WWUS20 KWNS 152030 SEL1 SPC WW 152030 MNZ000-SDZ000-WIZ000-LSZ000-160400- URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 581 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 330 PM CDT WED AUG 15 2012 THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF MINNESOTA NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA NORTHWEST WISCONSIN LAKE SUPERIOR EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 330 PM UNTIL 1100 PM CDT. HAIL TO 2.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 75 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 105 STATUTE MILES EITHER SIDE OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF INTERNATIONAL FALLS MINNESOTA TO 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF REDWOOD FALLS MINNESOTA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1). 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 580... DISCUSSION...A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP EAST AND SOUTHEAST ACROSS MN...ERN SD AND INTO NWRN WI THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. AIRMASS AHEAD OF THE FRONT HAS BECOME MODERATELY TO STRONGLY UNSTABLE WITH LATEST MLCAPE VALUES RANGING FROM 1000 J/KG ACROSS THE WRN PORTION OF THE ARROWHEAD OF MN TO OVER 2000 J/KG ACROSS PARTS OF WRN MN AND NERN SD. THIS INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED TO FUEL RAPID AND ROBUST TSTM DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE FRONT OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. THIS DEVELOPMENT WILL OCCUR COINCIDENT WITH STRENGTHENING DEEP-LAYER SHEAR AND INCREASING ASCENT THAT SHOULD FURTHER SUPPORT STORM ORGANIZATION AND UPDRAFT PERSISTENCE. INITIAL DISCRETE STORMS MAY BE SUPERCELLULAR WITH ROTATING UPDRAFTS AND LARGE HAIL POTENTIAL. WITH TIME...STORMS SHOULD BECOME INCREASINGLY LINEAR ALONG OR JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT WITH A SEVERE QLCS/SQUALL LINE EVOLVING. HIGH/DAMAGING WINDS MAY ACCOMPANY THE SQUALL LINE INTO THE EVENING HOURS ACROSS PORTIONS OF SRN MN AS WELL AS WRN WI. AVIATION...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 65 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26035. ...CARBIN