Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Twin Cities, MN

June 17, 2009Rice County, Steele County, Waseca County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at Jun 17, 2009, 8:04 PM CDT for Rice County, Steele County, Waseca County, Minnesota. It was in force for 26 min. 8 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
Jun 17, 2009, 8:04 PM CDT (01:04 UTC)
Expired
Jun 17, 2009, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Rice County, MN, Steele County, MN, Waseca County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 83 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:07 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
Jun 17, 8:05 PM CDTHAIL 2.757 W Owatonna, MNHAIL PHOTOGRAPHED AND MEASURED 2.75 INCHES ONE MILE NORTHEAST OF MERIDEN.
Jun 17, 8:13 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD1 Ne Waseca, MNROTATING WALL CLOUD WITH MULTIPLE FUNNELS DROPPING AND GOING BACK INTO THE CLOUD.
Jun 17, 8:14 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD1 Ne Waseca, MN
Jun 17, 8:14 PM CDTTORNADO1 E Waseca, MNTOUCHED DOWN ON CLEAR LAKE THEN MOVED ONSHORE. TREE DOWN BUT NO PROPERTY DAMAGE.
Jun 17, 8:14 PM CDTTORNADO1 Ne Waseca, MNMULTIPLE VORTEX TORNADO.
Jun 17, 8:18 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUDOwatonna, MNROTATING WALL CLOUD...MULTIPLE FUNNELLS...SOUTHEAST SIDE...HAVANA TOWNSHIP.
Jun 17, 8:25 PM CDTHAIL 0.88Owatonna, MN
Jun 17, 8:37 PM CDTHAIL 1.5Owatonna, MNHAIL REPORTED ON EAST SIDE OF CITY.

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
Jun 17, 7:01 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 84 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 2009-06-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1471 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 2009-06-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 219 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
1471 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-35 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
751 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
219 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
350 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.8
Supercell composite
12.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS53 KMPX 180104
TORMPX
MNC131-147-161-180130-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0008.090618T0104Z-090618T0130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
804 PM CDT WED JUN 17 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN RICE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORTHEASTERN WASECA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORTHERN STEELE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 830 PM CDT

* AT 804 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO 3 MILES
  NORTHEAST OF WASECA...OR ABOUT 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DEERFIELD.
  RADAR SHOWED THE TORNADIC STORM MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  DEERFIELD...
  MOLAND...
  MERTON...
  CLINTON FALLS...
  OWATONNA...
  MEDFORD...

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.

&&

LAT...LON 4420 9306 4403 9306 4405 9356 4420 9354
TIME...MOT...LOC 0104Z 274DEG 19KT 4412 9348

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS53 KMPX 180117
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
817 PM CDT WED JUN 17 2009

MNC131-147-161-180130-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0008.000000T0000Z-090618T0130Z/
RICE MN-WASECA MN-STEELE MN-
817 PM CDT WED JUN 17 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 830 PM CDT FOR NORTHERN
STEELE...NORTHEASTERN WASECA AND EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN RICE
COUNTIES...

AT 815 PM CDT...A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED NORTHEAST OF WASECA.

AT 816 PM CDT... THE TORNADIC SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES
EAST OF WASECA...OR ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTH OF DEERFIELD...AND MOVING
EAST AT 20 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
OWATONNA BY 830 PM CDT...

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 4420 9306 4403 9306 4405 9356 4420 9354
TIME...MOT...LOC 0116Z 279DEG 16KT 4409 9340

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 17, 7:12 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXBlue Earth, Faribault, Martin, Waseca, Watonwan33 min
Jun 17, 7:14 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXLe Sueur, Rice31 min
Jun 17, 7:16 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXFreeborn, Steele44 min
Jun 17, 7:49 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXLe Sueur, Rice, Steele, Waseca56 min
Jun 17, 8:24 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXSteele33 min
Jun 17, 9:22 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXGoodhue113 min
Jun 17, 9:53 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXChisago, Dakota, Goodhue, Ramsey, Washington97 min
Jun 17, 10:48 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDakota, Goodhue, Washington42 min
Jun 17, 11:08 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXDakota52 min
Jun 17, 11:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXGoodhue40 min
Jun 18, 12:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDouglas50 min
Jun 18, 1:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDouglas55 min
Jun 18, 2:27 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXDouglas48 min
Jun 18, 2:37 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDouglas, Todd53 min
Jun 18, 2:54 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXTodd51 min
Jun 18, 3:33 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXStearns57 min
Jun 18, 3:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXStearns64 min
Jun 18, 3:48 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXTodd57 min
Jun 18, 4:16 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXMorrison59 min
Jun 18, 4:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMorrison, Stearns43 min
Jun 18, 5:13 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBenton, Morrison, Stearns62 min
Jun 18, 6:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBenton, Mille Lacs, Morrison56 min
Jun 18, 6:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXKanabec58 min
Jun 18, 6:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXStevens61 min

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.