Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 20, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 2, 2012Chippewa County, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at May 2, 2012, 10:25 PM CDT for Chippewa County, Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota. It was in force for 35 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 2, 2012, 10:25 PM CDT (03:25 UTC)
Expired
May 2, 2012, 11:00 PM CDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Chippewa County, MN, Lac qui Parle County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 179 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:27 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 2, 10:25 PM CDTHAIL 1.25Milan, MN
May 2, 10:25 PM CDTHAIL 2Milan, MN
May 2, 10:38 PM CDTHAIL 13 Nw Watson, MN

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 3.4 hours before the alert went out and 177 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 00:00Z on 2012-05-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 84 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2012-05-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 21 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
84 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-59 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1937 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
134 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

207 
WFUS53 KMPX 030325
TORMPX
MNC023-073-030400-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0020.120503T0325Z-120503T0400Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1025 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL LAC QUI PARLE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  WESTERN CHIPPEWA COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 1100 PM CDT

* AT 1022 PM CDT...RADAR WAS TRACKING A SEVERE STORM WITH STRONG
  ROTATION. THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM WAS 4 MILES SOUTH OF
  MILAN...AND MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  MONTEVIDEO...
  MILAN...
  BIG BEND CITY...
  WATSON...
  ASBURY...

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.

&&

LAT...LON 4515 9602 4515 9551 4493 9554 4498 9603
TIME...MOT...LOC 0325Z 278DEG 26KT 4506 9589

$$
1 follow-up statement
297 
WWUS53 KMPX 030338
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1038 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012

MNC023-073-030400-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0020.000000T0000Z-120503T0400Z/
LAC QUI PARLE MN-CHIPPEWA MN-
1038 PM CDT WED MAY 2 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WESTERN CHIPPEWA AND EAST
CENTRAL LAC QUI PARLE COUNTIES IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA UNTIL 1100
PM CDT...

AT 1036 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A ROTATING WALL 
CLOUD ABOUT 3 MILES NORTH OF WATSON...OR 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF 
MONTEVIDEO...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  MONTEVIDEO...WATSON AND ASBURY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AT NIGHT. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 4498 9597 4515 9593 4515 9551 4493 9554
TIME...MOT...LOC 0338Z 278DEG 19KT 4505 9583

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 2, 7:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBrown63 min
May 2, 7:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXGoodhue61 min
May 2, 7:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXGoodhue, Rice, Steele60 min
May 2, 7:32 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXRice, Steele, Waseca28 min
May 2, 7:51 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryMPXGoodhue, Rice3 hr
May 2, 7:58 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXNicollet62 min
May 2, 8:22 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMPXGoodhue3 hr
May 2, 8:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXGoodhue33 min
May 2, 8:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXGoodhue29 min
May 2, 9:08 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXLac qui Parle52 min
May 2, 9:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChippewa, Lac qui Parle, Swift50 min
May 2, 10:01 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXChippewa, Lac qui Parle44 min
May 2, 10:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXPope, Stevens, Swift48 min
May 2, 10:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXPope, Swift50 min
May 2, 11:00 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXChippewa45 min
May 2, 11:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChippewa, Kandiyohi59 min
May 3, 12:47 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXMeeker, Stearns58 min
May 3, 1:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMeeker55 min
May 3, 1:59 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXAnoka, Carver, Hennepin, Sherburne, Wright76 min
May 3, 6:24 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDouglas, Todd36 min
May 3, 6:49 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDouglas, Morrison, Todd41 min
May 3, 7:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBenton, Morrison41 min
May 3, 7:57 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXScott48 min
May 3, 8:31 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXLe Sueur, Rice, Scott59 min
May 3, 9:00 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXWright45 min
May 3, 9:37 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXAnoka, Carver, Hennepin, Ramsey38 min
May 3, 10:12 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXLe Sueur48 min
May 3, 10:22 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXDakota, Washington56 min
May 3, 10:36 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXWashington30 min
May 3, 10:55 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXGoodhue, Rice50 min
May 3, 3:05 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXSteele, Waseca40 min
May 3, 3:37 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXSteele38 min
May 3, 4:25 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXFaribault50 min
May 3, 6:19 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXWaseca26 min
May 3, 6:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXWaseca20 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.