Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 9, 2004Anoka County, Sherburne County, Wright County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at May 9, 2004, 4:49 PM CDT for Anoka County, Sherburne County, Wright County, Minnesota. It was in force for 26 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
May 9, 2004, 4:49 PM CDT (21:49 UTC)
Expired
May 9, 2004, 5:15 PM CDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Anoka County, MN, Sherburne County, MN, Wright County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 49 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:52 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 9, 4:50 PM CDTTSTM WND GST 60St Michael, MN
May 9, 5:05 PM CDTTSTM WND DMGElk River, MNA FEW TREES WERE DOWNED.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 9, 2:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr
May 9, 3:55 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 49 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 2004-05-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 8 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 2004-05-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 207 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
8 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-483 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
802 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
207 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
170 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 KMPX 092149
TORMPX
MNC003-141-171-092215-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
446 PM CDT SUN MAY 9 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SHERBURNE COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  WRIGHT COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA
  ANOKA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 515 PM CDT

* AT 443 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO 
  ABOUT 3 MILES WEST OF ELK RIVER...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.
  ANOTHER POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS NEAR WAVERLY.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  EAST BETHEL.
  ALBERTVILLE.
  ELK RIVER.
  ST. FRANCIS
  RAMSEY.
  MONTROSE.

LAT...LON 4536 9379 4518 9379 4524 9340 4516 9300
          4538 9302

$$
TDK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 9, 11:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXYellow Medicine56 min
May 9, 1:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXPope, Stevens67 min
May 9, 2:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXSwift59 min
May 9, 2:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXPope31 min
May 9, 3:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXKandiyohi, Stearns54 min
May 9, 3:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXSwift31 min
May 9, 3:31 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXKandiyohi29 min
May 9, 3:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXSherburne, Wright54 min
May 9, 3:59 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXKandiyohi31 min
May 9, 4:05 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMeeker, Stearns55 min
May 9, 4:13 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXMeeker, Stearns47 min
May 9, 4:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXCarver, Hennepin, Wright65 min
May 9, 4:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMcLeod47 min
May 9, 5:11 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXCarver, Hennepin49 min
May 9, 5:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXAnoka42 min
May 9, 5:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChisago, Isanti64 min
May 9, 5:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXSibley44 min
May 9, 5:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRamsey, Washington58 min
May 9, 5:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMcLeod42 min
May 9, 6:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDakota, Scott57 min
May 9, 6:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXSibley58 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2004Every tornado warning in 2004Tornadoes in 2004

Sources

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