Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 202, NWS Twin Cities, MN

August 15, 1997Scott County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 15, 1997, 6:04 PM CDT for Scott County, Minnesota. It was in force for 66 min. 6 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
Aug 15, 1997, 6:04 PM CDT (23:04 UTC)
Expired
Aug 15, 1997, 7:10 PM CDT
In force
66 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Whole counties

County Scott County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 22 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:05 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
Aug 15, 6:10 PM CDTHail 1.75Lydia, MN
Aug 15, 6:12 PM CDTHail 1.75Jordan, MN
Aug 15, 6:15 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 55Jordan, MNMobile home damaged.
Aug 15, 6:30 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 55Prior Lake, MNTrees blown down. Estimated windspeed.
Aug 15, 6:35 PM CDTHail 1.75Spring Lake, MN
Aug 15, 6:35 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Spring Lake, 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
Aug 15, 4:15 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 23 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 1997-08-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 738 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 1997-08-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 58 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
738 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-34 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
698 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
58 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
66 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

281 
WUUS1 KMSP 152306 RRA
SVRMSP
MNC139-160005-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
604 PM CDT FRI AUG 15 1997


* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR 
  SCOTT COUNTY - EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  
* UNTIL 710 PM CDT

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
    BELLE PLAINE
    JORDON
    LYDIA
    NEW MARKET

* AT 601 PM SEVERE WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A SEVERE STORM WITH
  LARGE HAIL NEAR BELLE PLAINE OR 40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
  MINNEAPOLIS.  THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM...WITH LARGE HAIL.  STAY INDOORS AWAY
FROM WINDOWS.

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT.  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE
TORNADOES.

SCOTT


&

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 14, 7:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDakota, Rice46 min
Aug 14, 7:50 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXLe Sueur, Rice100 min
Aug 14, 7:50 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXLe Sueur, Rice40 min
Aug 15, 4:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMcLeod, Meeker, Renville42 min
Aug 15, 4:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXWright32 min
Aug 15, 5:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMcLeod58 min
Aug 15, 5:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXCarver64 min
Aug 15, 5:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMille Lacs, Sherburne34 min
Aug 15, 5:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXAnoka, Isanti61 min
Aug 15, 6:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChisago30 min
Aug 15, 6:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDakota63 min
Aug 15, 6:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXLe Sueur50 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.