Tornado Watch 548

Issued

Jul 1, 1997, 3:00 PM CDT (20:00 UTC)

Expired

Jul 1, 1997, 9:00 PM CDT

In force

6 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:04 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.

950 
WWUS9 KMKC 011922
SEL8  
MKC WW 011922
MNZ000-020200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 548
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
222 PM CDT TUE JUL 1 1997

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA                          

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 300 PM UNTIL 900
PM CDT.

THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF
VERY DAMAGING TORNADOES.  ALSO...LARGE HAIL TO 2 1/2 INCHES IN
DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 85 MPH...AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 90 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF ALEXANDRIA MINNESOTA TO
15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FAIRMONT MINNESOTA.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...  CONTINUE...WW 547...

DISCUSSION...STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN SOUTH
DAKOTA ARE EXPECTED TO SPREAD EASTWARD INTO SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA
DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.  STORMS ARE LOCATED AHEAD OF VERY
STRONG UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS. 
WARM FRONT ACROSS SOUTHERN MINNESOTA IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE PRIMARY
FOCUS FOR MOST INTENSE STORMS...WITH POTENTIAL FOR NEW CONVECTION
TO DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON.  AIR MASS IS VERY MOIST AND
UNSTABLE OVER MINNESOTA WITH 18Z MPX SOUNDING SHOWING CAPE VALUES
ABV 3500 J/KG.  VEERING WIND PROFILE WITH HEIGHT IS ALREADY EVIDENT
ON MPX SOUNDING...AND WINDS ALOFT WILL LIKELY INCREASE INTO THE
LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING HOURS AS UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM
THE WEST.  INCREASING FAVORABLE STORM-RELATIVE HELICITY AND FLOW
INDICATES THREAT FOR TORNADIC SUPERCELLS...ESPECIALLY NEAR THE WARM
FRONT.


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 1/2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 75 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
550.  MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23030.


...WEISS

455,0924 432,0925 432,0962 455,0963

Tornado Watches in Minnesota, 1997Every tornado watch in 1997

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.