Alert archive / Wisconsin / Tornado Warnings in 2025

Tornado Warning 19, NWS Twin Cities, MN

May 15, 2025Dunn County, Pepin County, Pierce County, Wisconsin

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at May 15, 2025, 3:01 PM CDT for Dunn County, Pepin County, Pierce County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 14 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: May 15, 2025, 3:01 PM CDT (20:01 UTC)
Expired: May 15, 2025, 3:15 PM CDT
In force: 14 min
Issued by: NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.0 in

Counties Dunn County, WI, Pepin County, WI, Pierce County, WI

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 111 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:05 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 was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 15, 3:05 PM CDT	TSTM WND DMG	Arkansaw, WI	Delayed report, time estimated from radar. Tree down.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

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, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 121 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.

134 
WFUS53 KMPX 152001
TORMPX
WIC033-091-093-152015-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0019.250515T2001Z-250515T2015Z/

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

The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Southwestern Dunn County in west central Wisconsin...
  Pepin County in west central Wisconsin...
  Southeastern Pierce County in west central Wisconsin...

* Until 315 PM CDT.

* At 301 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a 
  tornado was located 6 miles north of Pepin, or 20 miles east of 
  Red Wing, moving northeast at 50 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...
  Durand, Pepin, Elmwood, Eau Galle, Plum City, Stockholm, Arkansaw, 
  Porcupine and Ella.

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 4480 9215 4475 9176 4460 9190 4460 9200
      4459 9203 4453 9205 4451 9204 4441 9208
      4444 9223 4447 9228 4450 9230 4452 9230
      4454 9231
TIME...MOT...LOC 2001Z 202DEG 42KT 4453 9215

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...<1.00 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, 2:53 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MPX	Pierce	22 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.