Alert archive / Iowa / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1877

October 20, 202117 counties in Iowa; 8 counties in Minnesota

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Oct 20, 2021, 7:39 AM CDT for 17 counties in Iowa; 8 counties in Minnesota. It was in force for 96 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Oct 20, 2021, 7:39 AM CDT (12:39 UTC)
Expired
Oct 20, 2021, 9:15 AM CDT
In force
96 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
5%
All 25 counties

Buena Vista County, IA, Calhoun County, IA, Cherokee County, IA, Clay County, IA, Dickinson County, IA, Emmet County, IA, Humboldt County, IA, Ida County, IA, Kossuth County, IA, Lyon County, IA, O'Brien County, IA, Osceola County, IA, Palo Alto County, IA, Plymouth County, IA, Pocahontas County, IA, Sac County, IA, Sioux County, IA, Cottonwood County, MN, Jackson County, MN, Martin County, MN, Murray County, MN, Nobles County, MN, Pipestone County, MN, Rock County, MN, Watonwan County, MN

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:39 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 12:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 224 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 2021-10-20Temperature 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 2021-10-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 62 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
1107 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
62 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
163 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

419 
ACUS11 KWNS 201239
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 201239 
IAZ000-MNZ000-SDZ000-201415-

Mesoscale Discussion 1877
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0739 AM CDT Wed Oct 20 2021

Areas affected...southwest MN into northwest IA

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 201239Z - 201415Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...5 percent

SUMMARY...Isolated strong thunderstorms may produce marginally
severe hail this morning.

DISCUSSION...Widely scattered elevated thunderstorms are ongoing
this morning near a surface low over western IA/MN in an area of low
level warm advection ahead of an upper trough and surface cold
front. While instability will remain weak across the region given a
cool surface temperatures and modest boundary-layer moisture, steep
midlevel lapse rates greater than 7.5 C/km are in place over the
region amid favorable effective shear. This should continue to
support briefly organized clusters/cells this morning. The strongest
cells may produce isolated hail stones up to 1 inch in diameter. The
overall severe threat is expected to remain limited and a watch is
not expected.

..Leitman/Guyer.. 10/20/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...MPX...DMX...FSD...

LAT...LON   44139648 44199618 44159500 43909437 43479393 43049388
            42669401 42409421 42319448 42319533 42549630 42649661
            43449664 43909662 44139648

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Iowa, 2021Mesoscale Discussions in Minnesota, 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.