Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2021

Tornado Warning 24, NWS La Crosse, WI

December 15, 2021Olmsted County, Minnesota

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this tornado warning at Dec 15, 2021, 7:49 PM CST for Olmsted County, Minnesota. It was in force for 14 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: Dec 15, 2021, 7:49 PM CST (01:49 UTC)
Expired: Dec 15, 2021, 8:03 PM CST
In force: 14 min
Issued by: NWS La Crosse, WI
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

County Olmsted County, MN

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:49 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
Dec 15, 5:30 PM CST	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 133 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: 633 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -55 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 770 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 75 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 443 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 470 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 5.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

452 
WFUS53 KARX 160149
TORARX
MNC109-160215-
/O.NEW.KARX.TO.W.0024.211216T0149Z-211216T0215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service La Crosse WI
749 PM CST Wed Dec 15 2021

The National Weather Service in La Crosse has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Central Olmsted County in southeastern Minnesota...

* Until 815 PM CST.
    
* At 749 PM CST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Stewartville, or 7 miles southeast of Rochester,
  moving northeast at 75 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado.

  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...
  Eyota around 755 PM CST.
  Elgin around 800 PM CST.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Chester, Pleasant Grove, Predmore, Carley State Park, Potsdam, Marion
and Viola.

This includes Interstate 90 in Minnesota between mile markers 211 and
222.
 
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 4420 9236 4420 9233 4419 9232 4411 9232
      4411 9214 4385 9235 4385 9236 4389 9247
TIME...MOT...LOC 0149Z 211DEG 64KT 4393 9239 

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

$$

Baumgardt

1 follow-up statement

450 
WWUS53 KARX 160203
SVSARX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service La Crosse WI
803 PM CST Wed Dec 15 2021

MNC109-160213-
/O.CAN.KARX.TO.W.0024.000000T0000Z-211216T0215Z/
Olmsted MN-
803 PM CST Wed Dec 15 2021

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL OLMSTED 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 1100 PM CST for southeastern
Minnesota.

LAT...LON 4420 9236 4420 9233 4419 9232 4411 9232
      4411 9214 4385 9235 4385 9236 4389 9247
TIME...MOT...LOC 0201Z 211DEG 64KT 4416 9220 

$$

Baumgardt

The office that day

Everything else NWS La Crosse, WI issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Dec 15, 6:37 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	ARX	Fillmore, Mower	68 min
Dec 15, 7:24 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	ARX	Dodge, Fillmore, Olmsted, Wabasha, Winona	51 min
Dec 15, 7:38 PM CST	Tornado Warning	ARX	Fillmore, Houston	37 min
Dec 15, 7:53 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Destructive damage threat	ARX	Houston, Wabasha, Winona	67 min
Dec 15, 7:58 PM CST	Tornado Warning	ARX	Winona	47 min
Dec 15, 8:01 PM CST	Tornado Warning	ARX	Wabasha	44 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2021 Every tornado warning in 2021 Tornadoes in 2021

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.