Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 38, NWS La Crosse, WI

April 18, 2002Houston County, Winona County, Minnesota; La Crosse County, Wisconsin

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 18, 2002, 6:17 PM CDT for Houston County, Winona County, Minnesota; La Crosse County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 88 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Apr 18, 2002, 6:17 PM CDT (23:17 UTC)
Expired
Apr 18, 2002, 7:45 PM CDT
In force
88 min
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Houston County, MN, Winona County, MN, La Crosse County, WI

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 18, 6:25 PM CDTHail 0.75Onalaska, WI
Apr 18, 6:27 PM CDTHail 0.75Holmen, WI
Apr 18, 6:40 PM CDTHail 1Caledonia, 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
Apr 18, 4:15 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr
Apr 18, 2:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 202 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 2002-04-18Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2002-04-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 745 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1064 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
745 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
912 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.

000 
WUUS53 KARX 182317
SVRLSE
MNC055-169-WIC063-190045-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
617 PM CDT THU APR 18 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN WINONA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA
  HOUSTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA
  LA CROSSE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN

* UNTIL 745 PM CDT

* AT 617 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 4 MILES SOUTH OF WINONA TO 14
  MILES SOUTHWEST OF CALEDONIA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE...
  NEAR SPRING GROVE AT 625 PM CDT...
  NEAR HOUSTON AT 630 PM CDT...
  NEAR CALEDONIA AT 640 PM CDT...
  NEAR DAKOTA AT 645 PM CDT...
  NEAR HOKAH...AND BRICE PRAIRIE AT 650 PM CDT...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT THURSDAY EVENING
FOR WESTERN WISCONSIN. A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL
900 PM CDT THURSDAY EVENING FOR NORTHEASTERN IOWA AND SOUTHEAST
MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR
YOUR PROTECTION...MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF
YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.

LAT...LON 4398 9171 4352 9174 4364 9129 4400 9106

KRC

The office that day

Everything else NWS La Crosse, WI issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 18, 3:56 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXOlmsted34 min
Apr 18, 4:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXMower61 min
Apr 18, 4:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXMower60 min
Apr 18, 4:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXOlmsted77 min
Apr 18, 5:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXWabasha, Winona60 min
Apr 18, 5:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXFillmore60 min
Apr 18, 5:53 PM CDTTornado WarningARXFillmore67 min
Apr 18, 2:26 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXVernon64 min
Apr 18, 4:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXCrawford61 min
Apr 18, 4:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXRichland61 min
Apr 18, 2:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXGrant48 min
Apr 18, 2:57 PM CDTTornado WarningARXGrant63 min
Apr 18, 2:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXRichland46 min
Apr 18, 3:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXAdams, Juneau57 min
Apr 18, 4:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXTaylor54 min
Apr 18, 4:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXJuneau, Vernon49 min
Apr 18, 5:03 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXTaylor42 min
Apr 18, 5:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXMonroe46 min
Apr 18, 5:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXClark65 min
Apr 18, 5:36 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXBuffalo54 min
Apr 18, 5:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXTaylor61 min
Apr 18, 5:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXAdams, Juneau58 min
Apr 18, 6:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXTrempealeau56 min
Apr 18, 6:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXClark53 min
Apr 18, 6:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXJackson, Monroe56 min
Apr 18, 6:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXJuneau78 min
Apr 18, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXCrawford60 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 2002Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Wisconsin, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

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.