Alert archive / Iowa / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 921

June 11, 202125 counties in Iowa; 14 counties in Minnesota

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Jun 11, 2021, 9:35 AM CDT for 25 counties in Iowa; 14 counties in Minnesota. It was in force for 115 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jun 11, 2021, 9:35 AM CDT (14:35 UTC)
Expired
Jun 11, 2021, 11:30 AM CDT
In force
115 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch unlikely
Chance of a watch
5%
All 39 counties

Boone County, IA, Bremer County, IA, Butler County, IA, Calhoun County, IA, Cerro Gordo County, IA, Chickasaw County, IA, Emmet County, IA, Floyd County, IA, Franklin County, IA, Greene County, IA, Grundy County, IA, Hamilton County, IA, Hancock County, IA, Hardin County, IA, Howard County, IA, Humboldt County, IA, Kossuth County, IA, Mitchell County, IA, Palo Alto County, IA, Pocahontas County, IA, Webster County, IA, Winnebago County, IA, Winneshiek County, IA, Worth County, IA, Wright County, IA, Blue Earth County, MN, Dodge County, MN, Faribault County, MN, Fillmore County, MN, Freeborn County, MN, Le Sueur County, MN, Martin County, MN, Mower County, MN, Nicollet County, MN, Olmsted County, MN, Rice County, MN, Steele County, MN, Waseca County, MN, Watonwan County, MN

The radar

The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 168 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:36 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, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 181 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 2021-06-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 752 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2021-06-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -28 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
752 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-207 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1602 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-28 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-40 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

656 
ACUS11 KWNS 111435
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 111435 
IAZ000-MNZ000-111630-

Mesoscale Discussion 0921
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0935 AM CDT Fri Jun 11 2021

Areas affected...Portions of south-central and southeast Minnesota
into north-central and northeast Iowa

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 111435Z - 111630Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...5 percent

SUMMARY...A couple damaging gusts and perhaps a couple severe
hailstones may occur with the stronger storm cores. The relatively
low coverage and brevity of the severe threat precludes a WW
issuance.

DISCUSSION...Convective outflow/potential gravity wave, remnant from
the decaying portion of an MCS, continues to progress eastward
across central and eastern Minnesota to the Iowa border this
morning. Over the past few hours, this outflow feature has triggered
sporadic convective development despite 50-100 J/kg MLCINH in place,
though the lifespan of individual cells has been short owing to weak
deep-layer flow and associated vertical shear. Despite the weak
shear and MLCINH present, storms have been initiating within a
marginally unstable environment characterized by up to 1000 J/kg
given 7+ C/km mid-level lapse rates atop near 70 F surface
dewpoints. 

Some of these short-lived storms have managed to produce measured
45-50 kt gusts within the past hour, and additional damaging gusts
remain possible through the morning/early afternoon hours as the
propagating outflow continues to lift buoyant parcels above the
boundary layer. Given the modest mid-level lapse rates in place, a
couple severe hailstones cannot be completely ruled out for any cell
that manages to obtain any longevity. Still, the severe threat is
expected to be isolated and brief given the short cellular
lifespans, and a WW issuance is not expected.

..Squitieri/Grams.. 06/11/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...ARX...MPX...DMX...

LAT...LON   42059461 42899487 43999468 44379445 44469364 44469283
            44239242 43839213 43429175 42939202 42469270 42149320
            41919411 42059461

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 11, 5:36 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCHarrison, Monona, Pottawattamie, Shelby5 hr
Jun 11, 7:28 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCHarrison, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie92 min
Jun 11, 8:30 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCFremont, Mills, Montgomery, Page7 hr
Jun 11, 1:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCClay, Norman, Polk, Wilkin5 hr
Jun 11, 2:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBig Stone, Traverse5 hr
Jun 11, 4:37 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBig Stone, Clay, Grant, Kittson, Lac qui Parle, Marshall and 6 more83 min
Jun 11, 11:34 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCDakota, Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Olmsted and 3 more116 min

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.