Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 54, NWS Twin Cities, MN

August 19, 2009Blue Earth County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at Aug 19, 2009, 7:41 PM CDT for Blue Earth County, Minnesota. It was in force for 34 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, 7:41 PM CDT (00:41 UTC)
Expired
Aug 19, 2009, 8:15 PM CDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Blue Earth County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:43 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, 7:59 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD2 N Good Thunder, MNSPOTTER LOOKING NORTH FROM COUNTY ROAD 66 ESTIMATING FUNNEL CLOUD IS 2 MILES NORTH OF GOOD THUNDER.

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 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 94 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 00:00Z on 2009-08-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 53 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 00:00Z on 2009-08-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 47 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
53 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-37 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
682 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
57 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KMPX 200041
TORMPX
MNC013-200115-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0054.090820T0041Z-090820T0115Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL BLUE EARTH COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 815 PM CDT

* AT 739 PM CDT...THE PUBLIC REPORTED A TORNADO 4 MILES NORTHWEST OF 
  GOOD THUNDER...OR APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LAKE          
  CRYSTAL. RADAR SHOWED THE TORNADIC STORM MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.    
  THERE IS ANOTHER STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND         
  POSSIBLY A BRIEF TORNADO IN FAR WEST CENTRAL BLUE EARTH            
  COUNTY...ABOUT 5 MILES WEST OF LAKE CRYSTAL...MOVING EAST AS WELL.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  SKYLINE...
  LAKE CRYSTAL...

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.

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. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

&&

LAT...LON 4415 9400 4402 9398 4402 9437 4416 9437
TIME...MOT...LOC 0039Z 270DEG 19KT 4407 9420

$$
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS53 KMPX 200102
SVSMPX

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

MNC013-200115-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0054.000000T0000Z-090820T0115Z/
BLUE EARTH MN-
802 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 815 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL
BLUE EARTH COUNTY...

AT 759 PM CDT...A TRAINED SPOTTER REPROTED A FUNNEL CLOUD 2 MILES 
NORTH OF GOOD THUNDER.

AT 758 PM CDT...RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM
WAS LOCATED 8 MILES EAST OF LAKE CRYSTAL...OR ABOUT 4 MILES NORTH OF
GOOD THUNDER...AND MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
GOOD THUNDER.
RAPIDAN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

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. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

&&

LAT...LON 4411 9400 4402 9398 4402 9437 4410 9434
TIME...MOT...LOC 0100Z 271DEG 18KT 4407 9406

$$
000 
WWUS53 KMPX 200115
SVSMPX

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

MNC013-200126-
/O.EXP.KMPX.TO.W.0054.000000T0000Z-090820T0115Z/
BLUE EARTH MN-
815 PM CDT WED AUG 19 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL BLUE EARTH COUNTY EXPIRED AT 815
PM CDT...

TORNADIC SEVERE STORMS HAVE ENDED OR MOVED OUT OF COUNTY. HOWEVER...
MORE THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING IN THE AREA...REMAIN ALERT FOR
ADDITIONAL WARNINGS.

LAT...LON 4411 9400 4402 9398 4402 9437 4410 9434
TIME...MOT...LOC 0102Z 271DEG 18KT 4407 9404

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 19, 8:38 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXBrown, Nicollet, Watonwan67 min
Aug 20, 9:01 AM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryMPXBenton, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison6 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 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.