Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 273, NWS Twin Cities, MN

August 12, 2002Martin County, Watonwan County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 12, 2002, 12:23 AM CDT for Martin County, Watonwan County, Minnesota. It was in force for 52 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: Aug 12, 2002, 12:23 AM CDT (05:23 UTC)
Expired: Aug 12, 2002, 1:15 AM CDT
In force: 52 min
Issued by: NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Martin County, MN, Watonwan County, MN

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Aug 12, 12:30 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 60 E	St James, MN	Garage complex at apartment building partially collapsed; four cars damaged. Roof came off a home that was under construction. Numerous trees down.
Aug 12, 12:47 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 52 E	Truman, MN	Tree toppled.
Aug 12, 12:55 AM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 50 M	Fairmont Arpt, 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Aug 11, 9:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 5.4 hours before the alert went out and 139 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1443 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -59 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1692 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 54 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

409 
WUUS53 KMPX 120523
SVRMSP
MNC091-165-120615-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1221 AM CDT MON AUG 12 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  WATONWAN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  MARTIN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 115 AM CDT

* AT 1221 AM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
  FROM 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF ST JAMES...TO JUST SOUTH OF JACKSON.
  WINDS OF 60 TO 70 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST 
  TO SOUTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...
  FAIRMONT.
  ST JAMES.
  ODIN.
  ORMSBY.
  TRIMONT.
  SHERBURN.
  DUNNELL.
  CEYLON.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM WITH DAMAGING WINDS...STAY INDOORS AWAY
FROM WINDOWS.

LAT...LON 4404 9485 4357 9484 4354 9438 4409 9438

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 11, 9:59 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Lac qui Parle, Yellow Medicine	61 min
Aug 11, 11:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Pope, Stevens, Swift	59 min
Aug 11, 11:53 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Redwood, Yellow Medicine	37 min
Aug 12, 12:07 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Douglas	38 min
Aug 12, 12:55 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Faribault	50 min
Aug 12, 2:14 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Ramsey	31 min
Aug 12, 2:27 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Anoka, Washington	48 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 2002 Every 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.