Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Sioux Falls, SD

April 15, 2012Lyon County, Minnesota

NWS Sioux Falls, SD issued this tornado warning at Apr 15, 2012, 4:14 PM CDT for Lyon County, Minnesota. It was in force for 16 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: Apr 15, 2012, 4:14 PM CDT (21:14 UTC)
Expired: Apr 15, 2012, 4:30 PM CDT
In force: 16 min
Issued by: NWS Sioux Falls, SD
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Lyon County, MN

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 133 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:18 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
Apr 15, 4:25 PM CDT	HAIL 0.75	5 Ne Minneota, 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
Apr 15, 3:37 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 178 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: 502 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 79 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 125 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 222 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.

521 
WFUS53 KFSD 152114
TORFSD
MNC083-152130-
/O.NEW.KFSD.TO.W.0005.120415T2114Z-120415T2130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
414 PM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SIOUX FALLS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL LYON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 430 PM CDT

* AT 413 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE  
  TRACKING A CONFIRMED TORNADO NORTH OF GHENT...OR 9 MILES NORTHWEST
  OF   MARSHALL. DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS TORNADO MOVING NORTH AT
  15 MPH.

  AT 411 PM...A TORNADO WAS REPORTED 4 TO 7 MILES NORTH OF GHENT. 

* THE TORNADO WILL AFFECT MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF NORTH CENTRAL LYON
  COUNTY.

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 4462 9573 4449 9587 4452 9598 4464 9595
      4463 9574 4463 9573
TIME...MOT...LOC 2113Z 202DEG 14KT 4456 9589

$$

LAFLIN

2 follow-up statements

862 
WWUS53 KFSD 152123
SVSFSD

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
423 PM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

MNC083-152130-
/O.CON.KFSD.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-120415T2130Z/
LYON MN-
423 PM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH CENTRAL LYON COUNTY
UNTIL 430 PM CDT...

AT 423 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH A HISTORY OF OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS
DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED 6 MILES NORTH OF GHENT...OR 11 MILES
NORTHWEST OF MARSHALL...MOVING NORTH AT 15 MPH.

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 4462 9573 4455 9580 4456 9590 4464 9595
      4463 9573
TIME...MOT...LOC 2123Z 202DEG 14KT 4460 9587

$$

LAFLIN

883 
WWUS53 KFSD 152128
SVSFSD

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SIOUX FALLS SD
428 PM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

MNC083-152138-
/O.EXP.KFSD.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-120415T2130Z/
LYON MN-
428 PM CDT SUN APR 15 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL LYON COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT
430 PM CDT...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED
AREA.

LAT...LON 4462 9573 4455 9580 4456 9590 4464 9595
      4463 9573
TIME...MOT...LOC 2128Z 202DEG 14KT 4462 9586

$$

LAFLIN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 15, 2:48 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FSD	Pipestone	27 min
Apr 15, 3:05 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FSD	Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Pipestone	25 min
Apr 15, 3:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FSD	Lincoln, Lyon	37 min
Apr 15, 3:41 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FSD	Lyon	19 min
Apr 15, 5:10 PM CDT	High Wind Warning	FSD	Lincoln, Pipestone, Rock	11 hr

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.