Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 16, 2015Pope County, Swift County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at May 16, 2015, 6:41 PM CDT for Pope County, Swift County, Minnesota. It was in force for 34 min. 2 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: May 16, 2015, 6:41 PM CDT (23:41 UTC)
Expired: May 16, 2015, 7:15 PM CDT
In force: 34 min
Issued by: NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

Counties Pope County, MN, Swift County, MN

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 16, 7:01 PM CDT	TORNADO	7 Wsw Brooten, MN	STORM CHASER REPORTED TORNADO. SPOTTER LOCATED 7 MILES WSW OF BROOTEN. TORNADO IS 2 TO 3 MILES SW OF THEIR LOCATION.
May 16, 7:17 PM CDT	FUNNEL CLOUD	3 S Sedan, MN	TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUD 3 MILES SOUTH OF SEDAN.

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 16, 5:25 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 149 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: 853 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 128 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 166 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.

189 
WFUS53 KMPX 162341
TORMPX
MNC121-151-170015-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0008.150516T2341Z-150517T0015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
641 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN POPE COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORTHEASTERN SWIFT COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 715 PM CDT

* AT 641 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR SWIFT FALLS...OR 22 MILES NORTHWEST OF
  WILLMAR...MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO. 

  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 TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF
  SOUTHEASTERN POPE AND NORTHEASTERN SWIFT COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE
  FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...SWIFT FALLS AND GILCHRIST.

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 4558 9537 4554 9514 4541 9522 4541 9525
      4537 9525 4535 9526 4537 9548
TIME...MOT...LOC 2341Z 201DEG 21KT 4536 9535 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

2 follow-up statements

222 
WWUS53 KMPX 162356
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
656 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015

MNC151-170006-
/O.CAN.KMPX.TO.W.0008.000000T0000Z-150517T0015Z/
SWIFT MN-
656 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN SWIFT COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
    
THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT 
OF THE WARNED AREA. THEREFORE THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

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

LAT...LON 4558 9537 4554 9514 4541 9522 4541 9546
TIME...MOT...LOC 2356Z 201DEG 21KT 4544 9530 

$$

MNC121-170015-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0008.000000T0000Z-150517T0015Z/
POPE MN-
656 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN POPE COUNTY...
        
AT 656 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED OVER GILCHRIST...OR 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF WILLMAR...
MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH.

HAZARD...TORNADO. 

SOURCE...WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A 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. 

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
GILCHRIST.

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 4558 9537 4554 9514 4541 9522 4541 9546
TIME...MOT...LOC 2356Z 201DEG 21KT 4544 9530 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

177 
WWUS53 KMPX 170011
SVSMPX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
711 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015

MNC121-170021-
/O.EXP.KMPX.TO.W.0008.000000T0000Z-150517T0015Z/
POPE MN-
711 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN POPE COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT
715 PM CDT...
        
THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE 
WARNED AREA. THEREFORE THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.

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

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER...CONTACT YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
THE TWIN CITIES.

LAT...LON 4558 9537 4554 9514 4541 9522 4541 9546
TIME...MOT...LOC 0009Z 201DEG 21KT 4544 9530 

$$

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 16, 12:07 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Kandiyohi	38 min
May 16, 3:58 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Yellow Medicine	32 min
May 16, 4:01 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Chippewa	29 min
May 16, 4:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Chippewa, Yellow Medicine	44 min
May 16, 4:29 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Lac qui Parle	16 min
May 16, 4:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Lac qui Parle	31 min
May 16, 5:05 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Chippewa, Swift	25 min
May 16, 5:12 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Stevens	33 min
May 16, 5:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Chippewa	25 min
May 16, 5:39 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	MPX	Swift	36 min
May 16, 5:45 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Chippewa, Swift	17 min
May 16, 5:52 PM CDT	Tornado Warning Tornado observed	MPX	Chippewa, Swift	23 min
May 16, 6:11 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Swift	34 min
May 16, 6:21 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Renville	39 min
May 16, 6:54 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Meeker	36 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.