The first part of a one-two punch in what looks to be a warm and slightly unsettled weekend weather pattern is moving through the region today.  A storm system along the U.S.-Canadian border is stirring up our winds and producing some scattered showers and thunderstorms in the central Minnesota and in parts of Wisconsin today.  There will be a slight chance that a couple of stray storms may migrate into our local area, especially the northern edge, later today.  Otherwise most of the activity with that storm system will stay away from us while bright sunshine and gusty southwest winds will be the story today with high temperatures expected to be at least 10° warmer than normal for this time of the year as readings will commonly be in the upper 80s to round out the work week.  We’ll get a break from active weather tomorrow as winds will be a bit more tame, the skies will be bright and sunny, and highs will be close to 90°.  The second part of that one-two punch will come along late Sunday as a storm system and its associated cold front will approach the region from the west, drawing in some humidity and extra heat.  We’ll have highs in the low 90s Sunday with a chance for a few late afternoon, but especially evening thunderstorms.  Some of those storms may become severe with large hail and strong winds possible.  That said, rainfall doesn’t look to be tremendously heavy in that scenario and by far the area with highest probability of severe weather will be to our north, but we’ll still have to keep an eye on the situation as large hail and strong winds will be possible in the evening and overnight period Sunday into Monday.  Stay tuned!

Severe Weather Outlook for Sunday: We're facing the prospect of severe weather late Sunday and Sunday night. The SPC has us in the slight risk for severe weather.

Posted under severe weather

The last time the calendar read 11-11-11, most of us weren’t alive and Veterans Day didn’t exist…yet.  That came about following the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I in 1918.  Of course, it was Armistice Day before it became Veterans Day, the holiday we observe today as we salute those who have served and continue to serve our nation in the armed forces.  Now back to the subject of today’s blog entry: the date was 11-11-11 one hundred years ago in 1911 and boy was it a warm November day, at least to start.  Temperatures climbed into the 70s and 80s across the Midwest in an unseasonably strong surge of warm air that occupied the region ahead of a strong cold front to the west.  That incredibly potent cold front quickly swept through the country during the day, dramatically dropping temperatures just about everywhere.  In Wisconsin, one location dropped from the 70s to zero by midnight!  That front also spawned some tornadoes in the region and here’s a newspaper article discussing that bizarre and dangerous November event.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/a-century-ago-deadly-tornado-devastated-rock-county/article_6560136c-0be5-11e1-8286-001cc4c002e0.html

Here’s another article covering that historic cold blast that produced tornadoes and blizzard conditions in the U.S. on this date one hundred years ago:

http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/100-year-anniversary-extreme-cold-front_2011-11-10

Posted under history

It has a been a year to remember, or forget when it comes to natural disasters.  Hurricane Irene could make 2011 a little harder to forget.  To date there have been 10 natural disasters in the United States that have topped the 1 Billion dollar mark in damages.  That ties a record and that does not include Hurricane Irene, which still has to be analyzed, but when its all said and done, the record will likely fall.  Can you name the ten to hit this year?  If you need help… they are listed below:

1.  Groundhog Day Blizzard: January 29 – February 3, 2011

This will forever be the iconic blizzard for years to come.  36 people were killed as a result of the storm.  Total losses were estimated at $2 dollars.  Remember the picture of the cars stranded on lake shore drive in Chicago?

2. Midwest/Southeast tornadoes April 4-5, 2011

This was pretty much the start of it all when it comes to the tornado outbreaks of this past year.  Strong cold air pushing south from Canada caught up with warm, humid air across the U.S. Southeast to produce severe weather and tornadoes in Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina.  Forty-six tornadoes were confirmed during this event, and nine lives were lost.  Insured losses were estimated around $1.6 billion with total losses of $2.3 billion.

3.  Southeast/Midwest tornadoes April 8-11, 2011

This one hit closest to home.  A Violent EF-4 tornado ripped through the town of Mapleton, IA, just outside of our viewing area.  This was part of an outbreak that hit Eastern and Central Wisconsin the next day.  Supercells were born in our area and quickly raced toward the east leveling towns.  Thankfully, there were no fatalities reported in this event.  Total losses were around 2.2 billion dollars.

4. Midwest/Southeast tornadoes April 14-16, 2011:

Approximately 160 tornadoes struck portions of the midwestern and southeastern United States, killing 38 people. Insured losses of $1.4 billion were recorded, with total losses over $2 billion.  The most memorable tornadoes hit in North Carolina.  Here’s a picture of a Lowes home improvement store that collapsed.  This was the biggest tornado outbreak of the year to that point.  Little did we know the biggest one in recorded history was 10 days away.

