Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 47, NWS Twin Cities, MN

August 19, 2009Chisago County, Minnesota; Polk County, Wisconsin

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at Aug 19, 2009, 4:21 PM CDT for Chisago County, Minnesota; Polk County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 39 min. 1 report 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
Aug 19, 2009, 4:21 PM CDT (21:21 UTC)
Expired
Aug 19, 2009, 5:00 PM CDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Chisago County, MN, Polk County, WI

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 94 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:20 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
Aug 19, 4:54 PM CDTTSTM WND DMGNorth Branch, MNMAJOR TREE DAMAGE AND TELEPHONE POLE DOWN IN NORTH BRANCH ALONG HIGHWAY 95.

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, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 95 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 2009-08-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 368 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 2009-08-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 121 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
368 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-49 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
615 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
121 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
68 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
3.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KMPX 192121
TORMPX
MNC025-WIC095-192200-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0047.090819T2121Z-090819T2200Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
421 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CHISAGO COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORWETWEST POLK COUNTY IN NORTHWEST WISCONSIN...

* UNTIL 500 PM CDT

* AT 421 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO. THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM WAS 4 MILES EAST OF
  BRANCH...AND MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  HARRIS...
  WOLF CREEK...
  CUSHING...
  RUSH CITY...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON 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.

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 4565 9287 4565 9262 4548 9266 4541 9263
      4531 9272 4530 9278 4530 9280 4547 9303
      4556 9303 4557 9314 4574 9314 4574 9284
TIME...MOT...LOC 2121Z 201DEG 25KT 4551 9288

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS53 KMPX 192131
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
431 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

MNC025-WIC095-192200-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0047.000000T0000Z-090819T2200Z/
CHISAGO MN-POLK WI-
431 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM CDT FOR
NORTHWESTERN POLK AND NORTHERN CHISAGO COUNTIES...

AT 431 PM CDT...RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM
WAS LOCATED 6 MILES WEST OF WOLF CREEK...AND MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
WOLF CREEK...CUSHING AND RUSH CITY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON 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.

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 4574 9284 4565 9287 4565 9262 4548 9266
      4540 9264 4556 9303 4557 9313 4574 9314
TIME...MOT...LOC 2131Z 201DEG 25KT 4557 9284

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 18, 11:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChippewa, Lac qui Parle, Stevens, Swift36 min
Aug 19, 12:20 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXSwift40 min
Aug 19, 12:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChippewa, Kandiyohi, Swift34 min
Aug 19, 12:59 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXSwift46 min
Aug 19, 1:18 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXKandiyohi42 min
Aug 19, 2:16 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryMPXChippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Swift5 hr
Aug 19, 1:04 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryMPXAnoka, Carver, Chisago, Hennepin, Isanti, Kanabec and 7 more6 hr
Aug 19, 2:11 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXAnoka, Hennepin, Ramsey34 min
Aug 19, 2:16 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXDakota29 min
Aug 19, 2:53 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXDakota, Ramsey, Washington22 min
Aug 19, 3:16 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXAnoka, Ramsey, Washington29 min
Aug 19, 3:46 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXAnoka, Chisago, Washington29 min
Aug 19, 4:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRedwood, Yellow Medicine41 min
Aug 19, 5:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRedwood21 min
Aug 19, 5:24 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXChippewa, Swift51 min
Aug 19, 6:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBrown, Redwood58 min
Aug 19, 6:19 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXBrown26 min
Aug 19, 6:29 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXBrown31 min
Aug 19, 6:39 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXBrown36 min
Aug 19, 6:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChippewa, Renville44 min
Aug 19, 2:43 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXPierce32 min
Aug 19, 2:57 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXPierce, Saint Croix48 min
Aug 19, 4:04 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXDunn, Saint Croix26 min
Aug 19, 4:06 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXPierce, Saint Croix39 min
Aug 19, 4:14 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXBarron, Polk46 min
Aug 19, 4:33 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXSaint Croix27 min
Aug 19, 4:43 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXDunn, Pierce, Saint Croix47 min
Aug 19, 5:13 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXBarron, Dunn, Polk, Saint Croix47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2009Tornado Warnings in Wisconsin, 2009Every tornado warning in 2009Tornadoes in 2009

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.