Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 2021

Severe Thunderstorm Watch 389

July 23, 202122 counties in Minnesota

The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at Jul 23, 2021, 11:22 PM CDT for 22 counties in Minnesota. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 23, 2021, 11:22 PM CDT (04:22 UTC)
Expired
Jul 24, 2021, 3:36 AM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
1.5 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt
All 22 counties

Anoka County, MN, Benton County, MN, Big Stone County, MN, Chippewa County, MN, Douglas County, MN, Grant County, MN, Isanti County, MN, Kanabec County, MN, Kandiyohi County, MN, Lac qui Parle County, MN, Meeker County, MN, Mille Lacs County, MN, Morrison County, MN, Otter Tail County, MN, Pope County, MN, Sherburne County, MN, Stearns County, MN, Stevens County, MN, Swift County, MN, Todd County, MN, Traverse County, MN, Wilkin County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 206 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:25 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.

What SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
5%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
2%
Ten or more severe wind reports
30%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
20%
Ten or more severe hail reports
30%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
20%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
60%

Warnings issued inside it

7 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 24, 12:41 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGrant, Otter Tail, Wilkin49 min
Jul 24, 12:43 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningABRBig Stone, Traverse47 min
Jul 24, 12:58 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGrant47 min
Jul 24, 1:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFBecker, Otter Tail40 min
Jul 24, 1:34 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFGrant, Otter Tail41 min
Jul 24, 1:37 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMorrison, Stearns, Todd38 min
Jul 24, 1:51 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGFOtter Tail, Wadena39 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 4.4 hours before the alert went out and 204 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 2021-07-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2540 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 2021-07-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 124 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
2540 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-32 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1098 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
124 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
143 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
6.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

220 
WWUS20 KWNS 240421
SEL9  
SPC WW 240421
MNZ000-241000-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 389
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1120 PM CDT Fri Jul 23 2021

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of 
  West-central Minnesota

* Effective this Friday night and Saturday morning from 1120 PM
  until 500 AM CDT.

* Primary threats include...
  Isolated damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible
  Isolated large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible

SUMMARY...A complex of thunderstorms initially over northeastern SD
and southeastern ND, which has a history of producing measured
severe gusts, may persist at severe levels through a channel of
relatively unstable and weakly capped boundary-layer air and into
the watch.  This activity will be preceded by a smaller convective
cluster that also has produced severe gusts in Marshall County SD. 
Isolated large hail also may be noted.

The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 50
statute miles north and south of a line from 40 miles north of
Ortonville MN to 40 miles southeast of Alexandria MN. For a complete
depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update
(WOUS64 KWNS WOU9).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are
favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening
weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible
warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce
tornadoes.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 387...WW 388...

AVIATION...A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
1.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A
few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean storm motion vector
29030.

...Edwards

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 23, 7:44 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAitkin, Carlton, Cass, Lake, Saint Louis2 hr
Jul 23, 9:07 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCLac qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Pipestone, Redwood and 2 more2 hr
Jul 23, 10:33 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBig Stone, Clay, Grant, Otter Tail, Stevens, Traverse and 1 more117 min
Jul 24, 1:10 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBig Stone, Chippewa, Douglas, Grant, Kandiyohi, Meeker and 9 more95 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Watches in Minnesota, 2021Every severe thunderstorm watch 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.