Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2017

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 17, 2017Steele County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at May 17, 2017, 3:55 PM CDT for Steele County, Minnesota. It was in force for 21 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: May 17, 2017, 3:55 PM CDT (20:55 UTC)
Expired: May 17, 2017, 4:16 PM CDT
In force: 21 min
Issued by: NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.25 in

County Steele County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 91 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:55 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.

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 17, 2:53 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 93 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: 737 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -70 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

376 
WFUS53 KMPX 172055
TORMPX
MNC147-172130-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0012.170517T2055Z-170517T2130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
355 PM CDT WED MAY 17 2017

The National Weather Service in The Twin Cities has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northeastern Steele County in south central Minnesota...

* Until 430 PM CDT
    
* At 355 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Owatonna, moving north at 35 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 tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of
  northeastern Steele County, including the following locations:
  Moland and Merton.

This includes U.S. Highway 14 between mile markers 177 and 181.
 
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 4400 9319 4419 9319 4419 9305 4418 9305
      4409 9304 4399 9310
TIME...MOT...LOC 2055Z 196DEG 30KT 4405 9313 

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

$$

SPD

2 follow-up statements

272 
WWUS53 KMPX 172110
SVSMPX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
410 PM CDT WED MAY 17 2017

MNC147-172130-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0012.000000T0000Z-170517T2130Z/
Steele MN-
410 PM CDT WED MAY 17 2017

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 430 PM CDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN STEELE COUNTY...
    
At 410 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located over Moland, or 8 miles northeast of Owatonna, moving
north at 35 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. 

Locations impacted include...
Merton and Moland. 

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 4410 9318 4419 9319 4419 9305 4418 9305
      4409 9304
TIME...MOT...LOC 2110Z 196DEG 30KT 4417 9308 

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

$$

SPD

460 
WWUS53 KMPX 172116
SVSMPX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
416 PM CDT WED MAY 17 2017

MNC147-172126-
/O.CAN.KMPX.TO.W.0012.000000T0000Z-170517T2130Z/
Steele MN-
416 PM CDT WED MAY 17 2017

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN STEELE COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
        
The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area.
Therefore the warning has been cancelled.

A tornado watch remains in effect until 1000 PM CDT for south central
Minnesota.

LAT...LON 4410 9318 4419 9319 4419 9305 4418 9305
      4409 9304
TIME...MOT...LOC 2116Z 196DEG 30KT 4422 9306 

$$

SPD

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 16, 9:42 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Faribault, Freeborn	48 min
May 17, 2:34 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Freeborn	26 min
May 17, 2:44 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Freeborn	31 min
May 17, 2:56 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Freeborn	34 min
May 17, 3:03 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Martin, Watonwan	42 min
May 17, 3:08 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Freeborn, Steele	24 min
May 17, 3:10 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Faribault	35 min
May 17, 3:23 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Martin	22 min
May 17, 3:30 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Steele	30 min
May 17, 3:42 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Blue Earth	33 min
May 17, 4:00 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Rice, Steele	30 min
May 17, 4:03 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Brown, Nicollet	27 min
May 17, 4:11 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Nicollet	19 min
May 17, 5:00 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Nicollet	30 min
May 17, 5:01 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	MPX	Blue Earth, Le Sueur, Nicollet	119 min
May 17, 5:13 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Anoka	32 min
May 17, 5:45 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Carver	30 min
May 17, 5:50 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Chisago	25 min
May 17, 6:04 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Hennepin, Rice, Scott, Wright	56 min
May 17, 6:08 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Martin	37 min
May 17, 6:11 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Chisago	64 min
May 17, 6:45 PM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MPX	Sherburne	60 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2017 Every tornado warning in 2017 Tornadoes in 2017

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.