Alert archive / Wisconsin / Tornado Watches in 2021

Tornado Watch 509

September 20, 20216 counties in Wisconsin

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Sep 20, 2021, 5:14 PM CDT for 6 counties in Wisconsin. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Sep 20, 2021, 5:14 PM CDT (22:14 UTC)
Expired
Sep 20, 2021, 8:10 PM CDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
1 in
Strongest gust expected
60 kt

Counties Ashland County, WI, Bayfield County, WI, Iron County, WI, Price County, WI, Sawyer County, WI, Washburn County, WI

The radar

The Duluth radar (KDLH), 127 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:19 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
40%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
20%
Ten or more severe wind reports
30%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
20%
Ten or more severe hail reports
10%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
5%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
50%

Warnings issued inside it

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 20, 5:24 PM CDTTornado WarningDLHBayfield36 min
Sep 20, 5:29 PM CDTTornado WarningDLHBayfield31 min
Sep 20, 5:52 PM CDTTornado WarningDLHAshland, Bayfield23 min
Sep 20, 5:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningDLHAshland, Bayfield, Iron, Sawyer63 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, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 277 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 2021-09-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 148 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 2021-09-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 210 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
148 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-141 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1002 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
210 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
162 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

113 
WWUS20 KWNS 202210
SEL9  
SPC WW 202210
WIZ000-LSZ000-210600-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 509
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
515 PM CDT Mon Sep 20 2021

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  Northwest Wisconsin
  Lake Superior

* Effective this Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning from 515 PM
  until 100 AM CDT.

* Primary threats include...
  A couple tornadoes possible
  Isolated damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible

SUMMARY...A couple of tornadoes and a few damaging gusts will be
possible this evening with circulations embedded in a squall line.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 45 statute miles
east and west of a line from 25 miles north of Kennedy WI to 75
miles south of Kennedy WI. For a complete depiction of the watch see
the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU9).

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 507...WW 508...

AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 1 inch. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 450. Mean
storm motion vector 23035.

...Thompson

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 20, 12:38 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBuffalo, Crawford, Grant, La Crosse, Pepin, Pierce and 2 more2 hr
Sep 20, 2:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBarron, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Dunn and 14 more7 hr
Sep 20, 3:55 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBarron, Buffalo, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford and 18 more95 min
Sep 20, 5:52 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAshland, Barron, Bayfield, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark and 20 more113 min

Nearby

Tornado 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.