Alert archive / Minnesota / Tornado Warnings in 2025

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Twin Cities, MN

April 28, 2025Steele County, Minnesota

NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this tornado warning at Apr 28, 2025, 5:41 PM CDT for Steele County, Minnesota. It was in force for 19 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
Apr 28, 2025, 5:41 PM CDT (22:41 UTC)
Expired
Apr 28, 2025, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
19 min
Issued by
NWS Twin Cities, MN
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
1.0 in

County Steele County, MN

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 84 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:45 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 28, 3:27 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 85 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 2025-04-28Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2025-04-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 323 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
592 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
323 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
334 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

108 
WFUS53 KMPX 282241
TORMPX
MNC147-282300-
/O.NEW.KMPX.TO.W.0007.250428T2241Z-250428T2300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
541 PM CDT Mon Apr 28 2025

The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northern Steele County in south central Minnesota...

* Until 600 PM CDT.

* At 541 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a 
  tornado was located near Owatonna, moving east at 55 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.

  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...
  Owatonna, Medford, Clinton Falls, Merton, Moland, Owatonna Airport 
  and Rice Lake State Park.

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 4420 9320 4420 9305 4404 9305 4404 9338
      4415 9340
TIME...MOT...LOC 2241Z 250DEG 45KT 4410 9330

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN

$$

CTG
2 follow-up statements
392 
WWUS53 KMPX 282251
SVSMPX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
551 PM CDT Mon Apr 28 2025

MNC147-282300-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.W.0007.000000T0000Z-250428T2300Z/
Steele MN-
551 PM CDT Mon Apr 28 2025

...TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CDT FOR NORTHEASTERN 
STEELE COUNTY...

At 551 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado 
was located 6 miles northeast of Owatonna, moving east at 55 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.

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...
  Owatonna, Merton, Moland and Rice Lake State Park.

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 4404 9305 4404 9323 4420 9320 4420 9305
TIME...MOT...LOC 2241Z 250DEG 45KT 4410 9329

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN

$$

CTG
256 
WWUS53 KMPX 282258 RRA
SVSMPX

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
558 PM CDT Mon Apr 28 2025

MNC147-282308-
/O.EXP.KMPX.TO.W.0007.000000T0000Z-250428T2300Z/
Steele MN-
558 PM CDT Mon Apr 28 2025

...TORNADO WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 6 PM CDT FOR NORTHEASTERN STEELE 
COUNTY...

The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area. 
Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. However, small 
hail and gusty winds are still possible with this thunderstorm.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 1100 PM CDT for a portion of 
south central Minnesota.

&&

LAT...LON 4420 9320 4420 9305 4404 9305 4404 9323
TIME...MOT...LOC 2251Z 250DEG 45KT 4414 9312

$$

CTG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 28, 7:44 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXWright31 min
Apr 28, 8:18 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXWright27 min
Apr 28, 8:28 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXKandiyohi32 min
Apr 28, 9:24 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementMPXRamsey, Washington36 min
Apr 28, 3:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBrown, Watonwan36 min
Apr 28, 3:39 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXMeeker, Stearns, Wright36 min
Apr 28, 3:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBlue Earth, Brown, Nicollet, Watonwan45 min
Apr 28, 3:53 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXMartin67 min
Apr 28, 4:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBenton, Morrison, Stearns35 min
Apr 28, 4:14 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXBenton, Sherburne, Stearns, Wright31 min
Apr 28, 4:24 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedMPXBlue Earth, Faribault, Martin36 min
Apr 28, 4:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBlue Earth, Le Sueur, Rice, Scott, Waseca37 min
Apr 28, 4:43 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXBenton, Isanti, Mille Lacs, Sherburne22 min
Apr 28, 4:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBlue Earth, Faribault, Freeborn, Martin, Waseca38 min
Apr 28, 5:00 PM CDTTornado Warning Tornado observedMPXBlue Earth, Faribault, Waseca45 min
Apr 28, 5:20 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXLe Sueur, Rice, Steele, Waseca25 min
Apr 28, 5:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXBlue Earth, Faribault, Freeborn, Martin, Steele, Waseca46 min
Apr 28, 5:44 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXGoodhue, Rice31 min
Apr 28, 5:56 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXGoodhue, Rice, Steele34 min
Apr 28, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXGoodhue, Rice, Steele45 min
Apr 28, 6:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXFaribault, Freeborn, Steele, Waseca45 min
Apr 28, 6:24 PM CDTTornado WarningMPXFaribault, Freeborn36 min
Apr 28, 6:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXGoodhue47 min
Apr 28, 6:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMPXFaribault, Freeborn, Steele34 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Minnesota, 2025Every tornado warning in 2025Tornadoes 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.