Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 1, 2012Benton County, Sherburne County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at May 1, 2012, 6:25 PM CDT for Benton County, Sherburne County, Minnesota. It was in force for 35 min. 4 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, 6:25 PM CDT (23:25 UTC)
Expired
May 1, 2012, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Benton County, MN, Sherburne County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 91 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:27 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, 6:30 PM CDTFUNNEL CLOUD6 E Sauk Rapids, MN
May 1, 6:34 PM CDTTSTM WND GST 644 E Sauk Rapids, MN
May 1, 6:38 PM CDTHAIL 12 E St Cloud, MN
May 1, 6:45 PM CDTHAIL 1.75Duelm, 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, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 90 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.

413 
WFUS53 KMPX 012325
TORMPX
MNC009-141-020000-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0016.120501T2325Z-120502T0000Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN BENTON COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORTHWESTERN SHERBURNE COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 700 PM CDT

* AT 622 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO. THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM WAS NEAR SAUK
  RAPIDS...OR OVER SAUK RAPIDS...AND MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  SAUK RAPIDS...
  MAYHEW...
  PARENT...
  FOLEY...
  RONNEBY...
  SANTIAGO...
  GLENDORADO...
  DUELM...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS IS A SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM. IN ADDITION TO TORNADOES...
SUPERCELLS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING EXTREMELY LARGE HAIL AND
DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. ACT QUICKLY AND MOVE TO SAFETY
INSIDE A STURDY SHELTER...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM
ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT TUESDAY EVENING
FOR SOUTHERN MINNESOTA. A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL
100 AM CDT WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA AND
NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN.

&&

LAT...LON 4549 9375 4549 9414 4554 9415 4555 9414
      4562 9421 4567 9419 4568 9421 4569 9417
      4571 9376
TIME...MOT...LOC 2325Z 268DEG 25KT 4559 9411

$$
1 follow-up statement
864 
WWUS53 KMPX 012347
SVSMPX

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

MNC009-141-020000-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0016.000000T0000Z-120502T0000Z/
BENTON MN-SHERBURNE MN-
647 PM CDT TUE MAY 1 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWESTERN SHERBURNE AND
SOUTHERN BENTON COUNTIES UNTIL 700 PM CDT...

AT 645 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS STORM
WAS LOCATED NEAR PARENT...OR 13 MILES EAST OF ST CLOUD...MOVING EAST
AT 30 MPH.

TRAINED SPOTTERS HAVE REPORTED SEVERAL FUNNEL CLOUDS WITH THIS STORM...
SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL HAS ALSO BEEN
OBSERVED.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  RONNEBY...SANTIAGO AND GLENDORADO.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO TORNADOES...SUPERCELLS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
EXTREMELY LARGE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. ACT QUICKLY
AND MOVE TO SAFETY INSIDE A STURDY SHELTER...SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR
SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.

&&

LAT...LON 4549 9375 4549 9414 4554 9415 4555 9414
      4562 9421 4567 9419 4568 9421 4569 9417
      4571 9376
TIME...MOT...LOC 2347Z 268DEG 25KT 4559 9389

$$

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, 5:07 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, 6:43 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.