Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2005

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 18, 2005Swift County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at May 18, 2005, 6:38 PM CDT for Swift County, Minnesota. It was in force for 52 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 18, 2005, 6:38 PM CDT (23:38 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 2005, 7:30 PM CDT
In force
52 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Swift County, MN

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 18, 1:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 11.6 hours before the alert went out and 175 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 2005-05-18Temperature 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 2005-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 301 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
623 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
301 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
297 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 182339
TORMPX
MNC151-190030-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0012.050518T2338Z-050519T0030Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
638 PM CDT WED MAY 18 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SWIFT COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA

* UNTIL 730 PM CDT

* AT 633 PM CDT...THE PUBLIC REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD 11 MILES        
  SOUTHWEST OF BENSON...NEAR THE SWIFT AND CHIPPEWA COUNTY LINE.     
  THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  BENSON...
  BIG BAND CITY...
  DANVERS...
  CLONTARF...
   
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 4540 9590 4515 9584 4516 9555 4541 9548

$$
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS53 KMPX 190010
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
707 PM CDT WED MAY 18 2005

MNC151-190030-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0012.000000T0000Z-050519T0030Z/
SWIFT MN-
707 PM CDT WED MAY 18 2005

...A TORNADO WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 730 PM CDT FOR SWIFT COUNTY...

AT 703 PM CDT...A TORNADO WAS REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT SOUTH OF 
DE GRAFF...ALONG HIGHWAY 29.

AT 703 PM CDT...THE TORNADO PRODUCING SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS 
LOCATED 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DE GRAFF...OR ABOUT 10 MILES SOUTH OF 
BENSON...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE MURDOCK AND KERKHOVEN.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN 
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. 

LAT...LON 4526 9564 4516 9566 4516 9526 4527 9527

$$
000 
WWUS53 KMPX 190029
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
728 PM CDT WED MAY 18 2005

MNC151-190044-
/O.EXP.KMPX.TO.W.0012.000000T0000Z-050519T0030Z/
SWIFT MN-
728 PM CDT WED MAY 18 2005

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SWIFT COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 730 PM CDT...

NO ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER HAVE BEEN RECEIVED SINCE THE 
TORNADO TOUCHDOWN 7 MILES SOUTH OF BENSON AT 703 PM CDT.

LAT...LON 4526 9564 4516 9566 4516 9526 4527 9527

$$
RJN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 6:18 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXStevens42 min
May 18, 6:58 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXChippewa32 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2005Every tornado warning in 2005Tornadoes in 2005

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.