Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 34, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

May 4, 2012Cottonwood County, Jackson County, Minnesota

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 4, 2012, 2:43 PM CDT for Cottonwood County, Jackson County, Minnesota. It was in force for 32 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 4, 2012, 2:43 PM CDT (19:43 UTC)
Expired: May 4, 2012, 3:15 PM CDT
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 1.5 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

Counties Cottonwood County, MN, Jackson County, MN

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 122 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:43 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 4, 2:45 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	5 W Lakefield, MN	ROOF RIPPED OFF AN OPEN FACED HOG BARN.

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 4, 2:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 7.7 hours before the alert went out and 176 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1101 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -52 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 15 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

707 
WUUS53 KFSD 041943
SVRFSD
MNC033-063-042015-
/O.NEW.KFSD.SV.W.0034.120504T1943Z-120504T2015Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
243 PM CDT FRI MAY 4 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN COTTONWOOD COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...
  NORTHWESTERN JACKSON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 315 PM CDT

* AT 243 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
  TRACKING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WALNUT SIZE
  HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THIS STORM WAS
  LOCATED NEAR BREWSTER...OR 12 MILES NORTHEAST OF WORTHINGTON...AND
  MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  HERON LAKE AROUND 250 PM CDT...
  LAKEFIELD AROUND 305 PM CDT...
  WINDOM AROUND 310 PM CDT...

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE OKABENA
AND WILDER.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 60 MILES PER
HOUR...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR
YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR
HOME OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DO NOT DRIVE
INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

&&

LAT...LON 4367 9502 4366 9545 4385 9546 4393 9546
      4396 9500
TIME...MOT...LOC 1943Z 270DEG 26KT 4375 9539
WIND...HAIL 60MPH 1.50IN

$$

SCHUMACHER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 4, 1:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FSD	Murray, Nobles	47 min
May 4, 2:06 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FSD	Jackson, Nobles	24 min
May 4, 2:18 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FSD	Jackson, Nobles	27 min
May 4, 2:24 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FSD	Jackson	36 min
May 4, 2:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FSD	Jackson	32 min
May 4, 3:06 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FSD	Jackson	24 min
May 4, 3:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FSD	Jackson	37 min
May 4, 3:48 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	FSD	Jackson, Nobles	5 hr

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 2012 Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.