                                          DATA CENTER

0355 PM    ELLIS                     MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA                      CROP DAMAGE

0445 PM    JASPER                    MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   ROCK                           5 MILES WEST

0345 PM    HARTFORD                  SD   3.00 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA                      5 SOUTHEAST OF HARTFORD

NWS
Local storm report, Jul 13, 6:28 PM CDT, 1 minute before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE  SIOUX FALLS SD
628 PM CDT SUN JUL 13 1997

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0440 PM    GARRETSON                 SD   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA                      5 MILES NORTH

0510 PM    JASPER                    MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   ROCK                           5SE OF JASPER

0515 PM    HARDWICK                  MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   ROCK

0525 PM    HARDWICK                  MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   ROCK                           4 NORTHEAST OF HARDWICK

0345 PM    HARTFORD                  SD   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA                      5 SOUTHEAST OF HARTFORD

0357 PM    CROOKS                    SD   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA

0418 PM    BALTIC                    SD   2.75 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA                      3 EAST OF BALTIC

0355 PM    ELLIS                     MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA                      CROP DAMAGE

0445 PM    JASPER                    MN   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   ROCK                           5 MILES WEST OF JASPER

0345 PM    HARTFORD                  SD   3.00 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA                      5 SOUTHEAST OF HARTFORD

0445 PM    GARRETSON                 SD   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   MINNEHAHA                      5 MILES NORTH

0510 PM    JASPER                    MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   ROCK                           5 MLES SOUTHEAST OF JASPER

0515 PM    HARDWICK                  MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   ROCK

0525 PM    HARDWICK                  MN   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/13/97   ROCK                           3 NORTHEAST OF HARDWICK

NWS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 13, 4:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDPipestone34 min
Jul 13, 5:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDRock31 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

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.