Alert archive / Iowa / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 3, NWS La Crosse, WI

April 18, 2002Fillmore County, Minnesota; Howard County, Winneshiek County, Iowa

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this tornado warning at Apr 18, 2002, 5:53 PM CDT for Fillmore County, Minnesota; Howard County, Winneshiek County, Iowa. It was in force for 67 min. 2 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, 5:53 PM CDT (22:53 UTC)
Expired
Apr 18, 2002, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
67 min
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Howard County, IA, Winneshiek County, IA, Fillmore County, MN

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 18, 6:10 PM CDTHail 1.75Harmony, MN
Apr 18, 6:18 PM CDTHail 1.25Harmony, 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

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 195 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°0°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 
WFUS53 KARX 182253
TORLSE
IAC089-191-MNC045-190000-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
553 PM CDT THU APR 18 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN HOWARD COUNTY IN NORTHEAST IOWA
  NORTHERN WINNESHIEK COUNTY IN NORTHEAST IOWA
  SOUTHERN FILLMORE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 700 PM CDT

* AT 553 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  DEVELOPING TORNADO 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HARMONY...OR ABOUT 7 MILES
  NORTH OF CRESCO...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE DEVELOPING TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE...
  NEAR HARMONY AT 605 PM CDT...
  NEAR CANTON AT 610 PM CDT...
  NEAR MABEL AT 620 PM CDT...

TAKE COVER IN A BASEMENT OR IN AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR

LAT...LON 4354 9221 4342 9220 4347 9174 4361 9174

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, 6:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXHouston, Winona88 min
Apr 18, 1:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXFayette30 min
Apr 18, 1:47 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXWinneshiek58 min
Apr 18, 2:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXFayette38 min
Apr 18, 2:48 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXChickasaw42 min
Apr 18, 2:50 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXAllamakee55 min
Apr 18, 2:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXFayette47 min
Apr 18, 3:29 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXHoward46 min
Apr 18, 3:49 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXWinneshiek56 min
Apr 18, 4:01 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXAllamakee44 min
Apr 18, 4:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXFloyd44 min
Apr 18, 4:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXChickasaw63 min
Apr 18, 5:25 PM CDTTornado WarningARXChickasaw50 min
Apr 18, 5:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXFayette, Winneshiek56 min
Apr 18, 6:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXAllamakee59 min
Apr 18, 6:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXChickasaw41 min
Apr 18, 6:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXWinneshiek56 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Iowa, 2002Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes 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.