Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2010

Tornado Warning 73, NWS Twin Cities, MN

July 17, 20104 counties in Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at Jul 17, 2010, 7:27 PM CDT for 4 counties in Minnesota. It was in force for 48 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: Jul 17, 2010, 7:27 PM CDT (00:27 UTC)
Expired: Jul 17, 2010, 8:15 PM CDT
In force: 48 min
Issued by: NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Benton County, MN, Mille Lacs County, MN, Sherburne County, MN, Stearns County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:28 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jul 17, 7:46 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	Sartell, MN	MOVING INTO BENTON COUNTY

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

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this tornado warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jul 17, 12:28 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	11 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 86 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1779 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -139 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1367 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 268 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 618 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 1.1
Supercell composite: 4.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

613 
WFUS53 KMPX 180027
TORMPX
MNC009-095-141-145-180115-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0073.100718T0027Z-100718T0115Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
727 PM CDT SAT JUL 17 2010

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN MILLE LACS COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  EASTERN STEARNS COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORTHERN SHERBURNE COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  SOUTHERN BENTON COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 815 PM CDT

* AT 723 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO. THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM WAS 3 MILES NORTHWEST
  OF WAITE PARK...OR ABOUT 2 MILES EAST OF ST JOSEPH...AND MOVING
  EAST AT 50 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  ST CLOUD...
  PRINCETON...
  SAUK RAPIDS...
  MAYHEW...
  CLEAR LAKE...
  PARENT...
  FOLEY...
  RONNEBY...
  SANTIAGO...
  GLENDORADO...
  FORESTON...
  PEASE...

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.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT SATURDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN.

&&

LAT...LON 4574 9375 4574 9352 4540 9352 4544 9394
      4541 9433 4572 9431
TIME...MOT...LOC 0027Z 271DEG 46KT 4558 9420

$$

1 follow-up statement

302 
WWUS53 KMPX 180049
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
749 PM CDT SAT JUL 17 2010

MNC009-095-141-145-180115-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0073.000000T0000Z-100718T0115Z/
MILLE LACS MN-STEARNS MN-SHERBURNE MN-BENTON MN-
749 PM CDT SAT JUL 17 2010

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHERN BENTON...NORTHERN
SHERBURNE...EASTERN STEARNS AND SOUTHERN MILLE LACS COUNTIES UNTIL
815 PM CDT...

AT 746 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD 
NEAR BENTON. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR PARENT...OR 10 
MILES EAST OF ST CLOUD...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  PRINCETON...RONNEBY...SANTIAGO...GLENDORADO...FORESTON...PEASE AND
  ZIMMERMAN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CONTACT YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IN THE TWIN CITIES.

&&

LAT...LON 4574 9375 4574 9352 4540 9352 4544 9394
      4541 9433 4572 9431
TIME...MOT...LOC 0048Z 271DEG 46KT 4557 9392

$$

JLT

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Twin Cities, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before this tornado warning went out at Jul 17, 6:05 PM CDT, 1 hour 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 17, 6:05 PM CDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
605 PM CDT SAT JUL 17 2010

.DISCUSSION...
THE MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGE IS THE SEVERE WEATHER OCCURRING OVER THE
AREA THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. AIRMASS WAS VERY PRIMED FOR
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELL ACROSS MUCH OF FORECAST AREA.  THIS
THE MAIN FOCUS WILL BE OVER WESTERN INTO SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA.
WEAK CAP OVER SOUTHWEST MN...EXPECTED TO ERODE BY LATE AFTERNOON OR
EARLY THIS EVENING.

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO FIRE ALONG AND NORTH OF WARM FRONT
BOUNDARY OVER CENTRAL MN. MOST OF THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN
ELEVATED...SO THE MAIN THREATS OVER OUR AREA THIS AFTERNOON WILL BE
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.  ONCE THE CAP ERODE NEAR THE WARM
SECTOR SOUTH INTERSTATE 94...EXPECT SOME ISOLATED TORNADOES TO
DEVELOP.

THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP INTO A MESOSCALE
CONVECTIVE SYSTEM OVER SOUTHERN MN...WITH MOVES THE BULK OF THE
SEVERE WEATHER BY 10 PM SOUTH OF OUR CWA.  LATER TONIGHT...MORE OF
HEAVY RAIN THREAT AS A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES MOVE ACROSS THE AREA
OVERNIGHT.

MOST OF THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE OUT OF OUR FORECAST
AREA BY MIDNIGHT...EXCEPT OVER PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL WI AND EXTREME
SOUTH CENTRAL MN.

HYDROLOGICAL CONCERNS...THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO TRAIN OVER
PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL INTO SOUTH CENTRAL MN TONIGHT. SEVERAL WEAK
SHORTWAVE TROUGHS MOVING OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST TONIGHT...EXPECT A
BACKWARD PROPAGATING MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE COMPLEX TO DEVELOPS OVER
WESTERN MN LATER THIS EVENING. PRECIP WATER VALUES OF 2.00 TO 2.50
INCHES ARE FORECAST OVER THIS AREA. EVEN WITH FORECAST QPF 3.00 OR
4.00 INCHES. IT SHOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM ON THE MAIN STEMS OF THE
RIVERS TONIGHT.

NEXT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS MONDAY AS ANOTHER WEAK SHORT WAVE
TROUGH.

LONG RANGE FORECAST...MODELS DIFFER ON THE THREAT OF PRECIPITATION
FOR THE UPPER MIDWEST THROUGH END OF THE WORK WEEK.  GFS MODEL KEEPS
MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA DRY...WHILE THE PERSISTENT EUROPEAN MODEL
KEEPS US WET THROUGH FRIDAY.  WL LEAN MORE TOWARDS THE EUROPEAN
MODEL...AS SEVERAL MINOR IMPULSES RIDE OVER THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE
UPPER MIDWEST. TIMING OF THE INITIATION OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE
CRITICAL.

&&

.AVIATION.../00Z TAF ISSUANCE/

WITH COLD FRONT STILL WEST OF MOST OF THE TAF SITES EARLY THIS
EVENING. THUNDERSTORMS...SOME SEVERE ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT.  THE
LATEST IR SATELLITE LOOP SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH A
COUPLE OF MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE COMPLEXES OVER EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA
AND WESTERN MINNESOTA. WEATHER CONDS WILL LOWER TO MARGINAL TO IFR
CONDS IN AND NEAR THUNDERSTORMS AS THESE SYSTEMS COME ACROSS THE
AREA OVERNIGHT.  ONCE THE STORMS EXIT THE AREA LATE TONIGHT AND
EARLY SUNDAY MORNING...CONDS WILL IMPROVE TO SCATTERED TO BROKEN
CLOUDS ROUGHLY BETWEEN 4000-5000 FEET AGL.

KMSP...FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER EASTERN SODAK WILL MOVE EAST THROUGH
THE METRO AREA OVERNIGHT.  WEATHER CONDS EXPECTED TO IMPROVE AFTER
MIDNIGHT. WINDS SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH 10 TO 20 KNOTS...THEN SHIFTING TO
NORTHWEST 10 TO 15 KNOTS AFTER THE FRONTAL PASSAGE.

&&

.MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MN...NONE.
WI...NONE.
&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 17, 11:44 AM CDT, 7 hours 43 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1144 AM CDT SAT JUL 17 2010

MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028-
180915-
DOUGLAS-TODD-MORRISON-MILLE LACS-KANABEC-STEVENS-POPE-STEARNS-
BENTON-SHERBURNE-ISANTI-CHISAGO-LAC QUI PARLE-SWIFT-CHIPPEWA-
KANDIYOHI-MEEKER-WRIGHT-HENNEPIN-ANOKA-RAMSEY-WASHINGTON-
YELLOW MEDICINE-RENVILLE-MCLEOD-SIBLEY-CARVER-SCOTT-DAKOTA-
REDWOOD-BROWN-NICOLLET-LE SUEUR-RICE-GOODHUE-WATONWAN-BLUE EARTH-
WASECA-STEELE-MARTIN-FARIBAULT-FREEBORN-POLK-BARRON-RUSK-
ST. CROIX-PIERCE-DUNN-PEPIN-EAU CLAIRE-
1144 AM CDT SAT JUL 17 2010

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA...AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

THE ENTIRE AREA REMAINS UNDER A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN WEST CENTRAL
AND CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON...WITH SOME OF THESE STORMS
LIKELY BECOMING SEVERE. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE
WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING. INITIALLY THE PRIMARY
THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL WITH A FEW TORNADOES POSSIBLE. DURING THE
EVENING AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BECOME
DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAINFALL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

THE WEEK AHEAD LOOKS LIKE A CONTINUATION OF AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN
WITH THUNDERSTORMS ALREADY RETURNING BY MONDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND
INTO TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 17, 7:03 PM CDT, 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
703 PM CDT SAT JUL 17 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0406 PM     HAIL             4 W ST NICHOLAS         45.38N 94.52W
07/17/2010  M2.50 INCH       STEARNS            MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

JLM

Local storm report, Jul 17, 7:04 PM CDT, 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
704 PM CDT SAT JUL 17 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0402 PM     HAIL             3 S RICHMOND            45.41N 94.52W
07/17/2010  M1.75 INCH       STEARNS            MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

JLM

Local storm report, Jul 17, 7:05 PM CDT, 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
705 PM CDT SAT JUL 17 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0656 PM     TSTM WND GST     2 S BUCKMAN             45.87N 94.09W
07/17/2010  M81 MPH          MORRISON           MN   STORM CHASER

            ALONG HWY 27

&&

JLM

Local storm report, Jul 17, 7:10 PM CDT, 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
710 PM CDT SAT JUL 17 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0334 PM     HAIL             3 S RICHMOND            45.41N 94.52W
07/17/2010  M1.75 INCH       STEARNS            MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

JLM

Local storm report, Jul 17, 7:12 PM CDT, 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
712 PM CDT SAT JUL 17 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0344 PM     HAIL             4 W ST NICHOLAS         45.38N 94.52W
07/17/2010  M2.50 INCH       STEARNS            MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

JLM

Local storm report, Jul 17, 7:20 PM CDT, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
720 PM CDT SAT JUL 17 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0717 PM     TSTM WND DMG     PENNOCK                 45.15N 95.18W
07/17/2010                   KANDIYOHI          MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            DOWNED POWER LINES

&&

JLM

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 17, 7:13 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Mille Lacs, Morrison	62 min
Jul 17, 7:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	McLeod, Meeker, Renville, Stearns	60 min
Jul 17, 7:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Hennepin, Sherburne, Stearns, Wright	57 min
Jul 17, 7:34 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	McLeod, Renville, Sibley	41 min
Jul 17, 7:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec	52 min
Jul 17, 8:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Anoka, Chisago, Hennepin, Ramsey, Sherburne, Washington and 1 more	60 min
Jul 17, 8:10 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Anoka, Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington	35 min
Jul 17, 8:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, Washington	54 min
Jul 17, 8:34 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey, Washington	26 min
Jul 17, 8:51 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Chisago, Washington	24 min
Jul 17, 9:08 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	MPX	Anoka, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington	6 hr
Jul 17, 9:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Kandiyohi, Meeker, Pope, Stearns	51 min
Jul 17, 9:40 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Dakota	50 min
Jul 17, 9:53 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Dakota, Ramsey, Washington	23 min
Jul 17, 10:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Faribault, Martin, Watonwan	64 min
Jul 17, 10:43 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Freeborn	62 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2010 Every tornado warning in 2010 Tornadoes in 2010

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.