Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 30, 2002

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
412 PM CDT TUE JUL 30 2002

MAIN FORECAST FOCUS IS ON SEVERE POTENTIAL THIS EVENING...RAIN
CHANCES AGAIN WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT.  TEMPERATURES ARE ALSO
OF CONCERN.

20Z SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS A LOW CENTER ALONG THE NE/IA BORDER
REGION...WITH A COLD FRONT REACHING NORTHEAST THROUGH SOUTHERN MN
AND UP INTO NORTHWEST WI.  AIRMASS AHEAD OF THE FRONT VERY WARM AND
MOIST...AND UNSTABLE.  SATELLITE IMAGERY ALL DAY HAS SHOWN AREA OF
CASTELLANUS CLOUDS FROM NE/IA INTO MN...AND THESE HAVE ERUPTED INTO
THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS.  WITH STRONG INSTABILITY
IN PLACE...THIS HAS PROMPTED THE ISSUANCE OF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH.

WITH PERSISTENT WARM ADVECTION AND MOISTURE TRANSPORT FOCUSED INTO
SOUTHERN MN AND WESTERN WI THROUGH TONIGHT...AIDED FURTHER BY LOW
LEVEL JET AND PASSAGE OF RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF PASSING UPPER
LEVEL JET STREAK...SHOULD ALL HELP TO FUEL CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT.
PRECIPITABLE WATER IS QUITE HIGH WITH MODELS INDICATING UP TO 1.75
INCHES TONIGHT.  ALSO...WHILE STORMS WILL BE MOVING ALONG EASTWARD
AT A FAIR CLIP...SOME TRAINING MAY RESULT IN LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN
AMOUNTS.  WILL INSERT THIS INTO ZONE WORDING.

ZONAL FLOW REGIME TO DOMINATE THE REGION THROUGH THE WEEK.  A LONG
WAVE TROUGH AMPLIFIES SOMEWHAT OVER CENTRAL CANADA WEDNESDAY...
WHICH TIGHTENS THE FLOW OVER THE EXTREME NORTHERN U.S.  THIS WILL
SEND A FRONT DOWN INTO THE FORECAST AREA AGAIN WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
TREND OF THE PAST FEW MODEL RUNS HAS BEEN FOR SLOWER PROGRESSION OF
WAVES THROUGH THE ZONAL FLOW...AND HAVE MAINTAINED THIS TREND.

IN EXTENDED PERIOD...FAIRLY GOOD CONFIDENCE WITH MODELS IN PRETTY
GOOD AGREEMENT.  MRF FASTER THAN ECMWF/UKMET BY SATURDAY...AND HAVE
GONE WITH SLOWER SOLUTION FOR NOW.

.LSE...NONE.

MW

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1247 PM CDT TUE JUL 30 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0530 PM    ROCHESTER 5 N             MN   60 MPH WIND GUST
07/30/02   OLMSTED                        REPORTED BY SPOTTER IN
                                          NORTH ROCHESTER

0531 PM    BUFFALO CITY              WI   .88 INCH HAIL
07/30/02   BUFFALO                        REPORTED BY EMERGENCY
                                          MANAGEMENT

0536 PM    EYOTA                     MN   60 MPH WIND GUST
07/30/02   OLMSTED                        REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

0538 PM    GILMAN                    WI   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/30/02   TAYLOR                         REPORTED BY SHERIFF
                                          DEPUTIES

0542 PM    MANTORVILLE               MN   .75 INCH HAIL
07/30/02   DODGE                          REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

MW

IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029-032>034-
041>044-053>055-061-310700-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
240 PM CDT TUE JUL 30 2002

HAZARD - SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...WITH A PRIMARY THREAT
OF DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.

TIMING - FOR THIS EVENING THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.

LOCATION - NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND PARTS OF SOUTHEAST
MINNESOTA...FROM NORTH OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM DODGE CENTER
MINNESOTA TO NEILSVILLE WISCONSIN.

DISCUSSION - A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE EAST OUT OF CENTRAL
MINNESOTA INTO WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN THIS EVENING. A WARM...MOIST
AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT...WILL ALLOW FOR
DEVELOPMENT OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS
OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST IOWA...AND SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN.
THE GREATEST INSTABILITY WILL BE NORTH OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM
DODGE CENTER MINNESOTA TO NEILSVILLE WISCONSIN...WHERE A FEW OF THE
STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.

SPOTTER INFORMATION - SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED IN NORTH
CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA THIS EVENING AND
INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING.

DTJ