Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2014

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 8, 2014Watonwan County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at May 8, 2014, 4:29 PM CDT for Watonwan County, Minnesota. It was in force for 31 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 8, 2014, 4:29 PM CDT (21:29 UTC)
Expired: May 8, 2014, 5:00 PM CDT
In force: 31 min
Issued by: NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.0 in

County Watonwan County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 134 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:32 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
May 8, 4:35 PM CDT	TORNADO	1 Sw Saint James, MN	TORNADO REPORTED SOUTHWEST OF TOWN

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
May 8, 1:46 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 132 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 955 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 54 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -27 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -85 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.

147 
WFUS53 KMPX 082129
TORMPX
MNC165-082200-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0006.140508T2129Z-140508T2200Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
429 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2014

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WATONWAN COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 500 PM CDT

* AT 428 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ST JAMES...AND MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO AND QUARTER SIZE HAIL.

  SOURCE...WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUD.

  IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT
           SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. DAMAGE
           TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR. TREE DAMAGE IS
           LIKELY.

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  ST JAMES AROUND 440 PM CDT.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE ECHOLS...ST JAMES AIRPORT...
GROGAN AND LA SALLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 4385 9466 4385 9474 4385 9477 4389 9483
      4411 9472 4410 9452 4403 9436 4384 9465
TIME...MOT...LOC 2130Z 208DEG 30KT 4391 9471

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.00IN

$$

BORGHOFF

2 follow-up statements

502 
WWUS53 KMPX 082140
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
440 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2014

MNC165-082200-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-140508T2200Z/
WATONWAN MN-
440 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2014

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WATONWAN COUNTY UNTIL 500
PM CDT...

AT 437 PM CDT...A CONFIRMED TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR ST JAMES...AND
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

HAZARD...DAMAGING TORNADO AND QUARTER SIZE HAIL.

SOURCE...WEATHER SPOTTERS CONFIRMED TORNADO. THIS TORNADO HAS BEEN   
         CONFIRMED A FEW MILES SOUTHWEST OF ST JAMES.

IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT
         SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. DAMAGE
         TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR. TREE DAMAGE IS
         LIKELY.

THIS TORNADIC STORM WILL AFFECT MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF WATONWAN
COUNTY...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...ST JAMES AIRPORT...
GROGAN AND LA SALLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES. TAKE COVER IN A
BASEMENT OR STORM SHELTER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 4388 9461 4388 9472 4393 9477 4411 9469
      4410 9452 4403 9436
TIME...MOT...LOC 2140Z 206DEG 27KT 4398 9465

TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...1.00IN

$$

BORGHOFF

149 
WWUS53 KMPX 082150
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
450 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2014

MNC165-082200-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-140508T2200Z/
WATONWAN MN-
450 PM CDT THU MAY 8 2014

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEASTERN WATONWAN
COUNTY UNTIL 500 PM CDT...

AT 449 PM CDT...A CONFIRMED TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR ST JAMES...AND
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

HAZARD...DAMAGING TORNADO AND QUARTER SIZE HAIL.

SOURCE...WEATHER SPOTTERS CONFIRMED TORNADO. A TORNADO IS CURRENTLY  
         ON THE GROUND ACCORDING TO LIVE STORM CHASER VIDEO.

IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT
         SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. DAMAGE
         TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR. TREE DAMAGE IS
         LIKELY.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
MADELIA...GROGAN AND LA SALLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES. TAKE COVER IN A
BASEMENT OR STORM SHELTER NOW!

&&

LAT...LON 4396 9457 4396 9465 4402 9468 4411 9464
      4410 9452 4404 9439
TIME...MOT...LOC 2150Z 217DEG 23KT 4400 9459

TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...1.00IN

$$

BORGHOFF

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 7, 7:20 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Benton, Sherburne, Stearns	55 min
May 7, 8:47 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Blue Earth, Le Sueur, Nicollet	58 min
May 7, 8:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Le Sueur, Nicollet	62 min
May 7, 9:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Le Sueur, Waseca	55 min
May 7, 9:22 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Sherburne	68 min
May 7, 10:14 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Le Sueur, Rice, Waseca	61 min
May 7, 10:57 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Rice	48 min
May 7, 11:37 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Dakota, Rice, Scott	38 min
May 7, 11:41 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Carver, Hennepin, Scott	49 min
May 8, 12:32 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington	43 min
May 8, 2:02 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Isanti	43 min
May 8, 2:10 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	McLeod	35 min
May 8, 2:23 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Kandiyohi	52 min
May 8, 3:05 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Benton	40 min
May 8, 6:09 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Watonwan	36 min
May 8, 7:08 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Dakota	37 min
May 8, 8:13 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Watonwan	32 min
May 8, 8:37 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Nicollet	23 min
May 8, 9:44 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Martin	46 min
May 8, 10:02 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Redwood	43 min
May 8, 10:20 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Faribault	25 min
May 8, 10:48 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Waseca	42 min
May 8, 11:18 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Lac qui Parle	42 min
May 8, 11:27 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Rice	48 min
May 8, 11:48 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Anoka, Hennepin	42 min
May 8, 12:01 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Stevens	29 min
May 8, 12:22 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Wright	23 min
May 8, 1:08 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Brown	37 min
May 8, 1:11 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Brown, Redwood	34 min
May 8, 1:44 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Stevens	31 min
May 8, 2:12 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Faribault	33 min
May 8, 2:21 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Sherburne	24 min
May 8, 2:55 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Carver, Freeborn, Le Sueur, Rice, Scott, Steele and 1 more	50 min
May 8, 3:07 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Dakota, Goodhue, Rice, Steele	23 min
May 8, 3:17 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Le Sueur, Rice	28 min
May 8, 3:23 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Dakota, Scott	52 min
May 8, 3:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Goodhue, Steele	49 min
May 8, 3:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Washington	47 min
May 8, 4:10 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Watonwan	35 min
May 8, 4:55 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	MPX	Blue Earth, Brown, Watonwan	35 min
May 8, 5:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	MPX	Blue Earth, Nicollet	45 min
May 8, 5:26 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Nicollet, Sibley	49 min
May 8, 5:34 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	McLeod	41 min
May 8, 6:13 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Carver	32 min
May 8, 6:14 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Carver	31 min

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.