Damaging Winds in Minnesota, August 3, 2012

Name: Damaging Winds in Minnesota, August 3, 2012
Start: 2012-08-03T19:10
End: 2012-08-03T19:14
Location: Minnesota

August 3, 2012 · NWS ABR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An area of low pressure and associated cold front produced severe thunderstorms with up to seventy mph winds occurring.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS ABR wrote it up.

An area of low pressure and associated cold front produced severe thunderstorms with up to seventy mph winds occurring.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Aberdeen, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 3, 1:42 PM CST, 5 hours 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 3, 1:42 PM CST, 5 hours 28 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
242 PM CDT FRI AUG 3 2012

.SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT
POTENT UPPER LOW CONTINUES TO ADVANCE TOWARDS THE DAKOTAS THIS
AFTERNOON WHILE SFC COLD FRONT MOVES EASTWARD THROUGH THE CENTRAL
AND WESTERN DAKOTAS. ACCORDING TO 19Z SFC OBS...IT HAS PASSED
THROUGH BIS AND PHP...BUT NOT QUITE TO MBG YET. FIRST STORMS HAVE
FIRED NEAR MBG WITH QUARTER SIZE HAIL REPORTED. SVR WATCH 553 WAS
RECENTLY ISSUED FOR AREAS EAST OF THE MISSOURI WHICH IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 9 PM CDT. SVR PARAMETERS STILL LOOK FAIRLY IMPRESSIVE FOR
SUPERCELLS...EVENTUALLY MERGING INTO SOME SORT OF A LINEAR SYSTEM
AS IT PROGRESSES FARTHER EAST THROUGH THE CWA. TORNADO PARAMETERS
NOT OVERLY IMPRESSIVE...BUT CERTAINLY CANNOT BE RULED OUT. AS THE
FRONT CLEARS THE REGION OVERNIGHT...THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL
PUSH EAST AS WELL. MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES AND BREEZY NORTHWEST
WINDS WILL MOVE IN BEHIND THE FRONT FOR SATURDAY. HIGHS WILL DROP
BACK DOWN INTO THE 70S TO LOW 80S. ALSO...WITH THE COOL TEMPS
ALOFT...STEEP LAPSE RATES WILL DEVELOP DURING PEAK HEATING...AND
THE THREAT FOR AFTERNOON SHOWERS EXISTS. HAVE THEREFORE KEPT THE
SLIGHT CHANCES IN MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN CWA.
SURFACE HIGH THEN SETTLES INTO THE REGION FOR SATURDAY NIGHT AND
SUNDAY...WHICH WILL BRING QUIET CONDITIONS AND COOL LOWS FOR
SUNDAY MORNING. LOW 50S ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY MORNING...AND FAVORED
COOL SPOTS MAY EVEN SNEAK INTO THE UPPER 40S.

.LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
FROM WHAT CAN BE GLEANED FROM AVAILABLE MODEL DATA...IT APPEARS
THAT LITTLE TO NO CHANGE IS NEEDED RIGHT NOW FOR THE EXTENDED. THE
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AXIS STARTS OUT POSITIONED WEST OF THIS CWA BACK
OVER THE ROCKIES AND ALONG THE FRONT RANGE. OVER A SEVERAL DAY
PERIOD...THE RIDGE AXIS IS FORECAST TO GRADUALLY SHIFT EAST TOWARD
THE WESTERN/CENTRAL DAKOTAS BY THE END OF THE PERIOD.

HOWEVER...WITH THE CWA POSITIONED ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE RIDGE
AXIS /NW FLOW ALOFT/...IT DOES APPEAR THAT A COUPLE OF BACKDOOR
COLD FROPAS AND ASSOCIATED WEAK-TRANSIENT SHORTWAVE TROFS TRY TO
WORK DOWN FROM THE NORTH/NORTHWEST...ONE MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT AND
THEN A SECOND FROPA TRIES TO WORK DOWN INTO THIS AREA THURSDAY
NIGHT/FRIDAY. WILL TRY AND MIGRATE POPS TO THOSE TIME PERIODS AS
MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

TEMPERATURE-WISE...THE COOLEST READINGS DO APPEAR TO SHOW UP
EARLIER IN THE PERIOD...AND THEN GRADUALLY TREND WARMER RIGHT
THROUGH MID-WEEK. HOWEVER...WHENEVER THE SECOND /ILL-TIMED/ COLD
FROPA GETS DOWN THROUGH THIS CWA LATE IN THE WEEK...IT SHOULD
BRING A BIT OF RELIEF TEMPERATURES WITH SLIGHTLY COOLER/DRIER AIR
SLOWLY SINKING INTO THE CWA. TEMPERATURES IN THE OUT PERIODS WILL
VARY FROM NEAR NORMAL TO SEVERAL DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL THROUGHOUT
THE PERIOD.

