Alert archive / Minnesota / Mesoscale Discussions in 2020

Mesoscale Discussion 1421

August 7, 202013 counties in Minnesota; Burnett County, Polk County, Wisconsin

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Aug 7, 2020, 11:25 PM CDT for 13 counties in Minnesota; Burnett County, Polk County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 95 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 7, 2020, 11:25 PM CDT (04:25 UTC)
Expired
Aug 8, 2020, 1:00 AM CDT
In force
95 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe thunderstorm watch 420

Counties Aitkin County, MN, Anoka County, MN, Benton County, MN, Carlton County, MN, Chisago County, MN, Crow Wing County, MN, Isanti County, MN, Kanabec County, MN, Mille Lacs County, MN, Morrison County, MN, Pine County, MN, Sherburne County, MN, Stearns County, MN, Burnett County, WI, Polk County, WI

The radar

The Duluth radar (KDLH), 129 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:26 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 4.4 hours before the alert went out and 141 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2020-08-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 933 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 2020-08-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 160 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
933 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-82 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1112 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
160 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
260 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
9.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

641 
ACUS11 KWNS 080426
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 080425 
WIZ000-MNZ000-080600-

Mesoscale Discussion 1421
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1125 PM CDT Fri Aug 07 2020

Areas affected...east-central Minnesota and adjacent northwestern
Wisconsin

Concerning...Severe Thunderstorm Watch 420...

Valid 080425Z - 080600Z

The severe weather threat for Severe Thunderstorm Watch 420
continues.

SUMMARY...Local severe risk persists with one or two of the more
intense/remaining storms, but will continue to gradually diminish
over the next 1 to 2 hours.

DISCUSSION...Latest radar loop shows a small cluster of storms
persisting in conjunction with the continued eastward advance of a
well-defined mesoscale circulation/MCV, now approaching the
Arrowhead region of Minnesota.  Instability diminishes steadily
downstream from the ongoing storms into Wisconsin and western Lake
Superior, which suggests a continued decrease in convective
intensity.  The strongest storms remain now on the southern and
southwestern flanks of the MCV circulation, where greater
instability is combining with a southwesterly low-level-jet-induced
zone of warm advection to yield this favored zone of persistent
convective redevelopment.

With that said, as the system shifts eastward with time, and capping
continues to increase with respect to surface-based parcels, storms
will continue to weaken and trend toward becoming more elevated. 
This suggests that the notable decrease in convective intensity
which has occurred over the past hour will continue, and should
preclude any need for a new WW beyond the scheduled 06Z expiration
of WW 420.

..Goss.. 08/08/2020

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...DLH...MPX...FGF...

LAT...LON   46909410 46739196 45469206 45159304 45309468 46399482
            46909410

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 7, 8:02 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAitkin, Becker, Benton, Carlton, Cass, Chisago and 10 more118 min
Aug 8, 12:06 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBecker, Big Stone, Cass, Chippewa, Crow Wing, Douglas and 11 more114 min
Aug 8, 1:26 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBlue Earth, Brown, Carver, Chippewa, Cottonwood, Le Sueur and 7 more94 min
Aug 8, 5:00 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCDakota, Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston and 9 more2 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Minnesota, 2020Mesoscale Discussions in Wisconsin, 2020Every mesoscale discussion in 2020

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.