Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 86, NWS Twin Cities, MN

July 1, 1997Benton County, Sherburne County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 1, 1997, 6:46 PM CDT for Benton County, Sherburne County, Minnesota. It was in force for 49 min. 3 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
Jul 1, 1997, 6:46 PM CDT (23:46 UTC)
Expired
Jul 1, 1997, 7:35 PM CDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Benton County, MN, Sherburne County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 84 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:48 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 1, 7:15 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 95Big Lake, MNFive airplanes overturned at local airport. Roof blown off lumberyard, injurying a motorist. Fire hall doors blown off. Hundreds of trees blown down. Roofs ripped off numerous structures including middle school, apartment building and hardware store. Traf
Jul 1, 7:20 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 60Elk River, MNRoof blown off apartment building. Numerous large trees down. Estimated windspeed.
Jul 1, 7:20 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 60Zimmerman, MNHundreds of trees blown down at Girl Scout Camp. Estimated windspeed.

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 1, 3:00 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 83 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 1997-07-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1531 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 1997-07-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 41 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
1531 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-61 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
923 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
41 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
63 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMSP 012347 RRA
SVRMSP
MNC009-141-020035-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
646 PM CDT TUE JUL 1 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  BENTON COUNTY - CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  SHERBURNE COUNTY - CENTRAL MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 735 PM CDT
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
    CLEAR LAKE
    ELK RIVER
    FOLEY
    ST. CLOUD

* AT 644 PM CDT DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE STORMS WITH
  LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS 30 MILES WEST OF ST. CLOUD.  THE
  STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.  TREES WERE REPORTED DOWN IN
  RICHMOND...OR 30 MILES WEST OF ST. CLOUD.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM...WITH DAMAGING WINDS.  STAY INDOORS AWAY
FROM WINDOWS.

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

HOWIESON
 

&

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 1, 3:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXLac qui Parle32 min
Jul 1, 3:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChippewa, Lac qui Parle, Swift44 min
Jul 1, 4:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXPope, Swift63 min
Jul 1, 5:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRenville57 min
Jul 1, 5:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChippewa56 min
Jul 1, 5:17 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXRenville43 min
Jul 1, 5:23 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXChippewa, Kandiyohi37 min
Jul 1, 5:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMeeker56 min
Jul 1, 6:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXKandiyohi29 min
Jul 1, 6:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRenville50 min
Jul 1, 6:28 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXWright32 min
Jul 1, 6:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMcLeod55 min
Jul 1, 6:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXStearns51 min
Jul 1, 6:39 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXMeeker36 min
Jul 1, 6:55 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXWright35 min
Jul 1, 6:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXCarver, Sibley62 min
Jul 1, 6:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXHennepin62 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.