Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 50, NWS Grand Forks, ND

July 12, 2015Otter Tail County, Wadena County, Minnesota

NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this tornado warning at Jul 12, 2015, 6:25 PM CDT for Otter Tail County, Wadena County, Minnesota. It was in force for 50 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: Jul 12, 2015, 6:25 PM CDT (23:25 UTC)
Expired: Jul 12, 2015, 7:15 PM CDT
In force: 50 min
Issued by: NWS Grand Forks, ND
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.25 in

Counties Otter Tail County, MN, Wadena County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 204 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:26 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
Jul 12, 6:40 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Verndale, MN	TREES BLOWN DOWN AND A ROOF BLOWN OFF IN TOWN. NUMEROUS TREES AND AND LEAST 8 TO 10 POWER POLES SNAPPED OFF EAST OF TOWN.
Jul 12, 6:44 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	1 N Verndale, MN	PERSISTENT WALL CLOUD WITH BRIEF FUNNEL.
Jul 12, 6:45 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Aldrich, MN	TREES AND POWER LINES BLOWN DOWN IN ALDRICH AND BETWEEN ALDRICH AND STAPLES ALONG CR2.
Jul 12, 6:52 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	8 E Verndale, MN	WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE ALONG CR2... NORTH OF THE 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
Jul 12, 3:06 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 202 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: 1730 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -145 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 756 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 60 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: -0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

582 
WFUS53 KFGF 122325
TORFGF
MNC111-159-130015-
/O.NEW.KFGF.TO.W.0050.150712T2325Z-150713T0015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
625 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND FORKS HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 715 PM CDT
    
* AT 625 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED OVER WADENA...OR 37 MILES NORTH OF
  ALEXANDRIA...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO AND HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL. 

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

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

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  VERNDALE AND BLUE GRASS AROUND 640 PM CDT.
  ALDRICH AROUND 645 PM CDT.
  STAPLES AIRPORT AROUND 700 PM CDT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 4637 9473 4637 9515 4626 9515 4625 9543
      4656 9547 4664 9479 4657 9478 4639 9478
      4640 9476 4638 9475 4638 9473
TIME...MOT...LOC 2325Z 265DEG 29KT 4643 9518 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.25IN

$$
SPEICHER

1 follow-up statement

357 
WWUS53 KFGF 130012
SVSFGF

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
712 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2015

MNC111-159-130022-
/O.EXP.KFGF.TO.W.0050.000000T0000Z-150713T0015Z/
WADENA MN-OTTER TAIL MN-
712 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHERN WADENA AND EAST CENTRAL OTTER
TAIL COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 715 PM CDT...
        
THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE AREA.
THEREFORE THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT FOR
WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA.

LAT...LON 4637 9473 4637 9515 4626 9515 4625 9543
      4656 9547 4664 9479 4657 9478 4639 9478
      4640 9476 4638 9475 4638 9473
TIME...MOT...LOC 0010Z 265DEG 29KT 4643 9518 

$$
SPEICHER

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 12, 4:50 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Marshall, Pennington, Polk	55 min
Jul 12, 6:25 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Roseau	65 min
Jul 12, 6:48 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Lake of the Woods	42 min
Jul 12, 7:21 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Beltrami	54 min
Jul 12, 7:28 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Lake of the Woods	32 min
Jul 12, 8:23 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	FGF	Beltrami	67 min
Jul 12, 3:53 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Clay, Otter Tail, Wilkin	52 min
Jul 12, 4:03 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Polk	42 min
Jul 12, 4:21 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, Wilkin	39 min
Jul 12, 4:36 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Otter Tail, Wilkin	39 min
Jul 12, 4:46 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Kittson, Marshall	59 min
Jul 12, 4:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Marshall, Polk	43 min
Jul 12, 5:04 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Kittson, Marshall	41 min
Jul 12, 5:07 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Grant, Otter Tail, Wilkin	38 min
Jul 12, 5:18 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Becker, Otter Tail, Wadena, Wilkin	42 min
Jul 12, 5:37 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	FGF	Grant, Otter Tail, Wilkin	38 min
Jul 12, 5:40 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	FGF	Marshall	12 hr
Jul 12, 5:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	FGF	Kittson, Marshall, Pennington, Roseau	62 min
Jul 12, 5:49 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Otter Tail, Wadena	41 min
Jul 12, 6:08 PM CDT	Areal Flood Advisory	FGF	Otter Tail	12 hr
Jul 12, 6:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Grant, Otter Tail	45 min
Jul 12, 6:23 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Clay, Wilkin	52 min
Jul 12, 6:56 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	FGF	Grant	49 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2015 Every tornado warning in 2015 Tornadoes in 2015

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.