5. Southeast/Ohio Valley/Midwest tornado outbreak aka “Super Outbreak” – April 25-30, 2011

Up until this tornado outbreak, the 1974 “Super Outbreak” Was the benchmark of all tornado outbreaks.  This event has been called “Super Outbreak 2″ by some… and rightfully so.   305 confirmed tornadoes and 327 deaths. Losses were over $6.6 billion insured, over $9 billion total.  This event broke records some thought would never be broken from the outbreak of ’74.  Since the Enhanced Fujita Scale was created back in 2007, there have only been 2 Ef-5 Tornadoes.  After the dust settled with this event, there were 6.  Below is a radar image from the worst day of the event.

6.Midwest/Southeast tornadoes May 22-27, 2011

One city name and you will instantly be able to call this one.  Joplin, Missouri.  An EF-5 tornado demolished the city.  In its wake , 141 people were killed.  Losses were estimated over $7 billion.

7.  Southern Plains/Southwest drought, heatwave, and wildfires spring-summer 2011

As a result of a severe drought $5 billion dollars in direct losses to agriculture, cattle and structures.

8.  Mississippi River flooding spring-summer 2011

The snow melt from our area and points north from a very snowy winter filled the upper Mississippi and flowed down south.  This caused major flooding in the Tennessee river valley and other points in the southern United States. $2-$4 billion dollars in economic losses with two deaths were associated with the floods.

View from above of the flooding in the south from the Mississippi River

9. Upper Midwest flooding summer 2011

This was another event that happened close to home and was in local news because of the proximity to us and because of how severe the flooding was.  It is estimated that 11,000 people had to evacuate Minot, North Dakota due to rising waters in the Souris River.  Over $2 billion dollars in losses have occurred due to the extreme flooding in these areas.

And again, if we get 10, it will break the record.  Could Hurricane Irene be it?  We will keep you posted!

Posted under Natural Disaster, severe weather, Uncategorized, weather

A lot of real estate is being covered by this late April storm system around the entire country.  Let’s start right here at home.  We had some light start late last night that eventually turned in to some heavier rain overnight.  By the time the rain was all said and done, over an inch had fallen in most places.

On the the southern side of this storm, we had yet another severe weather outbreak. In a recent post, we talked about how April already broke a record for the most amount of Tornadoes ever recorded .  Today parts of the south were outlooked by the storm prediction center  to be in a “HIGH” risk for severe weather.  To put that into perspective, the day Tornadoes hit Iowa and Wisconsin, we were outlooked in a “MODERATE” risk.  I have only seen a “HIGH” risk issued a couple of times in my life.  Tomorrow the southeast and Tennessee River Valley are under the gun for very strong storms that could also contain violent long tracked tornadoes.  A longed tracked tornado is a tornado that stays on the ground for a very long time and causes immense amounts of damage.  They are usually EF 2′s or higher.  Today, 2 PDS Tornado watches were issued for portions of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee.  These watches are also extremely rare.  We were in one on April 10th.

Tornadoes were not the only threat from this major low pressure system.  Massive flash flooding occurred last night in multiple states and devastated areas.  Some rivers in Arkansas and Tennessee.  Below is a map of the current warnings.  The bright red are tornado warnings and the rustish color are the flash flood warnings.  The amount of flooding that is going on in the Tennessee River Valley is just incredible.

Posted under flooding, Natural Disaster, severe weather, Tornadoes, weather

We’re still closely watching the weekend forecast for severe weather potential and the closer we get, the more likely it appears that we will see our first major outbreak of strong thunderstorm activity this year.  The storm system that will be responsible for setting the stage for these thunderstorms is still forming to our west right now, but by late tonight and through parts of tomorrow, a few isolated showers and thunderstorms may be moving into our weather picture ahead of the main low pressure center.  Severe weather isn’t expected at first this weekend (tonight or tomorrow), but as the warm front begins to push through the local area, a few strong storms may develop Saturday evening or Saturday night, producing large hail and some locally heavy rainfall.  The Storm Prediction Center has placed our area in the Slight Risk for severe weather tomorrow night.  The outlook for Sunday, however, is looking a little more dire right now as the SPC has us in the Moderate Risk for severe weather meaning there is a greater likelihood for widespread severe thunderstorm activity including large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes.  The storms are expected to fire up in the afternoon and early evening Sunday as the storm system and its associated cold front make their way through the area.  The one bright spot in this weekend’s forecast is the massive surge of warm air we’re expecting ahead of that storm system.  Tomorrow, we’ll be seeing temperatures in the upper 60s and then Sunday, we may experience our first 70° warmth of the year!  The unseasonably warm air will make it feel like May and because of the spectre of widespread thunderstorms, it may look like May.  Stay tuned to KTTC and KTTC.com for more on this weekend’s forecast.  We’re hoping everyone will take this opportunity to brush up on their severe weather action plans and be prepared for dangerous weather if it should develop.  The point is not to scare people, but to inform them and keep them safe.  Hopefully we’ll all manage to have a safe and enjoyable weekend!

