Alert archive / Minnesota / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 690

May 19, 202120 counties in Minnesota

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 19, 2021, 7:51 PM CDT for 20 counties in Minnesota. It was in force for 114 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 19, 2021, 7:51 PM CDT (00:51 UTC)
Expired
May 19, 2021, 9:45 PM CDT
In force
114 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
20%

Counties Blue Earth County, MN, Brown County, MN, Carver County, MN, Cottonwood County, MN, Dakota County, MN, Dodge County, MN, Faribault County, MN, Freeborn County, MN, Goodhue County, MN, Le Sueur County, MN, McLeod County, MN, Nicollet County, MN, Redwood County, MN, Renville County, MN, Rice County, MN, Scott County, MN, Sibley County, MN, Steele County, MN, Waseca County, MN, Watonwan County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:52 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, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 71 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 2021-05-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 412 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 2021-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 84 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
412 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
825 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
84 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
92 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

968 
ACUS11 KWNS 200052
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 200051 
MNZ000-200245-

Mesoscale Discussion 0690
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0751 PM CDT Wed May 19 2021

Areas affected...Southern Minnesota

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 200051Z - 200245Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...20 percent

SUMMARY...Brief, weak tornadoes are possible over the next one to
two hours across southern Minnesota, but the overall severe threat
should remain limited.

DISCUSSION...Velocity data from KMPX shows a few weakly rotating
thunderstorms across southern MN (as well as one cell with stronger
rotation and a reported tornado) as they transverse a broad and
diffuse warm frontal boundary - noted largely by a subtle shift in
southeasterly flow along the IA/MN border to more easterly across
parts of south-central MN. The KMPX VWP shows modest curvature in
the 0-1 km layer and recent RAP mesosnalysis shows a slowly
strengthening 850 mb jet across the region, which have been
sufficient for storm rotation. Overall, the environment features
only modest instability and weak deep-layer wind shear that will act
to limit the overall severe weather threat. However, as the
low-level jet continues to strengthen through the evening hours one
or two more additional brief, weak tornadoes will be possible as
cells move through a region of slightly enhanced low-level shear
along the warm frontal zone.

..Moore/Dial.. 05/20/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...ARX...MPX...FSD...

LAT...LON   43579333 43709464 43889534 44559539 44999463 44959361
            44829305 44599261 44099238 43669279 43579333

Nearby

Mesoscale 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.