Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 10, NWS Twin Cities, MN

March 29, 1998Freeborn County, Steele County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 29, 1998, 3:23 PM CST for Freeborn County, Steele County, Minnesota. It was in force for 37 min. 2 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
Mar 29, 1998, 3:23 PM CST (21:23 UTC)
Expired
Mar 29, 1998, 4:00 PM CST
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Freeborn County, MN, Steele County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 113 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:25 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
Mar 29, 3:30 PM CSTHail 1Owatonna, MN
Mar 29, 3:35 PM CSTHail 1.75Albert Lea, 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
Mar 29, 2:00 PM CSTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 114 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 1998-03-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1998-03-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 160 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
551 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
160 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
251 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

570 
WUUS1 KMSP 292126 RRA
SVRMSP
MNC047-147-292200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
323 PM CST SUN MAR 29 1998


* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  FREEBORN COUNTY - SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  STEELE COUNTY - SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 400 PM CST

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
    ALBERT LEA
    GENEVA
    ELLENDALE
    OWATONNA

* AT 322 PM CST DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED TWO SEVERE STORMS WITH
  LARGE HAIL. ONE STORM WAS NEAR ELLENDALE..OR ABOUT 20 MILES
  SOUTH OF OWATONNA AND ANOTHER STORM WAS NEAR TWIN LAKES..OR
  ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ALBERT LEA.   THE STORMS WERE
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

THESE ARE DANGEROUS STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL TO GOLF BALL
SIZE. STAY INDOORS AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

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

MILLER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 29, 2:27 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXNicollet, Sibley48 min
Mar 29, 2:43 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMcLeod, Meeker, Wright47 min
Mar 29, 2:47 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXFaribault, Freeborn48 min
Mar 29, 2:52 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXCarver48 min
Mar 29, 2:52 PM CSTTornado WarningMPXScott38 min
Mar 29, 3:00 PM CSTTornado WarningMPXFreeborn35 min
Mar 29, 3:07 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXWright33 min
Mar 29, 3:12 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDakota, Hennepin, Ramsey63 min
Mar 29, 3:12 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXAnoka63 min
Mar 29, 3:18 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXAnoka, Sherburne42 min
Mar 29, 3:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDakota, Washington63 min
Mar 29, 3:32 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXGoodhue63 min
Mar 29, 3:39 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXCarver, Sibley36 min
Mar 29, 3:43 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChisago, Isanti47 min
Mar 29, 4:21 PM CSTTornado WarningMPXBrown, Watonwan64 min
Mar 29, 4:28 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXScott47 min
Mar 29, 4:56 PM CSTTornado WarningMPXBlue Earth, Nicollet59 min
Mar 29, 5:23 PM CSTTornado WarningMPXLe Sueur52 min
Mar 29, 5:47 PM CSTTornado WarningMPXBlue Earth, Nicollet48 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

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.