Our viewing area will be in the SPC's Slight Risk area for severe weather Saturday, especially during the evening and overnight period.

We'll be in the Moderate Risk area for severe weather on Sunday according to the Storm Prediction Center's Day 3 Outlook.

Posted under severe weather

Tornado Watch until 8pm Wednesday

A Tornado Watch has been issued for some of our counties. It runs along I-35 and west of there (so it does include Albert Lea, Owatonna, Mason City and points west). The watch goes until 8pm.

We have no severe weather in the area at this time (2:30pm on Wednesday). Look for updates both on air and at KTTC.com if we need to bring you anything!

Posted under severe weather, Uncategorized

By far, the severe weather on Friday was limited to the extreme southeastern portion of Minnesota, but was more widespread across Wisconsin. There, reports of tornadoes and damaging winds (up to 100mph!) did their number across the state, toppling trees and knocking out power to many. Some were sent to the hospital with injuries in my hometown, Neenah, when a large branch fell off a tree at Riverside Park, where a fundraising concert was taking place. If you’re interested in the damage repots from there, see the NWS Green Bay and NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan (also, here) for storm damage info for those areas.

In any case, we did pick up some quick rainfall for some of the area Friday afternoon. Here’s a look at the submitted rainfall totals below from the NWS La Crosse.

Also, you won’t have rain to worry about this weekend. It’ll just be hazy, hot, and humid through Monday. A cold front late Monday night/Tuesday morning will bring the next rain chance, and will cool us off into mid next week. Enjoy the summery stretch!

Posted under severe weather

We’ll continue to watch for the potential for some strong to severe storms overnight and Friday – not saying that anything is going to happen – but the chance is certainly there.

In other news, it’s not the typical Tornado Alley states but Minnesota, of all places, that is running in 1st place for the tornado count in 2010. Minnesota has racked up 123 reported tornadoes, at least that’s the count so far, as of August 17th. The state running second is Texas with…wait for it…87. Here’s the latest 2010 Summary from the SPC.

It’s certainly been an active severe weather season, much of our count owing to June 17th, 2010. Minnesota is on pace to possibly set an all-time record tornado count for a year. Usually, the state sees about 26 in a year. Here’s some additional info (and other tornado stats) for the state from the U of M climate center.

From the NWS in Chanhassen:
“THE SUMMER OF 2010…
WHILE JUNE 17 WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A HUGE NUMBER OF TORNADOES TO THE STATEWIDE TALLY THIS YEAR…THERE HAVE BEEN MANY MORE TORNADO DAYS SINCE THEN. IT HAS JUST BEEN WAY TOO BUSY TO TALLY ALL THE DAMAGE SURVEYS… CORROBORATE SPOTTER REPORTS…VIEW ALL THE VIDEO AND PHOTOS…AND CROSS CHECK DETAILS WITH RADAR…BUT IT LOOKS QUITE LIKELY THAT 2010 WILL SET A RECORD FOR TORNADOES IN ONE YEAR. THAT RECORD OF 74 WAS SET IN 2001.”

Even Wisconsin has been in on the action. They are so far experiencing a tied 3rd place for seasonal tornado count. That info can be found here.

Our season isn’t quite over yet. Stay tuned for final numbers and final ranking!

Tornado count so far for 2010

Read More…

Posted under severe weather

Here’s a summary of what’s going on/happened-

5:45pm: Tornado warnings are being issued again. Stick with us at KTTC.com and on-air.

- Tornadoes were on the ground this afternoon around Hayfield. Right now, we have pictures here.
- Flash Flood Warnings for Olmsted, Mower, Dodge counties until 9 pm.
- Tornado Watch for Dodge, Mower, Steele, Olmsted, Wabasha, Winona, Fillmore, and Houston counties in Minnesota; Buffalo and Tremealeau in Wisconsin until 10pm.
- Severe Thunderstorm Watch for most of our other counties until 10 pm.

Posted under severe weather

Dangerous weather situation setting up today. This is what we have so far:

Tornado Watch from 11:45 am until 7pm

What: Tornado Watch from 11:45 am to 7pm for most of our area.

Why: See below.

Stay tuned and have a plan ready for today incase severe weather hits.

Tornado watch for Goodhue, Rice counties from 9 am-4pm.

What: Tornado Watch for Goodhue, Rice counties until 4pm today.

Why: Very strong storm system passing through the upper midwest will interact with a very moist, warm, unstable airmass. Storms are expected to erupt in earnest this afternoon ahead of a cold front as well.

If you want to read more technical information on why, Randy has a great blog post from yesterday.

There will be other watches issued today and all forms of severe weather will be possible. Please stay aware during the day and we’ll be keeping you updated.

Posted under severe weather

This post was written by Steph on July 14, 2010

Tags: doozy of a day setting up, hail, severe weather, tornadoes, wind