Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 1, NWS Twin Cities, MN
NWS Twin Cities, MN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 12, 2026, 3:12 AM CDT for Freeborn County, Minnesota. It was in force for 22 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Apr 12, 2026, 3:12 AM CDT (08:12 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 12, 2026, 3:34 AM CDT
- In force
- 22 min
- Issued by
- NWS Twin Cities, MN
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Hail
- 1.25 in
- Wind
- 50.0 mph
County Freeborn County, MN
The radar
The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 143 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:15 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
Did it verify
Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.
Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.
The nearest sounding before it
Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 143 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 528 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 41 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 652 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 891 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
452
WUUS53 KMPX 120812
SVRMPX
MNC047-120845-
/O.NEW.KMPX.SV.W.0001.260412T0812Z-260412T0845Z/
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
312 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2026
The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities has issued a
* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
Southern Freeborn County in south central Minnesota...
* Until 345 AM CDT.
* At 312 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Emmons, or 15
miles southwest of Albert Lea, moving northeast at 40 mph.
HAZARD...Half dollar size hail.
SOURCE...Broadcast media reported.
IMPACT...Damage to vehicles is expected.
* This severe thunderstorm will be near...
Emmons around 320 AM CDT. Twin Lakes around 325 AM CDT. Albert Lea
and Glenville around 335 AM CDT. Hayward around 340 AM CDT.
Other locations impacted by the severe thunderstorm include Myre Big
Island State Park and Albert Lea Airport.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Seek shelter inside a well-built structure and stay away from
windows. This storm has produced large hail.
&&
LAT...LON 4353 9365 4375 9335 4359 9317 4350 9337
4350 9365
TIME...MOT...LOC 0811Z 230DEG 35KT 4348 9358
HAIL THREAT...OBSERVED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.25 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...<50 MPH
$$
Borghoff2 follow-up statements
395
WWUS53 KMPX 120826
SVSMPX
Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
326 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2026
MNC047-120845-
/O.CON.KMPX.SV.W.0001.000000T0000Z-260412T0845Z/
Freeborn MN-
326 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2026
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 345 AM CDT FOR
SOUTHWESTERN FREEBORN COUNTY...
At 326 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Emmons, or 9
miles southwest of Albert Lea, moving northeast at 35 mph.
HAZARD...Quarter size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Damage to vehicles is expected.
This severe thunderstorm will be near...
Twin Lakes, Emmons and Conger around 330 AM CDT. Albert Lea and
Glenville around 340 AM CDT.
Other locations impacted by the severe thunderstorm include Myre Big
Island State Park and Albert Lea Airport.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Seek shelter inside a well-built structure and stay away from
windows. This storm is capable of producing large hail.
&&
LAT...LON 4375 9335 4360 9319 4354 9329 4350 9337
4350 9352 4356 9360
TIME...MOT...LOC 0812Z 228DEG 30KT 4347 9360
HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...<50 MPH
$$
Borghoff031
WWUS53 KMPX 120834
SVSMPX
Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
334 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2026
MNC047-120844-
/O.CAN.KMPX.SV.W.0001.000000T0000Z-260412T0845Z/
Freeborn MN-
334 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2026
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR SOUTHWESTERN FREEBORN
COUNTY...
The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and no longer poses an immediate threat to life or property.
Therefore, the warning has been cancelled. However, small hail is
still possible with this thunderstorm.
&&
LAT...LON 4375 9335 4360 9319 4354 9329 4350 9337
4350 9352 4356 9360
TIME...MOT...LOC 0826Z 228DEG 30KT 4355 9348
$$
BorghoffWhat forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Twin Cities, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Apr 12, 12:43 AM CDT, 2 hours 29 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Big warmup arrives tomorrow through the remainder of the week.
