Alert archive / Wisconsin / Tornado Warnings in 2025

Tornado Warning 18, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 15, 2025Pierce County, Wisconsin

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at May 15, 2025, 2:53 PM CDT for Pierce County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 22 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: May 15, 2025, 2:53 PM CDT (19:53 UTC)
Expired: May 15, 2025, 3:15 PM CDT
In force: 22 min
Issued by: NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.0 in

County Pierce County, WI

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 71 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:54 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 15, 12:46 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 7.9 hours before the alert went out and 73 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 515 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -91 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1098 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 148 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 141 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

896 
WFUS53 KMPX 151953
TORMPX
WIC093-152015-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0018.250515T1953Z-250515T2015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
253 PM CDT Thu May 15 2025

The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northwestern Pierce County in west central Wisconsin...

* Until 315 PM CDT.

* At 253 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a 
  tornado was located 6 miles southeast of Prescott, or 11 miles 
  south of River Falls, moving northeast at 25 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught
           without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or
           destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows and vehicles will
           occur. Tree damage is likely.

* Locations impacted include...
  River Falls and Diamond Bluff.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a well-built 
building away from windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, 
or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect 
yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 4473 9277 4486 9273 4486 9260 4482 9247
      4465 9263 4466 9266 4472 9274 4472 9276
TIME...MOT...LOC 1952Z 209DEG 23KT 4471 9269

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN

$$

Dye

The office that day

Everything else NWS Twin Cities, MN issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 15, 1:55 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Pierce	35 min
May 15, 2:31 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Pepin, Pierce, Saint Croix	44 min
May 15, 3:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Dunn, Pepin, Pierce	14 min
May 15, 3:07 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Saint Croix	23 min
May 15, 3:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Dunn, Pepin, Pierce	30 min
May 15, 3:25 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Polk, Saint Croix	35 min
May 15, 3:30 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin	30 min
May 15, 3:41 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Dunn	20 min
May 15, 3:49 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Polk	26 min
May 15, 3:58 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Barron, Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin, Rusk	47 min
May 15, 4:05 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Chippewa, Eau Claire	25 min
May 15, 4:16 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Barron, Polk	29 min
May 15, 4:43 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MPX	Barron, Chippewa, Eau Claire, Rusk	47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Wisconsin, 2025 Every tornado warning in 2025 Tornadoes in 2025

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.