Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 52, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 15, 1998Sherburne County, Stearns County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 1998, 4:34 PM CDT for Sherburne County, Stearns County, Minnesota. It was in force for 56 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
May 15, 1998, 4:34 PM CDT (21:34 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 1998, 5:30 PM CDT
In force
56 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Whole counties

Counties Sherburne County, MN, Stearns County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:38 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
May 15, 4:40 PM CDTTornado F1Albany, MNTornado struck outdoor flea market in Albany, blowing numerous recreational vehicles over. One man was killed when a recreational vehicle was blown on top of him. 30 others were injured. A farmstead was severely damaged northeast of St. Francis just before l
May 15, 4:55 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 60Elk River, MNGarage destroyed. Roof ripped off nursery. Estimated windspeed. Many trees blown over. Damage estimate for entire county.
May 15, 5:00 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 60St Cloud, MNTrees down. Roof damage. 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
May 15, 2:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 86 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 1998-05-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1571 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 1998-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 179 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
1571 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-84 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
642 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
179 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
180 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
6.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

832 
WUUS1 KMSP 152135 RRA
SVRMSP
MNC141-145-163-152230-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
434 PM CDT FRI MAY 15 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS
ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SHERBURNE COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  STEARNS COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  WASHINGTON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 530 PM CDT

* AT 430 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE STORMS
  FROM LITCHFIELD THROUGH THE SOUTHERN TWIN CITIES.  THE STORMS WERE
  MOVING NORTH AT 70 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
    ST CLOUD
    ELK RIVER
    FOREST LAKE
    STILLWATER

THESE ARE DANGEROUS STORMS.  STAY INDOORS AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

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

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 15, 2:31 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXFaribault12 hr
May 15, 2:42 AM CDTTornado WarningMPXFaribault, Martin48 min
May 15, 3:02 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXNicollet13 hr
May 15, 4:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXLac qui Parle47 min
May 15, 1:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXPope, Stearns32 min
May 15, 1:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBenton, Stearns37 min
May 15, 1:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMorrison40 min
May 15, 2:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMartin51 min
May 15, 3:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXLe Sueur, Sibley63 min
May 15, 3:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRice, Scott50 min
May 15, 4:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXCarver51 min
May 15, 4:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXAnoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Wright63 min
May 15, 4:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMeeker31 min
May 15, 4:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXWashington56 min
May 15, 4:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBenton, Isanti, Mille Lacs58 min
May 15, 4:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChisago58 min
May 15, 4:51 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXAnoka, Ramsey, Washington29 min
May 15, 4:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMorrison, Todd64 min
May 15, 5:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXKanabec57 min
May 15, 5:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMille Lacs29 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.