Alert archive / Minnesota / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1761

September 16, 20215 counties in Iowa; 19 counties in Minnesota; 6 counties in South Dakota

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Sep 16, 2021, 6:23 PM CDT for 5 counties in Iowa; 19 counties in Minnesota; 6 counties in South Dakota. It was in force for 97 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Sep 16, 2021, 6:23 PM CDT (23:23 UTC)
Expired
Sep 16, 2021, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
97 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch likely
Chance of a watch
80%
All 30 counties

Dickinson County, IA, Lyon County, IA, O'Brien County, IA, Osceola County, IA, Sioux County, IA, Chippewa County, MN, Cottonwood County, MN, Jackson County, MN, Kandiyohi County, MN, Lac qui Parle County, MN, Lincoln County, MN, Lyon County, MN, Meeker County, MN, Murray County, MN, Nobles County, MN, Pipestone County, MN, Pope County, MN, Redwood County, MN, Renville County, MN, Rock County, MN, Stearns County, MN, Stevens County, MN, Swift County, MN, Yellow Medicine County, MN, Brookings County, SD, Clay County, SD, Lincoln County, SD, Minnehaha County, SD, Moody County, SD, Turner County, SD

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 99 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:23 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 watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 11.4 hours before the alert went out and 190 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 12:00Z on 2021-09-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 2021-09-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 362 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1213 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
362 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
428 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

774 
ACUS11 KWNS 162324
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 162323 
MNZ000-IAZ000-SDZ000-170100-

Mesoscale Discussion 1761
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0623 PM CDT Thu Sep 16 2021

Areas affected...Eastern South Dakota...Southwest and Central
Minnesota...Far Northwest Iowa

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch likely 

Valid 162323Z - 170100Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...80 percent

SUMMARY...A severe threat is expected to develop from central
Minnesota southwestward into far southeastern South Dakota. Large
hail and wind damage will be the primary threats. Weather watch
issuance will likely be needed across the region early this evening.

DISCUSSION...Latest surface analysis shows a cold front moving
southeastward across west-central Minnesota and southeastern South
Dakota. A moist airmass is located ahead of the front with surface
dewpoints generally in the lower to mid 60s F. This is contributing
to a narrow corridor of moderate instability where the RAP is
estimating MLCAPE in the 2000 to 2500 J/kg range. This combined with
increasing low-level convergence just ahead of the front will
support continued thunderstorm development this evening. In addition
to the instability, RAP forecast soundings early this evening across
southwest Minnesota have veering winds with height in the low levels
with about 50 kt of west-southwest flow at 500 mb. This is helping
to create 0-6 km shear near 40 kt, which will likely support severe
thunderstorm development over the next few hours as cells gradually
increase in coverage. Although supercells with large hail will be
possible, the stronger line segments may also be able to produce
wind damage as well.

..Broyles/Edwards.. 09/16/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...MPX...FSD...ABR...

LAT...LON   43189516 42909573 42879646 42909712 43109732 43569737
            44239699 45569611 45939531 45889478 45659442 45059446
            44469479 43189516

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 16, 3:47 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAitkin, Anoka, Benton, Carlton, Carver, Cass and 25 more118 min
Sep 16, 5:57 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAitkin, Carlton, Crow Wing, Kanabec, Lake, Mille Lacs and 4 more4 hr
Sep 16, 6:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBenton, Brown, Chippewa, Cottonwood, Isanti, Kandiyohi and 14 more4 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Minnesota, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in South Dakota, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Iowa, 2021Every mesoscale discussion 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.