Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Watches in 2021

Severe Thunderstorm Watch 516

October 10, 20215 counties in Minnesota

The Storm Prediction Center issued this severe thunderstorm watch at Oct 10, 2021, 1:42 PM CDT for 5 counties in Minnesota. It was in force for 7 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Oct 10, 2021, 1:42 PM CDT (18:42 UTC)
Expired
Oct 10, 2021, 8:25 PM CDT
In force
7 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
2 in
Strongest gust expected
55 kt

Counties Cook County, MN, Itasca County, MN, Koochiching County, MN, Lake County, MN, Saint Louis County, MN

The radar

The Duluth radar (KDLH), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:42 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
20%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
5%
Ten or more severe wind reports
20%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
10%
Ten or more severe hail reports
40%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
30%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
60%

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 10, 2:26 PM CDTTornado WarningDLHItasca, Koochiching, Saint Louis34 min
Oct 10, 2:31 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDLHSaint Louis29 min
Oct 10, 2:42 PM CDTTornado WarningDLHSaint Louis18 min
Oct 10, 3:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDLHSaint Louis28 min
Oct 10, 3:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDLHLake, Saint Louis31 min
Oct 10, 3:41 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDLHLake, Saint Louis49 min
Oct 10, 4:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDLHSaint Louis26 min
Oct 10, 5:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDLHCook47 min
Oct 10, 5:36 PM CDTTornado WarningDLHCook39 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

International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 12:00Z, 6.7 hours before the alert went out and 95 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, International Fa, MN at 12:00Z on 2021-10-10Temperature 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, International Fa, MN at 12:00Z on 2021-10-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 22 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
1493 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
22 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-10 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

284 
WWUS20 KWNS 101838
SEL6  
SPC WW 101838
MNZ000-LSZ000-110200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 516
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
140 PM CDT Sun Oct 10 2021

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of 
  Northeast Minnesota
  Lake Superior

* Effective this Sunday afternoon and evening from 140 PM until
  900 PM CDT.

* Primary threats include...
  Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2
    inches in diameter possible
  Isolated damaging wind gusts to 65 mph possible
  A tornado or two possible

SUMMARY...Scattered thunderstorms will continue to intensify this
afternoon over northeast Minnesota, before the storms move northward
into Canada.  The strongest cells will be capable of large hail and
gusty winds.  An isolated tornado or two is also possible.

The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 45
statute miles north and south of a line from 80 miles west northwest
of Hibbing MN to 20 miles south southeast of Grand Marais MN. For a
complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline
update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6).

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.

&&

AVIATION...A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 55 knots. A
few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 450. Mean storm motion vector
20030.

...Hart

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 9, 8:27 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBecker, Douglas, Grant, Otter Tail, Pope, Stevens and 4 more93 min
Oct 9, 11:20 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBenton, Cass, Chippewa, Crow Wing, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle and 7 more115 min
Oct 10, 12:57 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCItasca, Koochiching, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Saint Louis2 hr

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.