Severe Thunderstorm Watch includes Stearns until 9 PM

The Storm Prediction Center has issued Severe Thunderstorm Watch 465 until 9 PM. The watch does include Stearns County, but Stearns is on the far-most eastern side of the watch, and it is entirely possible portions of the watch could be replaced by another one later today. We will look in this watch box for large hail up to 2.5" in diameter and damaging winds to 70 mph, though remember that severe storms do have the capability of producing tornadoes. Stay tuned for more updates throughout the afternoon and evening. It is still very likely that it's going to be a very severe weather day statewide. Already a couple storms in the Alexandria area as I type this are severe, and the storm forming west of St Cloud could turn severe soon.

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 465
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
150 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

PARTS OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN MINNESOTA
PARTS OF SOUTHERN NORTH DAKOTA
PARTS OF NORTHERN AND EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 150 PM UNTIL
900 PM CDT.

HAIL TO 2.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70
MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 70
STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 10 MILES EAST OF
BRAINERD MINNESOTA TO 45 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF MOBRIDGE SOUTH
DAKOTA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED
WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU5).

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR 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. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY
DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 461...WW 462...WW
463...WW 464...

DISCUSSION...AS AIR MASS CONTINUES TO DESTABILIZE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
INCREASE IN NUMBER AND INTENSITY ACROSS THE WATCH AREA THRU THE
AFTERNOON. WITH MLCAPES AOA 2500...STEEP LAPSE RATES AND FAVORABLE
SHEAR ENVIRONMENT...SUPERCELLS ARE LIKELY. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH ANY SUPERCELL ALONG WITH POSSIBLE
BRIEF TORNADOES.

AVIATION...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT
TO 2.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60
KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 550. MEAN STORM
MOTION VECTOR 23025.


...HALES

Current Warnings