Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 17, NWS Twin Cities, MN

July 12, 2015Douglas County, Todd County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at Jul 12, 2015, 6:24 PM CDT for Douglas County, Todd County, Minnesota. It was in force for 51 min. 6 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, 6:24 PM CDT (23:24 UTC)
Expired: Jul 12, 2015, 7:15 PM CDT
In force: 51 min
Issued by: NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.25 in

Counties Douglas County, MN, Todd County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 190 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, 6:30 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	Hewitt, MN	UNCONFIRMED POSSIBLE TOUCHDOWN NEAR HEWITT
Jul 12, 6:45 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	6 Wsw Staples, MN	BARN DESTROYED SOUTH OF ALDRICH MN
Jul 12, 6:45 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	8 E Hewitt, MN	BARN DESTROYED SOUTH OF ALDRICH MN
Jul 12, 6:48 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Clarissa, MN	TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
Jul 12, 6:54 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Browerville, MN	TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
Jul 12, 7:23 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Staples, MN	TWO 6 INCH TREES UPROOTED

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, 5:28 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 188 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.

373 
WFUS53 KMPX 122324
TORMPX
MNC041-153-130015-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0017.150712T2324Z-150713T0015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
624 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORTHERN TODD COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 715 PM CDT
    
* AT 624 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR PARKERS PRAIRIE...OR 19 MILES NORTH OF
  ALEXANDRIA...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO AND HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL. 

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

  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...
  EAGLE BEND AND BERTHA AROUND 640 PM CDT.
  CLARISSA AND HEWITT AROUND 645 PM CDT.
  STAPLES AROUND 705 PM CDT.

OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM INCLUDE ROSE
CITY AND PHILBROOK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 4637 9474 4635 9470 4636 9467 4635 9466
      4607 9466 4604 9525 4607 9528 4610 9530
      4611 9530 4611 9514 4635 9516 4636 9512
      4637 9492
TIME...MOT...LOC 2324Z 249DEG 34KT 4617 9525 

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

$$

DWE

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 11, 7:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Kanabec, Mille Lacs	45 min
Jul 11, 7:48 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Kanabec	42 min
Jul 12, 7:50 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Mille Lacs	25 min
Jul 12, 8:30 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Kanabec	30 min
Jul 12, 9:04 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Kanabec	41 min
Jul 12, 6:13 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Douglas	47 min
Jul 12, 6:58 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Douglas	47 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.