Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 39, NWS Twin Cities, MN

July 4, 2012Morrison County, Todd County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at Jul 4, 2012, 9:44 PM CDT for Morrison County, Todd County, Minnesota. It was in force for 31 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 4, 2012, 9:44 PM CDT (02:44 UTC)
Expired
Jul 4, 2012, 10:15 PM CDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Morrison County, MN, Todd County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 185 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:47 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jul 4, 8:59 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 184 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 2012-07-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2542 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 2012-07-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 95 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2542 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-39 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1972 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
95 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
163 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

001 
WFUS53 KMPX 050244
TORMPX
MNC097-153-050315-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0039.120705T0244Z-120705T0315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
944 PM CDT WED JUL 4 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN MORRISON COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORTHEASTERN TODD COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 1015 PM CDT

* AT 940 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED A STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO. THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STORM WAS 2 MILES NORTHEAST
  OF STAPLES...OR ABOUT 2 MILES EAST OF STAPLES AIRPORT...AND MOVING
  SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
  STAPLES...
  PHILBROOK...
  MOTLEY...

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 300 AM CDT THURSDAY MORNING
FOR EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST WISCONSIN.

&&

LAT...LON 4636 9471 4636 9466 4631 9454 4634 9446
      4633 9444 4620 9451 4629 9485 4638 9482
      4638 9473
TIME...MOT...LOC 0244Z 292DEG 28KT 4638 9473

$$

CLF
1 follow-up statement
905 
WWUS53 KMPX 050253
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
953 PM CDT WED JUL 4 2012

MNC097-153-050315-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0039.000000T0000Z-120705T0315Z/
MORRISON MN-TODD MN-
953 PM CDT WED JUL 4 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEASTERN TODD AND
NORTHWESTERN MORRISON COUNTIES UNTIL 1015 PM CDT...

AT 951 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS STORM
WAS LOCATED NEAR MOTLEY...OR 7 MILES EAST OF STAPLES...MOVING EAST AT
30 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF EXTREME NORTHWESTERN MORRISON COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 4627 9473 4638 9473 4636 9471 4636 9466
      4631 9454 4634 9446 4633 9444 4620 9451
TIME...MOT...LOC 0253Z 292DEG 28KT 4635 9464

$$

CLF

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 4, 8:13 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXKanabec62 min
Jul 4, 8:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXKanabec, Mille Lacs77 min
Jul 4, 10:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMorrison15 min
Jul 4, 10:17 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXMorrison28 min
Jul 4, 10:57 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXMille Lacs48 min
Jul 4, 11:46 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXMille Lacs29 min
Jul 5, 12:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXKanabec, Mille Lacs41 min
Jul 5, 12:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs41 min
Jul 5, 1:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChisago16 min
Jul 5, 3:25 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXWatonwan50 min
Jul 5, 4:03 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXWatonwan42 min
Jul 5, 5:07 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXWright38 min
Jul 5, 6:01 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXCarver44 min
Jul 5, 6:30 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXMcLeod30 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.