Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2014

Tornado Warning 24, NWS Grand Forks, ND

September 4, 2014Otter Tail County, Wadena County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Sep 4, 2014, 5:51 AM CDT for Otter Tail County, Wadena County, Minnesota. It was in force for 39 min. 7 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: Sep 4, 2014, 5:51 AM CDT (10:51 UTC)
Expired: Sep 4, 2014, 6:30 AM CDT
In force: 39 min
Issued by: NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.75 in

Counties Otter Tail County, MN, Wadena County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 209 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:51 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Sep 4, 5:57 AM CDT	HAIL 1.75	New York Mills, MN	RELAYED VIA FACEBOOK
Sep 4, 6:15 AM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Wadena, MN	MEASURED WIND GUST TO 72 MPH. LARGE NUMBER OF TREES DOWN IN THE CITY. LIGHT POLES DOWN. TREES ON ROOFS OF HOMES.
Sep 4, 6:15 AM CDT	TSTM WND GST 84	Verndale, MN	MEASURED ON MNDOT RWIS.
Sep 4, 6:28 AM CDT	TSTM WND GST 79	10 E Verndale, MN	MEASUREMENT AT STAPLES AIRPORT
Sep 4, 6:31 AM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Staples, MN	NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN IN STAPLES.
Sep 4, 6:31 AM CDT	TSTM WND GST 79	Staples, MN
Sep 4, 6:40 AM CDT	TSTM WND GST 62	Staples, MN	STILL GUSTING ABOVE SEVERE LEVELS AT STAPLES AIRPORT.

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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Sep 4, 1:48 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 207 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2049 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 892 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 243 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 337 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 3.4
Supercell composite: 14.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

331 
WFUS53 KFGF 041051
TORFGF
MNC111-159-041130-
/O.NEW.KFGF.TO.W.0024.140904T1051Z-140904T1130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
551 AM CDT THU SEP 4 2014

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN OTTER TAIL COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  WADENA COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 630 AM CDT

* AT 548 AM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR NEW YORK MILLS...AND MOVING EAST AT 40
  MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO AND GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL.

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION.

  IMPACT...EXPECT DAMAGE TO MOBILE HOMES...ROOFS AND VEHICLES.

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  WADENA AROUND 555 AM CDT.
  BLUE GRASS AND SEBEKA AROUND 600 AM CDT.
  NIMROD AROUND 605 AM CDT.
  OYLEN AROUND 610 AM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER CONTACT YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.
THEY WILL SEND YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND
FORKS.

&&

LAT...LON 4636 9473 4636 9508 4640 9555 4667 9556
      4675 9478 4656 9477 4640 9477 4639 9473
      4637 9472
TIME...MOT...LOC 1050Z 267DEG 64KT 4653 9528

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.75IN

$$

HOPKINS

1 follow-up statement

034 
WWUS53 KFGF 041126
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
626 AM CDT THU SEP 4 2014

MNC111-159-041136-
/O.EXP.KFGF.TO.W.0024.000000T0000Z-140904T1130Z/
WADENA MN-OTTER TAIL MN-
626 AM CDT THU SEP 4 2014

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN OTTER TAIL AND WADENA 
COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 630 AM CDT...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED 
AREA. HOWEVER...HEAVY RAIN IS STILL POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM.

IN ADDITION...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MAY REDEVELOP...AND A SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 AM CDT.

LAT...LON 4636 9473 4636 9508 4640 9555 4667 9556
      4675 9478 4656 9477 4640 9477 4639 9473
      4637 9472
TIME...MOT...LOC 1126Z 267DEG 64KT 4656 9435

$$

HOPKINS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Grand Forks, ND issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 4, 2:36 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Clay, Wilkin	54 min
Sep 4, 3:25 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, Wilkin	65 min
Sep 4, 3:55 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	FGF	Clay, Wilkin	8 hr
Sep 4, 4:02 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Clay, Otter Tail, Wilkin	58 min
Sep 4, 4:31 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Becker, Hubbard, Otter Tail, Wadena	59 min
Sep 4, 4:46 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Otter Tail, Wilkin	44 min
Sep 4, 4:58 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, Wilkin	62 min
Sep 4, 4:59 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	FGF	Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, Wilkin	7 hr
Sep 4, 5:06 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Otter Tail, Wadena	39 min
Sep 4, 5:32 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Becker, Hubbard, Otter Tail, Wadena	58 min
Sep 4, 6:03 AM CDT	Areal Flood Warning	FGF	Becker, Hubbard, Otter Tail, Wadena	10 hr
Sep 4, 1:19 PM CDT	River Flood Watch	FGF	Clay	4 days

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2014 Every tornado warning in 2014 Tornadoes in 2014

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.