Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 1, 2012Sherburne County, Stearns County, Wright County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at May 1, 2012, 5:07 PM CDT for Sherburne County, Stearns County, Wright County, Minnesota. It was in force for 38 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 1, 2012, 5:07 PM CDT (22:07 UTC)
Expired
May 1, 2012, 5:45 PM CDT
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Sherburne County, MN, Stearns County, MN, Wright County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:08 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, 5:35 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD5 W Becker, 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, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 67 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°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.

621 
WFUS53 KMPX 012207
TORMPX
MNC141-145-171-012245-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0012.120501T2207Z-120501T2245Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WESTERN SHERBURNE COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  SOUTHEASTERN STEARNS COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORTHERN WRIGHT COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 545 PM CDT

* AT 504 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO. THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM WAS NEAR FAIRHAVEN...
  OR OVER FAIRHAVEN...AND MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  FAIRHAVEN...
  SOUTH HAVEN...
  ANNANDALE...
  ST AUGUSTA...
  CLEARWATER...
  HASTY...
  CLEAR LAKE...
  ENFIELD...
  BECKER...
  MONTICELLO...
  BIG LAKE...
  SANTIAGO...
  SILVER CREEK...

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 4555 9381 4528 9369 4521 9425 4523 9426
      4528 9426 4541 9430
TIME...MOT...LOC 2207Z 254DEG 20KT 4531 9420

$$
1 follow-up statement
201 
WWUS53 KMPX 012220
SVSMPX

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

MNC141-145-171-012245-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0012.000000T0000Z-120501T2245Z/
SHERBURNE MN-STEARNS MN-WRIGHT MN-
520 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH CENTRAL WRIGHT...
SOUTHEASTERN STEARNS AND WESTERN SHERBURNE COUNTIES UNTIL 545 PM
CDT...

AT 518 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD
WITH THIS STORM. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR ANNANDALE...OR 16
MILES NORTHWEST OF BUFFALO...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. HALF DOLLAR
SIZE HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  CLEARWATER...HASTY...CLEAR LAKE...ENFIELD...BECKER...MONTICELLO...
  BIG LAKE...SANTIAGO AND SILVER CREEK.

LAT...LON 4524 9408 4544 9419 4555 9381 4528 9369
TIME...MOT...LOC 2219Z 254DEG 20KT 4533 9411

$$

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, 4:46 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXPope, Stearns44 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.