Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2012

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 51, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 4, 2012Faribault County, Freeborn County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 4, 2012, 5:41 PM CDT for Faribault County, Freeborn County, Minnesota. It was in force for 49 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: May 4, 2012, 5:41 PM CDT (22:41 UTC)
Expired: May 4, 2012, 6:30 PM CDT
In force: 49 min
Issued by: NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 1.0 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

Counties Faribault County, MN, Freeborn County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 135 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:44 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, 5:53 PM CDT	TORNADO	2 S Kiester, MN
May 4, 6:02 PM CDT	TORNADO	1 Nw Kiester, MN	TREES DAMAGED FROM THE TORNADO.
May 4, 6:10 PM CDT	TSTM WND GST 65	4 N Emmons, 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
May 4, 2:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 135 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.

138 
WUUS53 KMPX 042241
SVRMPX
MNC043-047-042330-
/O.NEW.KMPX.SV.W.0051.120504T2241Z-120504T2330Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
541 PM CDT FRI MAY 4 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN FARIBAULT COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  SOUTHWESTERN FREEBORN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 630 PM CDT

* AT 534 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM...CAPABLE OF
  PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS OF 60 MPH. THIS
  STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR BRICELYN...OR ABOUT 13 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
  BLUE EARTH...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  BRICELYN...
  KIESTER...
  BRUSH CREEK...
  MINNESOTA LAKE...
  WELLS...
  CONGER...
  ALDEN...
  TWIN LAKES...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...PREPARE IMMEDIATELY FOR
DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND LARGE HAIL. SEEK SHELTER NOW
INSIDE A STURDY STRUCTURE AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

&&

LAT...LON 4366 9408 4384 9386 4385 9367 4355 9342
      4349 9377 4349 9394
TIME...MOT...LOC 2241Z 235DEG 21KT 4356 9383
WIND...HAIL 60MPH 1.00IN

$$

BAP

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 3, 7:00 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Goodhue	30 min
May 4, 2:07 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Redwood	38 min
May 4, 2:33 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Blue Earth, Martin, Watonwan	57 min
May 4, 3:10 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Martin	35 min
May 4, 3:40 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Martin	50 min
May 4, 4:07 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Blue Earth, Waseca, Watonwan	38 min
May 4, 4:22 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Faribault, Martin	38 min
May 4, 4:32 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Martin	13 min
May 4, 5:00 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Faribault	45 min
May 4, 5:52 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Faribault, Freeborn	23 min
May 4, 6:15 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Freeborn	45 min
May 4, 6:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Freeborn	24 min
May 4, 6:24 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	MPX	Blue Earth, Faribault, Martin, Watonwan	3 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.