&&

.AVIATION...
18Z TAFS FOR THE KABR...KATY...KPIR AND KMBG TERMINALS

VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL
DEVELOP ALONG AND AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT TRACKING ACROSS THE
AREA...MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING. SUB-VFR CIGS AND
VSBYS ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGER STORMS...WITH THE BEST CHANCE
FOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE
AREA...INCLUDING KABR AND KATY. HEAVY RAIN...RATHER LARGE
HAIL...DAMAGING STRONG WINDS AND PERHAPS EVEN A TORNADO OR TWO
COULD OCCUR NEAR OR WITHIN AIRPORT AIRSPACE. SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD
OF THE COLD FROPA WILL INCREASE INTO THE 15 TO 25 MPH
RANGE...WHILE WINDS BEHIND THE FROPA SHIFT AROUND TO THE
NORTHWEST.

&&

.ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...NONE.
MN...NONE.
&&

SHORT TERM...TMT
LONG TERM...DORN
AVIATION...DORN

WEATHER.GOV/ABERDEEN

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 3, 3:14 AM CST, 15 hours 56 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
414 AM CDT FRI AUG 3 2012

MNZ039-046-SDZ003>011-015>023-033>037-045-048-051-040915-
TRAVERSE-BIG STONE-CORSON-CAMPBELL-MCPHERSON-BROWN-MARSHALL-
ROBERTS-WALWORTH-EDMUNDS-DAY-DEWEY-POTTER-FAULK-SPINK-CLARK-
CODINGTON-GRANT-HAMLIN-DEUEL-STANLEY-SULLY-HUGHES-HYDE-HAND-JONES-
LYMAN-BUFFALO-
414 AM CDT FRI AUG 3 2012 /314 AM MDT FRI AUG 3 2012/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL
MINNESOTA...CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA...NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND
NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE
REGION THIS AFTERNOON. THERE IS THE CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE FRONT EARLY ON...BUT SEVERE
STORMS ARE MOST LIKELY ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND EASTERN SOUTH
DAKOTA...AS WELL AS WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...LARGE HAIL...STRONG WINDS...AND
TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY
A FEW RAIN SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE ON SATURDAY...BUT OTHERWISE HIGH
PRESSURE AND DRY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON.

SERR

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 3, 5:11 PM CST, 1 hour 59 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
611 PM CDT FRI AUG 03 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0603 PM     TSTM WND GST     BRENTFORD               45.16N  98.32W
08/03/2012  E70 MPH          SPINK              SD   STORM CHASER

            TREES AND TREE BRANCHES DOWN IN BRENTFORD

&&

EVENT NUMBER ABR1200362

TMK

Local storm report, Aug 3, 5:16 PM CST, 1 hour 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
616 PM CDT FRI AUG 03 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0615 PM     TSTM WND GST     RAYMOND                 44.91N  97.94W
08/03/2012  E60 MPH          CLARK              SD   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

EVENT NUMBER ABR1200363

TMK

Local storm report, Aug 3, 6:22 PM CST, 48 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
722 PM CDT FRI AUG 03 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0607 PM     TSTM WND GST     TURTON                  45.05N  98.10W
08/03/2012  E80 MPH          SPINK              SD   CO-OP OBSERVER

            WIND 70-80 MPH 0.85 INCHES OF RAIN

&&

EVENT NUMBER ABR1200364

TMK

Local storm report, Aug 3, 6:24 PM CST, 46 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
724 PM CDT FRI AUG 03 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0720 PM     TSTM WND DMG     CASTLEWOOD              44.72N  97.03W
08/03/2012                   HAMLIN             SD   EMERGENCY MNGR

            SOME TREES UPROOTED AND POWER OUTAGESIN CASTLEWOOD AND
            HAYTI.

&&

EVENT NUMBER ABR1200365

TMK

Local storm report, Aug 3, 6:30 PM CST, 40 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
730 PM CDT FRI AUG 03 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0720 PM     TSTM WND DMG     CASTLEWOOD              44.72N  97.03W
08/03/2012                   HAMLIN             SD   EMERGENCY MNGR

            30 TO 40 TREES UPROOTED AND POWER OUTAGES IN CASTLEWOOD
            AND HAYTI.

&&

CORRECTED REMARKS

EVENT NUMBER ABR1200365

TMK

Local storm report, Aug 3, 7:02 PM CST, 8 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
802 PM CDT FRI AUG 03 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0756 PM     TSTM WND GST     ROSHOLT                 45.87N  96.73W
08/03/2012  E60 MPH          ROBERTS            SD   EMERGENCY MNGR

            TREES DOWN POWER OUT

&&

EVENT NUMBER ABR1200366

TMK

The radar

The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 167 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:11 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Traverse

When: August 3, 7:10 PM CST
Where: Traverse County, 3.95 mi WSW of Tintah
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.990, -96.400

An estimated thunderstorm wind gust of sixty mph was reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Big Stone

When: August 3, 7:14 PM CST
Where: Big Stone County, 0.97 mi W of Ortonville Arpt
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 45.300, -96.440

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Minnesota in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, August 2012

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 408640, 408641.