Tornado watch dropped for west metro – Severe threat easing
Watch dropping off in western counties as severe threat lessens tonight!
Expect a few lingering storms this evening with rain, small hail and some gusty winds.
Source: NWS
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WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION FOR WATCH 178
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
714 PM CDT SUN APR 15 2012
MNC013-015-019-043-053-059-079-085-091-103-139-141-143-165-171-
160115-
/O.CAN.KMPX.TO.A.0178.000000T0000Z-120416T0400Z/
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELLED TORNADO WATCH 178 FOR
THE FOLLOWING AREAS
IN MINNESOTA THIS CANCELS 15 COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA
MCLEOD SHERBURNE SIBLEY
WRIGHT
IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA
CARVER HENNEPIN ISANTI
SCOTT
IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
BLUE EARTH BROWN FARIBAULT
LE SUEUR MARTIN NICOLLET
WATONWAN
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...BLUE EARTH...CAMBRIDGE...CHASKA...
ELK RIVER...FAIRMONT...GAYLORD...HUTCHINSON...LE SUEUR...
MANKATO...MINNEAPOLIS...MONTICELLO...NEW ULM...SHAKOPEE...
ST. JAMES AND ST. PETER.
$$
MNC003-025-037-047-049-123-131-147-161-163-WIC005-017-033-035-091-
093-095-107-109-160400-
/O.CON.KMPX.TO.A.0178.000000T0000Z-120416T0400Z/
TORNADO WATCH 178 REMAINS VALID UNTIL 11 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR
THE FOLLOWING AREAS
IN MINNESOTA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 10 COUNTIES
IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA
ANOKA CHISAGO DAKOTA
RAMSEY WASHINGTON
IN SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA
FREEBORN RICE STEELE
WASECA
IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA
GOODHUE
IN WISCONSIN THIS WATCH INCLUDES 9 COUNTIES
IN NORTHWEST WISCONSIN
BARRON POLK RUSK
IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN
CHIPPEWA DUNN EAU CLAIRE
PEPIN PIERCE ST. CROIX
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...ALBERT LEA...BLAINE...CENTER CITY...
CHIPPEWA FALLS...DURAND...EAU CLAIRE...FARIBAULT...HASTINGS...
HUDSON...LADYSMITH...MENOMONIE...OSCEOLA...OWATONNA...RED WING...
RICE LAKE...RIVER FALLS...ST. PAUL...STILLWATER AND WASECA.
Update 7:10pm:
Downpours, dime and nickel sized hail and gusty winds with storms moving through metro now.
Update from NWS:
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
659 PM CDT SUN APR 15 2012
MNZ052-053-060>063-WIZ014-023-160030-
ANOKA-CHISAGO-HENNEPIN-ISANTI-POLK-RAMSEY-ST. CROIX-WASHINGTON-
659 PM CDT SUN APR 15 2012
AT 656 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR ROBBINSDALE. THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40
MPH.
HAIL UP TO DIME SIZE...WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...AND HEAVY RAIN ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. IN ADDITION...MINOR STREET FLOODING IS
POSSIBLE FROM THE BRIEF DOWNPOURS.
* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
HILLTOP.
FRIDLEY.
MOUNDS VIEW.
CIRCLE PINES.
LINO LAKES.
HUGO.
Update 6:30pm:
Storms are picking up speed and moving rapidly into metro between 6:30pm and 8pm tonight.
Storms are moving quiclky NE at 35 to 45 mph and contain heavy rain, some hail and gusty winds.
The good news is that the storms are merging into "lines" instead of individual supercells, which means they tend to have a lower chance of producing tornadoes.
Still, a tornado watch remains in effect until 11pm.
From NWS:
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
630 PM CDT SUN APR 15 2012
MNZ059>062-068>070-160000-
ANOKA-CARVER-DAKOTA-HENNEPIN-RAMSEY-SCOTT-WRIGHT-
630 PM CDT SUN APR 15 2012
AT 629 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR SHOREWOOD. THIS STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.
HAIL UP TO DIME SIZE AND WESTERLY WINDS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED
WITH THIS STORM.
* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
SHOREWOOD.
CHANHASSEN.
EDEN PRAIRIE.
HOPKINS.
EDINA.
BLOOMINGTON.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA UNTIL 1100 PM CDT.
[image]
Source: WxUnderground
6pm:
MPX expires Tornado Warning for Carver, Wright [MN]
Update 5:30PM:
MPX continues Tornado Warning for McLeod [MN] till 6:00 PM CDT ...AT 524 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR BISCAY...OR 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF HUTCHINSON...MOVING NORTH AT 45 MPH.
Tornadic cells now near Glencoe, Hutchinson west of the metro.
Source: Wxunderground
MPX: Fairfax [Renville Co, MN] law enforcement reports HAIL of nickel size (U0.88 INCH) at 04:45 PM CDT --
Update 5pm:
Area of greatest concern for severe weather (and possible tornadoes) next few hours runs from central MN near Renville & Sibley counties, east into the Metro and south to Mankato, Owatonna, Waseca, Northfield and along the I-35 corridor.
Sunshine has warmed temps into the mid 70s south of the metro, while the warm frontal boundary lies right in the Twin Cities.
Expect storms to strengthen and new stronger storms to form in these areas this evening.
PH
MPX: 3 W Redwood Falls [Redwood Co, MN] trained spotter reports FUNNEL CLOUD at 04:28 PM CDT --
Update 4:20pm:
1st tornado reported on the ground in MN in Lyon County.
FSD: 5 N Ghent [Lyon Co, MN] trained spotter reports TORNADO at 04:11 PM CDT -- tornado on ground. spotter 3 miles north of ghent looking north.
Posted 3:39pm
SPC has issued Tornado Watch #178 until 11pm tonight including the Twin Cities metro area.
Clearing skies in southern Minnesota are providing the trigger for rapidly developing T-Storms this afternoon & evening.
Abundant directional wind shear means storms will rotate, and have the capacity to produce tornadoes.
Stay alert for warnings through this evening, and listen for updates on MPR news stations, including KNOW 91.1FM in the metro.
Is your NOAA weather radio tuned up?
-Latest Twin Cities radar loop
Source: NOAA/SPC
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 178
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
340 PM CDT SUN APR 15 2012
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
EXTREME NORTHERN IOWA
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA
WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN
EFFECTIVE THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 340 PM UNTIL
1100 PM CDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 85 STATUTE MILES EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF
REDWOOD FALLS MINNESOTA TO 40 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF EAU CLAIRE WISCONSIN. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU8).
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Here are some storm reports as they come in:
FSD: 2 N Ghent [Lyon Co, MN] trained spotter reports HAIL of quarter size (M1.00 INCH) at 04:10 PM CDT --
PH