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.

http://www.wunderground.com/radar/radblast.asp?zoommode=zoom&num=6&delay=15&rbscale=0.33695652173913043&scale=1.000&noclutter=0&ID=MPX&type=N0R&lat=0&lon=0&label=you&showstorms=10&map.x=411.5&map.y=215.5&centerx=400&centery=240&lightning=0&smooth=1&showlabels=1&rainsnow=0

[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?

-Twin Cities NWS

-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