Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Watches in 2021

Tornado Watch 468

August 28, 202120 counties in Minnesota; 14 counties in Wisconsin

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Aug 28, 2021, 10:34 AM CDT for 20 counties in Minnesota; 14 counties in Wisconsin. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 28, 2021, 10:34 AM CDT (15:34 UTC)
Expired
Aug 28, 2021, 2:27 PM CDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
2 in
Strongest gust expected
80 kt
All 34 counties

Aitkin County, MN, Anoka County, MN, Benton County, MN, Carlton County, MN, Carver County, MN, Chisago County, MN, Crow Wing County, MN, Dakota County, MN, Hennepin County, MN, Isanti County, MN, Kanabec County, MN, McLeod County, MN, Mille Lacs County, MN, Morrison County, MN, Pine County, MN, Ramsey County, MN, Scott County, MN, Sherburne County, MN, Washington County, MN, Wright County, MN, Ashland County, WI, Barron County, WI, Bayfield County, WI, Burnett County, WI, Chippewa County, WI, Douglas County, WI, Dunn County, WI, Iron County, WI, Polk County, WI, Price County, WI, Rusk County, WI, Saint Croix County, WI, Sawyer County, WI, Washburn County, WI

The radar

The Duluth radar (KDLH), 97 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:34 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
30%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
10%
Ten or more severe wind reports
70%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
60%
Ten or more severe hail reports
30%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
30%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
90%

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 28, 11:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatMPXMorrison, Todd43 min
Aug 28, 11:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatMPXBenton, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Sherburne45 min
Aug 28, 12:04 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXBenton, Mille Lacs41 min
Aug 28, 12:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatMPXIsanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs48 min
Aug 28, 12:47 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatDLHPine47 min
Aug 28, 1:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXChisago, Isanti46 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 12:00Z, 3.6 hours before the alert went out and 152 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 2021-08-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1550 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 2021-08-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 139 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1550 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-130 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
676 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
139 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
193 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

371 
WWUS20 KWNS 281530
SEL8  
SPC WW 281530
MNZ000-WIZ000-LSZ000-282100-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 468
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1035 AM CDT Sat Aug 28 2021

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  East-central Minnesota
  Northwest Wisconsin
  Lake Superior

* Effective this Saturday morning and afternoon from 1035 AM
  until 400 PM CDT.

* Primary threats include...
  A couple tornadoes possible
  Scattered damaging winds and isolated significant gusts to 90
    mph likely
  Isolated very large hail events to 2 inches in diameter possible

SUMMARY...A small but maturing MCS should evolve into an
eastward-moving bow across east-central Minnesota into northwest
Wisconsin this afternoon. Significant damaging winds, large hail,
and brief tornadoes are the expected hazards.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles
north and south of a line from 160 miles west southwest of Kennedy
WI to 40 miles southeast of Kennedy WI. For a complete depiction of
the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS
WOU8).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
tornadoes and 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.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 467...

AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 2 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 80 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 550. Mean
storm motion vector 26045.

...Grams

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 27, 9:57 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCFillmore, Houston93 min
Aug 28, 2:17 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBig Stone, Stevens, Swift, Traverse2 hr
Aug 28, 2:32 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBig Stone, Traverse5 hr
Aug 28, 5:42 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBenton, Big Stone, Chippewa, Douglas, Grant, Kandiyohi and 11 more2 hr
Aug 28, 7:08 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBig Stone, Chippewa, Douglas, Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle and 13 more5 hr
Aug 28, 9:39 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnoka, Benton, Chisago, Douglas, Grant, Isanti and 12 more2 hr
Aug 28, 1:13 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAnoka, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Pine2 hr
Aug 28, 2:43 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCMurray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock3 hr
Aug 28, 3:44 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCCottonwood, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles and 2 more5 hr
Aug 28, 3:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCCottonwood, Jackson, Murray, Nobles, Rock7 hr
Aug 28, 5:27 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBlue Earth, Brown, Carver, Cottonwood, Dakota, Dodge and 22 more63 min
Aug 28, 5:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBlue Earth, Brown, Carver, Faribault, Freeborn, Le Sueur and 11 more6 hr
Aug 28, 6:09 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBlue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Nicollet, Watonwan66 min
Aug 27, 7:59 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCrawford, Grant, Iowa, Lafayette2 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Minnesota, 2021Tornado Watches in Wisconsin, 2021Every tornado 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.