Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 11, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 1, 2012Pope County, Stearns County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at May 1, 2012, 4:46 PM CDT for Pope County, Stearns County, Minnesota. It was in force for 44 min. 2 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 1, 2012, 4:46 PM CDT (21:46 UTC)
Expired
May 1, 2012, 5:30 PM CDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Pope County, MN, Stearns County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 148 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:48 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 1, 4:48 PM CDTTORNADOSedan, MNBRIEF TOUCHDOWN NEAR SEDAN
May 1, 4:53 PM CDTHAIL 14 S Sauk Centre, 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 1, 2:59 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 145 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 2012-05-01Temperature 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°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2012-05-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 163 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1291 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
163 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
196 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.

311 
WFUS53 KMPX 012146
TORMPX
MNC121-145-012230-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0011.120501T2146Z-120501T2230Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
446 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL POPE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORTHWESTERN STEARNS COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 530 PM CDT

* AT 443 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO. THE MOST
  DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM WAS NEAR GROVE LAKE...OR ABOUT 3 MILES
  NORTH OF SEDAN...AND MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  SEDAN...
  ELROSA...
  SAUK CENTRE...
  MEIRE GROVE...
  GROVE LAKE...
  WESTPORT...
  PADUA...
  GREENWALD...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON RADAR...IT MEANS THAT
STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY ALREADY
BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT TUESDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHERN MINNESOTA.

&&

LAT...LON 4577 9487 4559 9480 4551 9530 4568 9537
      4578 9499
TIME...MOT...LOC 2147Z 254DEG 19KT 4562 9520

$$
2 follow-up statements
524 
WWUS53 KMPX 012148
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
448 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2012

MNC121-145-012230-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120501T2230Z/
POPE MN-STEARNS MN-
448 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN STEARNS AND
EAST CENTRAL POPE COUNTIES UNTIL 530 PM CDT...

AT 443 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO.  THIS
TORNADO WAS LOCATED NORTH OF SEDAN...OR 8 MILES EAST OF GLENWOOD...MOVING
EAST AT 20 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  SAUK CENTRE...MEIRE GROVE...WESTPORT...PADUA AND GREENWALD.

LAT...LON 4577 9487 4559 9480 4551 9530 4568 9537
      4578 9499
TIME...MOT...LOC 2148Z 254DEG 19KT 4562 9519

$$
116 
WWUS53 KMPX 012158
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
458 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2012

MNC121-012213-
/O.CAN.KMPX.TO.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120501T2230Z/
POPE MN-
458 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL POPE COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

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

LAT...LON 4559 9480 4554 9513 4559 9514 4574 9514
      4576 9507 4577 9501 4577 9487
TIME...MOT...LOC 2158Z 262DEG 25KT 4562 9503

$$

MNC145-012230-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120501T2230Z/
STEARNS MN-
458 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN STEARNS
COUNTY UNTIL 530 PM CDT...

AT 456 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO.  THIS
TORNADO WAS LOCATED 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF ELROSA...OR 16 MILES EAST OF
GLENWOOD...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  SAUK CENTRE...MEIRE GROVE AND GREENWALD.

LAT...LON 4559 9480 4554 9513 4559 9514 4574 9514
      4576 9507 4577 9501 4577 9487
TIME...MOT...LOC 2158Z 262DEG 25KT 4562 9503

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 1, 4:41 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXDouglas, Morrison, Pope, Stevens, Todd79 min
May 1, 4:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXPope, Stearns33 min
May 1, 4:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXSherburne, Stearns, Wright35 min
May 1, 4:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXPope, Stearns47 min
May 1, 5:07 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXSherburne, Stearns, Wright38 min
May 1, 5:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChippewa, Lac qui Parle, Yellow Medicine67 min
May 1, 5:09 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXStearns36 min
May 1, 5:17 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRedwood, Yellow Medicine32 min
May 1, 5:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBenton, Morrison, Stearns37 min
May 1, 5:38 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXSherburne37 min
May 1, 5:44 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXBenton, Sherburne, Stearns46 min
May 1, 6:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXRedwood52 min
May 1, 6:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXIsanti, Sherburne46 min
May 1, 6:25 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXBenton, Sherburne35 min
May 1, 6:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBrown, Redwood62 min
May 1, 6:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBenton, Mille Lacs, Sherburne34 min

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.