Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2012
Tornado Warning 4, NWS La Crosse, WI
NWS La Crosse, WI issued this tornado warning at May 2, 2012, 9:33 PM CDT for Wabasha County, Minnesota; Buffalo County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 27 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
- May 2, 2012, 9:33 PM CDT (02:33 UTC)
- Expired
- May 2, 2012, 10:00 PM CDT
- In force
- 27 min
- Issued by
- NWS La Crosse, WI
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
Counties Wabasha County, MN, Buffalo County, WI
The radar
The La Crosse radar (KARX), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:35 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 2, 9:35 PM CDT | TSTM WND DMG | 3 E Alma, WI | TREES DOWN IN ALMA. PART OF A SHED LEANING ON POWER LINES EAST OF ALMA. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR. |
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 2, 5:25 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 4 hr |
| May 2, 7:47 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 151 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 84 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -59 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1937 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 59 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 21 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 134 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
250 WFUS53 KARX 030233 TORARX MNC157-WIC011-030300- /O.NEW.KARX.TO.W.0004.120503T0233Z-120503T0300Z/ BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 933 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... EAST CENTRAL WABASHA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA... CENTRAL BUFFALO COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN... * UNTIL 1000 PM CDT * AT 931 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A TORNADO NEAR HIGHWAYS 37 AND 35...OR NEAR ALMA...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. * THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR... TELL AROUND 940 PM... HEROLD AROUND 945 PM... PRAAG AROUND 955 PM... CREAM AROUND 1000 PM... PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... TAKE COVER IN A BASEMENT OR IN AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS! CARS AND MOBILE HOMES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR A STURDY BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...LAY FLAT IN A DITCH AND COVER YOUR HEAD. && LAT...LON 4439 9172 4427 9174 4432 9196 4438 9199 TIME...MOT...LOC 0234Z 282DEG 16KT 4434 9191 $$ RRS
2 follow-up statements
743 WWUS53 KARX 030243 SVSARX SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 943 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012 MNC157-030252- /O.CAN.KARX.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-120503T0300Z/ WABASHA MN- 943 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012 ...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL WABASHA COUNTY IS CANCELLED... THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED AREA. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT THURSDAY MORNING FOR SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN. LAT...LON 4431 9189 4438 9190 4439 9172 4427 9174 TIME...MOT...LOC 0242Z 279DEG 27KT 4433 9183 $$ WIC011-030300- /O.CON.KARX.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-120503T0300Z/ BUFFALO WI- 943 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012 ...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL BUFFALO COUNTY UNTIL 1000 PM CDT... AT 940 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO LOCATED NEAR HEROLD...OR 6 MILES EAST OF ALMA... MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. * THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR... CREAM AND PRAAG AROUND 950 PM... PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... TAKE COVER IN A BASEMENT OR IN AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS! CARS AND MOBILE HOMES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR A STURDY BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...LAY FLAT IN A DITCH AND COVER YOUR HEAD. && LAT...LON 4431 9189 4438 9190 4439 9172 4427 9174 TIME...MOT...LOC 0242Z 279DEG 27KT 4433 9183 $$ RRS
374 WWUS53 KARX 030254 SVSARX SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 954 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012 WIC011-030304- /O.EXP.KARX.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-120503T0300Z/ BUFFALO WI- 954 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012 ...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL BUFFALO COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 1000 PM CDT... THE TORNADO THREAT HAS DIMINISHED...THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING HAS EXPIRED. HOWEVER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT THURSDAY MORNING FOR SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN. LAT...LON 4431 9189 4438 9190 4439 9172 4427 9174 TIME...MOT...LOC 0254Z 279DEG 27KT 4431 9171 $$ RRS
The office that day
Everything else NWS La Crosse, WI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 7:29 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ARX | Wabasha, Winona | 38 min |
| May 2, 8:10 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ARX | Wabasha | 65 min |
| May 2, 8:48 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ARX | Wabasha | 72 min |
| May 2, 8:51 PM CDT | Flash Flood Warning | ARX | Wabasha | 6 hr |
| May 2, 9:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ARX | Wabasha | 17 min |
| May 2, 9:19 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ARX | Wabasha, Winona | 56 min |
| May 3, 6:43 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ARX | Fillmore, Houston, Winona | 47 min |
| May 2, 9:23 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ARX | Trempealeau | 67 min |
| May 2, 9:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ARX | Trempealeau | 52 min |
| May 2, 10:26 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ARX | Jackson | 30 min |
| May 3, 7:11 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ARX | La Crosse, Trempealeau, Vernon | 49 min |
| May 3, 7:45 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ARX | Adams | 30 min |
| May 3, 8:09 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ARX | Richland | 26 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2012Tornado Warnings in Wisconsin, 2012Every tornado warning in 2012Tornadoes in 2012
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.