Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 31, 2008Anoka County, Chisago County, Washington County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at May 31, 2008, 6:55 PM CDT for Anoka County, Chisago County, Washington County, Minnesota. It was in force for 50 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 31, 2008, 6:55 PM CDT (23:55 UTC)
Expired
May 31, 2008, 7:45 PM CDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Anoka County, MN, Chisago County, MN, Washington County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 70 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:56 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 31, 7:12 PM CDTHAIL 0.881 Ese Forest Lake, MN
May 31, 7:12 PM CDTHAIL 1Forest Lake, MNNEAR HIGHWAYS 61 AND 97.

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 31, 2:51 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 72 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 2008-05-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 16 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2008-05-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -6 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
16 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-33 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
722 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
7 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 312355
TORMPX
MNC003-025-163-010045-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0015.080531T2355Z-080601T0045Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
655 PM CDT SAT MAY 31 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL CHISAGO COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORTHEASTERN ANOKA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 745 PM CDT

* AT 651 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO. THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM WAS 5 MILES WEST OF
  WYOMING...OR ABOUT OVER EAST BETHEL...AND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 28
  MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  STACY...
  WYOMING...
  FOREST LAKE...
  HUGO...
  SCANDIA...

LAT...LON 4530 9274 4511 9289 4531 9321 4541 9302
TIME...MOT...LOC 2355Z 311DEG 24KT 4534 9308

$$

MDB
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS53 KMPX 010008
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
707 PM CDT SAT MAY 31 2008

MNC003-025-163-010045-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0015.000000T0000Z-080601T0045Z/
CHISAGO MN-ANOKA MN-WASHINGTON MN-
707 PM CDT SAT MAY 31 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 PM CDT FOR NORTHERN
WASHINGTON...NORTHEASTERN ANOKA AND SOUTH CENTRAL CHISAGO COUNTIES...

AT 705 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THE MOST DANGEROUS PART
OF THE STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR FOREST LAKE...OR ABOUT OVER FOREST 
LAKE...AND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 34 MPH. HAIL LARGER THAN GOLF BALLS 
IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE SCANDIA...WYOMING...STACY...
HUGO AND FOREST LAKE.

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY.

LAT...LON 4530 9275 4511 9289 4531 9321 4541 9302
TIME...MOT...LOC 0007Z 311DEG 29KT 4526 9297

$$

MDB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 30, 7:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBlue Earth, Waseca36 min
May 31, 2:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXLe Sueur51 min
May 31, 3:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXLe Sueur, Rice, Steele, Waseca67 min
May 31, 4:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXFaribault, Freeborn, Steele, Waseca48 min
May 31, 4:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBenton, Sherburne60 min
May 31, 4:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMorrison67 min
May 31, 4:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXKanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison62 min
May 31, 5:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXSherburne, Wright59 min
May 31, 5:16 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXSherburne, Wright44 min
May 31, 5:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXAnoka, Hennepin, Ramsey65 min
May 31, 5:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBenton, Mille Lacs, Morrison62 min
May 31, 5:38 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXHennepin, Wright40 min
May 31, 6:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChisago, Isanti58 min
May 31, 6:26 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott50 min
May 31, 6:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXKanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison46 min
May 31, 6:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXAnoka, Chisago, Washington45 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2008Every tornado warning in 2008Tornadoes in 2008

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.