Alert archive / Iowa / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Watch 577

June 24, 200330 counties in Iowa; 27 counties in Minnesota; 6 counties in Wisconsin

The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at Jun 24, 2003, 12:35 AM CDT for 30 counties in Iowa; 27 counties in Minnesota; 6 counties in Wisconsin. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jun 24, 2003, 12:35 AM CDT (05:35 UTC)
Expired
Jun 24, 2003, 6:00 AM CDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 63 counties

Boone County, IA, Buena Vista County, IA, Calhoun County, IA, Carroll County, IA, Cerro Gordo County, IA, Cherokee County, IA, Clay County, IA, Crawford County, IA, Dickinson County, IA, Emmet County, IA, Floyd County, IA, Franklin County, IA, Greene County, IA, Hamilton County, IA, Hancock County, IA, Hardin County, IA, Humboldt County, IA, Ida County, IA, Kossuth County, IA, Mitchell County, IA, Monona County, IA, O'Brien County, IA, Palo Alto County, IA, Pocahontas County, IA, Sac County, IA, Webster County, IA, Winnebago County, IA, Woodbury County, IA, Worth County, IA, Wright County, IA, Anoka County, MN, Blue Earth County, MN, Brown County, MN, Carver County, MN, Dakota County, MN, Dodge County, MN, Faribault County, MN, Freeborn County, MN, Goodhue County, MN, Hennepin County, MN, Jackson County, MN, Le Sueur County, MN, Martin County, MN, McLeod County, MN, Mower County, MN, Nicollet County, MN, Olmsted County, MN, Ramsey County, MN, Rice County, MN, Scott County, MN, Sibley County, MN, Steele County, MN, Wabasha County, MN, Waseca County, MN, Washington County, MN, Watonwan County, MN, Wright County, MN, Buffalo County, WI, Chippewa County, WI, Dunn County, WI, Pepin County, WI, Pierce County, WI, Saint Croix County, WI

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 180 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:35 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.

Warnings issued inside it

7 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 24, 12:52 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDIda, Woodbury38 min
Jun 24, 1:14 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXCalhoun, Webster46 min
Jun 24, 1:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXHumboldt, Webster53 min
Jun 24, 1:38 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDMXGreene, Webster37 min
Jun 24, 2:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXCarver, Scott38 min
Jun 24, 2:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington53 min
Jun 24, 2:25 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningFSDCherokee, Ida, Woodbury4 hr

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 5.6 hours before the alert went out and 179 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 00:00Z on 2003-06-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1955 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 00:00Z on 2003-06-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 51 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
1955 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1314 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
51 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
79 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.8
Supercell composite
6.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 240533
SEL7  
SPC WW 240535
IAZ000-MNZ000-WIZ000-241100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 577 
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 
1235 AM CDT TUE JUN 24 2003

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 

       NORTHERN AND WESTERN IOWA
       SOUTHERN MINNESOTA
       WESTERN WISCONSIN

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY MORNING FROM 1235 AM UNTIL 600 AM CDT.

HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80
MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 75 STATUTE MILES
EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES NORTHEAST OF MINNEAPOLIS
MINNESOTA TO 60 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FORT DODGE IOWA.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
TORNADOES.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REPLACES
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 572. WATCH NUMBER 572 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT
AFTER 1235 AM CDT. CONTINUE...WW 573...WW 574...WW 575...WW 576...


DISCUSSION...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER NWRN IA WILL CONTINUE TO
DEVELOP NEWD INTO A VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS ACROSS SRN MN AND NRN IA. 
SHEAR PROFILES ARE FAVORABLE FOR STORMS DEVELOPING BOWS AND SHORT
LINE SEGMENTS WHICH WILL ENHANCE WIND DAMAGE POTENTIAL.

AVIATION...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT
TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 70
KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 600. MEAN STORM
MOTION VECTOR 25035.


...HALES

452,0905 415,0933 415,0962 452,0940

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 23, 8:08 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll and 28 more67 min
Jun 23, 8:55 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAudubon, Buena Vista, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cerro Gordo and 24 more4 hr
Jun 23, 9:10 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCherokee, Dickinson, Lyon, O'Brien, Osceola, Sioux65 min
Jun 23, 10:38 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBuena Vista, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Humboldt, Ida and 9 more67 min
Jun 23, 10:50 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCPlymouth5 hr
Jun 23, 11:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCLyon, O'Brien, Osceola, Sioux6 hr
Jun 24, 1:52 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCPlymouth53 min
Jun 24, 2:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAdair, Adams, Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone and 39 more5 hr
Jun 24, 2:44 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCLyon, Osceola, Sioux2 hr
Jun 24, 3:09 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoone, Buena Vista, Calhoun, Carroll, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee and 12 more96 min
Jun 24, 11:43 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery and 3 more2 hr
Jun 24, 2:15 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCCherokee, Lyon, O'Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sioux8 hr
Jun 24, 3:56 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdair, Adams, Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Guthrie and 6 more64 min
Jun 24, 5:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAdair, Audubon, Boone, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun and 30 more5 hr
Jun 24, 5:59 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCLyon, O'Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sioux61 min
Jun 24, 1:21 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBig Stone, Lac qui Parle, Stevens, Yellow Medicine114 min
Jun 24, 4:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAitkin, Anoka, Benton, Big Stone, Carlton, Chippewa and 21 more6 hr
Jun 24, 5:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBlue Earth, Brown, Carver, Dakota, Dodge, Faribault and 18 more5 hr
Jun 24, 9:32 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAshland, Iron2 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Iowa, 2003Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Minnesota, 2003Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Wisconsin, 2003Every severe thunderstorm watch in 2003

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.