Alert archive / Wisconsin / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 22, 2011Dunn County, Pierce County, Saint Croix County, Wisconsin

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at May 22, 2011, 2:55 PM CDT for Dunn County, Pierce County, Saint Croix County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 35 min. 3 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: May 22, 2011, 2:55 PM CDT (19:55 UTC)
Expired: May 22, 2011, 3:30 PM CDT
In force: 35 min
Issued by: NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Dunn County, WI, Pierce County, WI, Saint Croix County, WI

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:55 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
May 22, 3:12 PM CDT	HAIL 1	4 Nw Elmwood, WI
May 22, 3:14 PM CDT	HAIL 1.5	3 W Elmwood, WI
May 22, 3:15 PM CDT	HAIL 1.75	Elmwood, WI	HAD PING PONG TO GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN ELMWOOD. ALSO HAD GUSTY WINDS...BUT NO REPORTS OF WIND DAMAGE.

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 22, 12:07 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 113 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: 20 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -103 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 981 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 207 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 243 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

240 
WFUS53 KMPX 221955
TORMPX
WIC033-093-109-222030-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0018.110522T1955Z-110522T2030Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
255 PM CDT SUN MAY 22 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN ST. CROIX COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...
  SOUTHWESTERN DUNN COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...
  EASTERN PIERCE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...

* UNTIL 330 PM CDT

* AT 251 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO. THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM WAS NEAR MAIDEN      
  ROCK...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  PLUM CITY...
  ELMWOOD...
  SPRING VALLEY...
  WESTON...

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 SUNDAY EVENING FOR
SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA AND NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN.

&&

LAT...LON 4468 9212 4468 9213 4466 9213 4454 9221
      4457 9246 4491 9232 4483 9201
TIME...MOT...LOC 1955Z 203DEG 31KT 4461 9231

$$

1 follow-up statement

157 
WWUS53 KMPX 222007
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
307 PM CDT SUN MAY 22 2011

WIC033-093-109-222030-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0018.000000T0000Z-110522T2030Z/
ST. CROIX WI-DUNN WI-PIERCE WI-
307 PM CDT SUN MAY 22 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEASTERN PIERCE...
SOUTHWESTERN DUNN AND SOUTHEASTERN ST. CROIX COUNTIES UNTIL 330 PM
CDT...

AT 305 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS STORM
WAS LOCATED NEAR ELMWOOD...OR 12 MILES EAST OF ELLSWORTH...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  ELMWOOD AND SPRING VALLEY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 4468 9212 4466 9214 4466 9219 4472 9240
      4491 9232 4483 9201
TIME...MOT...LOC 2008Z 213DEG 40KT 4477 9220

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 22, 10:57 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Pierce	48 min
May 22, 11:28 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Dunn, Pierce, Saint Croix	47 min
May 22, 12:05 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Barron, Dunn, Polk, Saint Croix	40 min
May 22, 12:58 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Barron, Chippewa, Rusk	47 min
May 22, 1:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Chippewa, Rusk	44 min
May 22, 2:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Dunn, Pierce, Saint Croix	49 min
May 22, 3:22 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Dunn	38 min
May 22, 3:34 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Polk	41 min
May 22, 3:44 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin	46 min
May 22, 4:16 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Rusk	29 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Wisconsin, 2011 Every tornado warning in 2011 Tornadoes in 2011

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.