Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Duluth, MN

July 4, 2012Cass County, Crow Wing County, Minnesota

NWS Duluth, MN issued this tornado warning at Jul 4, 2012, 9:53 PM CDT for Cass County, Crow Wing County, Minnesota. It was in force for 22 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: Jul 4, 2012, 9:53 PM CDT (02:53 UTC)
Expired: Jul 4, 2012, 10:15 PM CDT
In force: 22 min
Issued by: NWS Duluth, MN
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Cass County, MN, Crow Wing County, MN

The radar

The Duluth radar (KDLH), 180 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:53 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 4, 10:12 PM CDT	HAIL 0.5	1 N Pillager, MN
Jul 4, 10:12 PM CDT	HAIL 0.5	2 N Pillager, MN	PEA TO 1/2 INCH HAIL
Jul 4, 10:12 PM CDT	HAIL 1	2 N Pillager, MN

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
Jul 4, 7:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr
Jul 4, 8:59 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 185 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: 2542 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -39 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1972 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 95 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 163 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 5.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

636 
WFUS53 KDLH 050253
TORDLH
MNC021-035-050315-
/O.NEW.KDLH.TO.W.0006.120705T0253Z-120705T0315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
953 PM CDT WED JUL 4 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DULUTH MN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WEST CENTRAL CROW WING COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  SOUTH CENTRAL CASS COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 1015 PM CDT

* AT 948 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 8 MILES WEST OF
  CASINO...OR 25 MILES WEST OF BRAINERD...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* THIS VERY DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  CASINO BY 1010 PM...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW! IF YOU WAIT 
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

HAIL TO THE SIZE OF 1.25 INCHES MAY ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

&&

LAT...LON 4654 9455 4650 9428 4630 9437 4632 9442
      4631 9449 4630 9455 4634 9465
TIME...MOT...LOC 0252Z 287DEG 18KT 4645 9467

$$

SENGENBERGER

1 follow-up statement

968 
WWUS53 KDLH 050301
SVSDLH

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
1001 PM CDT WED JUL 4 2012

MNC021-035-050315-
/O.CON.KDLH.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-120705T0315Z/
CROW WING MN-CASS MN-
1001 PM CDT WED JUL 4 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL CASS AND
WEST CENTRAL CROW WING COUNTIES UNTIL 1015 PM CDT...

AT 957 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR CASINO...OR 22 MILES WEST OF BRAINERD...MOVING
EAST AT 20 MPH.

AT 1000PM CDT SPOTTERS REPORTED A POSSIBLE FUNNEL CLOUD ILLUMINATED 
BY LIGHTNING APPROXIMATELY 8 TO 10 MILES EAST OF VERNDALE MINNESOTA. 

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  CASINO...PILLAGER...SYLVAN...EAST GULL LAKE...LAKE SHORE...NISSWA
  AND GULL LAKE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AND CONFIRM AT NIGHT. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 4654 9455 4650 9428 4630 9437 4632 9442
      4631 9449 4630 9455 4634 9465
TIME...MOT...LOC 0300Z 287DEG 18KT 4643 9462

$$

SENGENBERGER

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 4, 7:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DLH	Aitkin, Carlton, Cass, Crow Wing, Itasca, Pine and 1 more	45 min
Jul 4, 7:53 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DLH	Aitkin, Carlton, Crow Wing, Pine	52 min
Jul 4, 8:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DLH	Aitkin, Carlton, Pine	47 min
Jul 4, 9:02 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DLH	Cass, Crow Wing	43 min
Jul 4, 9:09 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DLH	Cook	21 min
Jul 4, 9:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DLH	Cass	52 min
Jul 4, 9:32 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DLH	Aitkin	43 min
Jul 4, 9:35 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DLH	Pine	40 min
Jul 4, 9:53 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DLH	Koochiching	52 min
Jul 4, 9:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DLH	Aitkin, Crow Wing	51 min
Jul 4, 10:09 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DLH	Aitkin, Crow Wing	36 min
Jul 4, 10:14 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DLH	Cass, Crow Wing	34 min
Jul 4, 10:28 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	DLH	Cass, Crow Wing	23 min
Jul 4, 10:37 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	DLH	Aitkin, Carlton, Cass, Crow Wing, Pine	5 hr
Jul 4, 10:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	DLH	Aitkin, Carlton	45 min
Jul 4, 11:47 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DLH	Pine	58 min
Jul 5, 12:24 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	DLH	Cook	36 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2012 Every tornado warning in 2012 Tornadoes 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.