Alert archive / Wisconsin / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1989

December 10, 202123 counties in Minnesota; 29 counties in Wisconsin

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Dec 10, 2021, 7:04 PM CST for 23 counties in Minnesota; 29 counties in Wisconsin. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 10, 2021, 7:04 PM CST (01:04 UTC)
Expired
Dec 11, 2021, 1:00 AM CST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Heavy snow
All 52 counties

Anoka County, MN, Blue Earth County, MN, Brown County, MN, Carver County, MN, Chisago County, MN, Cottonwood County, MN, Dakota County, MN, Goodhue County, MN, Hennepin County, MN, Isanti County, MN, Le Sueur County, MN, McLeod County, MN, Nicollet County, MN, Ramsey County, MN, Rice County, MN, Scott County, MN, Sibley County, MN, Steele County, MN, Wabasha County, MN, Waseca County, MN, Washington County, MN, Watonwan County, MN, Wright County, MN, Barron County, WI, Buffalo County, WI, Burnett County, WI, Chippewa County, WI, Clark County, WI, Dunn County, WI, Eau Claire County, WI, Forest County, WI, Jackson County, WI, Langlade County, WI, Lincoln County, WI, Marathon County, WI, Marinette County, WI, Menominee County, WI, Oconto County, WI, Oneida County, WI, Pepin County, WI, Pierce County, WI, Polk County, WI, Price County, WI, Rusk County, WI, Saint Croix County, WI, Sawyer County, WI, Shawano County, WI, Taylor County, WI, Trempealeau County, WI, Vilas County, WI, Washburn County, WI, Wood County, WI

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 103 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:04 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, 1.1 hours before the alert went out and 151 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 2021-12-11Temperature 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 00:00Z on 2021-12-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 123 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
534 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
123 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
243 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

958 
ACUS11 KWNS 110105
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 110104 
MIZ000-WIZ000-MNZ000-110700-

Mesoscale Discussion 1989
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0704 PM CST Fri Dec 10 2021

Areas affected...portions of southern Minnesota into northern
Wisconsin

Concerning...Heavy snow 

Valid 110104Z - 110700Z

SUMMARY...1-2 inch/hr snowfall rates are expected in the heavier
snow bands across southern Minnesota into northern Wisconsin for the
next several hours.

DISCUSSION...A surface low centered across northwest MO continues to
track northeast in tandem with a positively-tilted mid-level trough
and upper-level jet streak, promoting widespread deep-layer ascent
across the Upper Mississippi Valley. Deep low to mid-level moisture
continues to advect north-northwestward within a warm-conveyer belt,
evident via widespread ongoing rain/wintry precipitation, which is
wrapping around the northern periphery of the low across central
MN/WI. The deep moisture continues to ascend via strong 925-700 mb
WAA while pivoting northwestward around the low, where 00Z
mesoanalysis depicts strong 700 mb frontogenesis. In the 700 mb
frontogenesis zone, near-saturated to saturated air is expected to
continue rapidly ascending within a deep, sub-freezing tropospheric
layer, where heavy snow has already been reported. As such, 1-2
inch/hr snowfall rates will likely continue across portions of
central MN into WI for several more hours.

..Squitieri/Grams.. 12/11/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...MQT...GRB...DLH...ARX...MPX...FSD...

LAT...LON   43799569 44369512 45319401 46059205 46078938 45798823
            45328760 45028745 44798847 44628910 44349000 44219093
            43999322 43699497 43669535 43799569

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Wisconsin, 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.