Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 41, NWS Twin Cities, MN

July 19, 2008Sherburne County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at Jul 19, 2008, 2:02 PM CDT for Sherburne County, Minnesota. It was in force for 43 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
Jul 19, 2008, 2:02 PM CDT (19:02 UTC)
Expired
Jul 19, 2008, 2:45 PM CDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Sherburne County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 67 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:03 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
Jul 19, 2:05 PM CDTTORNADO3 E Becker, MNTORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR A BARN ALONG 165TH AVE NW AND DOWNED SEVERAL 2 TO 3 FT OAK TREES. TIME WAS ESTIMATED.
Jul 19, 2:25 PM CDTTORNADOBig Lake, MNTORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY IN VICINITY OF BIG LAKE. REPORTED BY OFF DUTY GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 66 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 2008-07-19Temperature 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 2008-07-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1477 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
95 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 191902
TORMPX
MNC141-191945-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0041.080719T1902Z-080719T1945Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
202 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SHERBURNE COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 245 PM CDT

* AT 159 PM CDT...RADAR WAS TRACKING A SEVERE STORM WITH STRONG
  ROTATION. THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM WAS NEAR BECKER...OR
  ABOUT OVER BECKER...AND MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS INCLUDE...
  BIG LAKE...
  ZIMMERMAN...
  ELK RIVER...

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 4556 9352 4530 9352 4534 9386 4545 9401
TIME...MOT...LOC 1902Z 262DEG 26KT 4538 9386

$$

LS
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS53 KMPX 191913
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
210 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2008

MNC141-191945-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0041.000000T0000Z-080719T1945Z/
SHERBURNE MN-
210 PM CDT SAT JUL 19 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 245 PM CDT FOR SHERBURNE
COUNTY...

AROUND 215 PM...A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN WAS REPORTED 
JUST EAST OF BECKER.

AT 208 PM CDT... THE TORNADIC SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 4 MILES
EAST OF BECKER...AND MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

DOPPLER RADAR WAS ALSO INDICATING ANOTHER STORM EAST OF 
CLEARWATER...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH INTO WESTERN SHERBURNE COUNTY.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE ZIMMERMAN...ELK RIVER...CLEAR
LAKE...BIG LAKE AND BECKER.

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE
HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE WINDS.

LAT...LON 4556 9352 4530 9352 4534 9386 4545 9401
TIME...MOT...LOC 1910Z 262DEG 26KT 4539 9378

$$

LS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 19, 1:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXSherburne46 min
Jul 19, 2:16 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXIsanti, Mille Lacs44 min
Jul 19, 2:24 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXAnoka, Isanti51 min
Jul 19, 2:35 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXAnoka, Isanti, Sherburne40 min
Jul 19, 2:59 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXChisago, Isanti20 min
Jul 19, 3:07 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXAnoka, Chisago, Isanti, Washington38 min
Jul 19, 4:11 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMPXMartin2 hr
Jul 19, 6:03 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMPXFreeborn2 hr

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.