7/14/10 NOW: MN/IA/WI

[Dean Baron]

Currently in Owatonna, MN watching towers explose. I had a visual on that storm up to my north that just went up and it looked rather soft in appearance. I've watched a couple crisp towers explode already. Owatonna seems to be the southern extent for initiation right now.

 

[Fred Dearborn]

Getting several reports off touchdowns and these cells are headed into some rough country in wstcntl WI. !

 

[ahaberlie]

I am in southwestern wisconsin and it seems as though the SPC is about to issue a PDS tornado watch... read the meso if you want.. but I am definitely going to be heading to the Richland Center area.

 

[Alex Carroll]

Reports of a tornado on the ground 2 mi south of Sauk Center, MN at 313PM heading east.

 

[Zachary Lassiter]

I'm guessing with the heat wave we have had in the region in the last two weeks that Lake Michigan is quite warm (a quick google search reveals a water temperature of 76 (http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=45007).

I'm thinking this thing will likely stay together over the lake if the atmosphere does not get to cool tonight

 

[Amanda Farnham]

Reported tornado on the ground east of Eau Claire, WI

 

[Derek Weston]

Nasty looking hook and confirmed tornado on the storm that popped just in front of the line just NW of the towns of Alma Center and Merillan in west central WI.

Looks to pass just north of the towns.

 

[Ben Kossow]

That is a nasty hook. Very strong inbound and outbound winds. Hopefully stays just south of Neillsville.

 

[Jeff Snyder]

Nasty low-level couplet on a supercell located ahead of the QLCS across western Wisconsin. The couple of TVSs have had max-dv values of 166 and 161 kts, with 105 kt inbounds adjacent to >60 kt outbounds at the 1.5 degree SRV scan (the 0.5 degree is purple-hazed in that area). Given the relatively low Z around the low-level meso, I assume it'd be nicely visible as well. Alas, I don't see any SpotterNet folks on it, as most are W of the Mississippi River. The image on the left is 0.5 degree Z; the image on the left is 1.5 degree SRV [the purple shades are >95 kt inbounds].

CLICK HERE TO VIEW RADAR IMAGE

The evolution of the convection has gone pretty close to what many were expecting -- some initial supercells that posed a tornado risk in eastern MN, though with a relatively quick transition to a squall line within a couple hours of initiation. The best tor threat seems to be with supercells that can develop ahead of the squall line or with QLCS-type leading mesos. Perhaps something discrete may come out of the pre-line convection N of La Crosse, WI, but that remains to be seen. Latest SPC mesoanalysis indicates that the supercell shown above is near a strong CAPE gradient very near the sfc warm front. Access to high theta-e inflow and very strong low-level shear should continue to support a strong tornado potential for any semi-discrete storm that can develop ahead of the QLCS in western WI.

P.S. - the image above shows Level 3 data... If you have GR3, and the Z and V data you see look to have much lower resolution, then go to the GR3 site and download the latest version (1.77). I've seen quite a few screen caps made with an older version of GR3 that doesn't support the higher-res Level 3 data available now.

 

[David Reimer]

Tail End Charlie has gone Tornadic near Sparta, WI.