Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

May 4, 2012Jackson County, Nobles County, Minnesota

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this tornado warning at May 4, 2012, 2:18 PM CDT for Jackson County, Nobles County, Minnesota. 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 4, 2012, 2:18 PM CDT (19:18 UTC)
Expired
May 4, 2012, 2:45 PM CDT
In force
27 min
Issued by
NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Jackson County, MN, Nobles County, MN

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 101 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:20 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 4, 2:45 PM CDTTSTM WND DMG5 W Lakefield, MNROOF 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 4, 2:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 194 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2012-05-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2012-05-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -52 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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.

977 
WFUS53 KFSD 041918
TORFSD
MNC063-105-041945-
/O.NEW.KFSD.TO.W.0018.120504T1918Z-120504T1945Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
218 PM CDT FRI MAY 4 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN JACKSON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...
  NORTHEASTERN NOBLES COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 245 PM CDT

* AT 219 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE
  TRACKING A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS
  DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES SOUTH OF FULDA...OR 10 MILES
  NORTH OF WORTHINGTON...AND MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* THIS TORNADIC STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  BREWSTER AROUND 235 PM CDT...
  HERON LAKE AROUND 245 PM CDT...

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE
KINBRAE...DUNDEE AND OKABENA.

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 4369 9567 4385 9568 4385 9524 4366 9522
TIME...MOT...LOC 1919Z 268DEG 15KT 4377 9557

$$

SCHUMACHER
2 follow-up statements
873 
WWUS53 KFSD 041933
SVSFSD

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
233 PM CDT FRI MAY 4 2012

MNC063-105-041945-
/O.CON.KFSD.TO.W.0018.000000T0000Z-120504T1945Z/
JACKSON MN-NOBLES MN-
233 PM CDT FRI MAY 4 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEASTERN NOBLES AND
NORTHWESTERN JACKSON COUNTIES UNTIL 245 PM CDT...

AT 233 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED 6 MILES NORTH OF BREWSTER...OR 11 MILES NORTHEAST
OF WORTHINGTON...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  HERON LAKE AROUND 245 PM CDT...

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS TORNADO INCLUDE OKABENA.

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 4367 9548 4368 9556 4385 9558 4385 9524
      4366 9522
TIME...MOT...LOC 1933Z 268DEG 15KT 4377 9549

$$

SCHUMACHER
085 
WWUS53 KFSD 041948
SVSFSD

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
248 PM CDT FRI MAY 4 2012

MNC063-105-041957-
/O.EXP.KFSD.TO.W.0018.000000T0000Z-120504T1945Z/
JACKSON MN-NOBLES MN-
248 PM CDT FRI MAY 4 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN NOBLES AND NORTHWESTERN
JACKSON COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED...
...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECTOR SOUTHWESTERN JACKSON COUNTY 
UNTIL 300 PM CDT...

THE TORNADO THREAT HAS DIMINISHED...THEREFORE THE TORNADO WARNING HAS
EXPIRED. HOWEVER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT 
FOR NORTHWESTERN JACKSON COUNTY UNTIL 315 PM CDT.

IN ADDITION...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MAY REDEVELOP...AND A SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT.

LAT...LON 4367 9548 4368 9556 4385 9558 4385 9524
      4366 9522
TIME...MOT...LOC 1933Z 268DEG 15KT 4377 9549

$$

SCHUMACHER

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 4, 1:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDMurray, Nobles47 min
May 4, 2:06 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDJackson, Nobles24 min
May 4, 2:24 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDJackson36 min
May 4, 2:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDCottonwood, Jackson32 min
May 4, 2:58 PM CDTTornado WarningFSDJackson32 min
May 4, 3:06 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDJackson24 min
May 4, 3:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDJackson37 min
May 4, 3:48 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFSDJackson, Nobles5 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 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.