- A few strong to severe storms are possible tomorrow afternoon for western Wisconsin. A better chance for severe storms for much of south central Minnesota/western Wisconsin is expected Monday and possibly again on Tuesday.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 12, 12:43 AM CDT, 2 hours 29 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 1243 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Big warmup arrives tomorrow through the remainder of the week. - A few strong to severe storms are possible tomorrow afternoon for western Wisconsin. A better chance for severe storms for much of south central Minnesota/western Wisconsin is expected Monday and possibly again on Tuesday. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 238 PM CDT Sat Apr 11 2026 It's a cool and damp Saturday as scattered showers continue to slide eastward across Minnesota and Wisconsin. These showers and maybe a rumble of thunder will continue into the evening and overnight hours, especially for portions of western Wisconsin. A southwesterly LLJ will kick in this evening, sending a plume of Gulf moisture northward. Continued cloud cover and very strong WAA will allow temperatures to gradually increase overnight. A majority of the forecast area will likely be sitting with both temperatures and dew points in the upper 50s to low 60s by morning. We'll have to see how quickly clouds clear out Sunday, but it seems likely that highs will be some 30 degrees warmer than today in the upper 70s and low 80s. Winds will turn from the south to the west by the afternoon, which will work to lower dew points by 5 to 10 degrees for western Minnesota. There's a chance that portions of our far southwest see min RH values fall below 30% during the afternoon and evening with wind gusts approaching 30 MPH, but for now, it appears that the risk for elevated fire weather conditions will remain back across the Dakotas. To the east where Tds remain in the 60s, there is a question of whether any afternoon convection will be able to develop. A lot rides on the timing of a weak shortwave and how long morning showers and clouds stick around. Still, CAMs have CAPE values AOA 1500 J/kg and ample shear, so a stronger storm or two is a possibility, especially for western Wisconsin. SPC has a Marginal Risk in the SWODY2 that covers this threat. A more favorable severe weather set up is still in the cards for Monday. A warm front will lift northward during the afternoon with PWATs increasing to around 1", which is around 200% of normal. Mid level lapse rates are impressive, but strong capping may limit storm development initially. There is a fair amount of spread in the guidance in how far northward the warm front will push, with the AIFS keeping southern Minnesota in the low to mid 60s and the RRFS taking upper 70s as far north as St. Cloud. All of this to say, there is still a high degree of uncertainty in the forecast for Monday. Tuesday looks like a similar scenario, but likely even further south and east of our CWA. But again, some strong to severe storms can't be ruled out entirely at this point. The remainder of the week remains mild with temperatures in the 70s. We'll see continued chances for showers and thunderstorms throughout the work week. Looking ahead, a stronger system may be in the works for the weekend and I can't guarantee that all precip associated with this will fall as liquid... && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z MONDAY/... Issued at 1233 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2026 Showers continue over western WI overnight. The arrival of the low level jet will lead to the inclusion of WS in all TAF sites tonight. There will likely be another round of storms developing around 10z just east of MKT that pushes into WI in around daybreak this morning. I've tweaked the PROB30 -TSRA sites, but additional tweaks may be necessary overnight. Fog will continue to spread across portions of central MN overnight with most sites in IFR through sunrise. For Sunday, a dryslot will be moving east across MN that will quickly clear skies and shift winds to the SW by Sunday afternoon. This will lead to a quick improvement from IFR to VFR late morning into early afternoon time frame. I've tweaked the clearing timing across our MN sites, but the timing of our dryline boundary remains uncertain. W WI sites will stay in the lower MVFR clouds through mid- afternoon before scattering out. Wind gusts will peak in the 30 to 35 knot range this afternoon, but gusts should fall off after sunset this evening. KMSP... Latest trends suggest the secondary round of TS will stay to our southeast this morning. For this afternoon, we'll have a favorable pattern for a southwest cross-wind. Also, we'll have very deep mixing (possibly pushing 10k feet), so these will be very gusty cross winds, with sporadic wind gusts to 40 kts not out of the question given momentum transfer via forecast soundings. /OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/ MON...AM VFR. PM -RA likely, chc MVFR/-TSRA. Wind E 5-10 kts. TUE...VFR. MVFR/-SHRA likely late. Wind NE 5-10 kts. WED...VFR. Wind lgt and vrb. && .MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...None. WI...None. && DISCUSSION...Dye AVIATION...BPH
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 11, 9:53 PM CDT, 5 hours 19 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 953 PM CDT Sat Apr 11 2026 MNZ053-060>063-068>070-076>078-084-085-092-093-WIZ014>016-023>028- 130300- Chisago-Hennepin-Anoka-Ramsey-Washington-Carver-Scott-Dakota- Le Sueur-Rice-Goodhue-Waseca-Steele-Faribault-Freeborn-Polk- Barron-Rusk-St. Croix-Pierce-Dunn-Pepin-Chippewa-Eau Claire- 953 PM CDT Sat Apr 11 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of east central Minnesota...south central Minnesota...southeast Minnesota... northwest Wisconsin and west central Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are expected through the night. Some small hail and brief downpours will be possible with the strongest storms, primarily in western Wisconsin. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. Scattered thunderstorms can be expected Monday and Tuesday. A few storms may be strong to severe, potentially producing large hail, damaging wind gusts or a tornado. Some storms may also produce heavy rain. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN spotter activation will not be needed tonight. MNZ041>045-047>052-130300- Douglas-Todd-Morrison-Mille Lacs-Kanabec-Stevens-Pope-Stearns- Benton-Sherburne-Isanti- 953 PM CDT Sat Apr 11 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Minnesota...east central Minnesota and west central Minnesota. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Areas of dense fog, with visibilities of a quarter of a mile or less is expected to develop across central Minnesota tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. Scattered thunderstorms can be expected Monday and Tuesday. A few storms may be strong to severe, potentially producing large hail, damaging wind gusts or a tornado. Some storms may also produce heavy rain. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN spotter activation will not be needed tonight. MNZ054>059-064>067-073>075-082-083-091-130300- Lac Qui Parle-Swift-Chippewa-Kandiyohi-Meeker-Wright- Yellow Medicine-Renville-McLeod-Sibley-Redwood-Brown-Nicollet- Watonwan-Blue Earth-Martin- 953 PM CDT Sat Apr 11 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Minnesota...south central Minnesota...southwest Minnesota and west central Minnesota. .DAY ONE...Tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. Temperatures in the 80s, gusty southwest winds, and low afternoon relative humidity values will lead to evelvated fire weather conditions in southwest Minnesota Sunday afternoon. Scattered thunderstorms can be expected Monday and Tuesday. A few storms may be strong to severe, potentially producing large hail, damaging wind gusts or a tornado. Some storms may also produce heavy rain. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN spotter activation will not be needed.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 12, 2:17 AM CDT, 55 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
217 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2026
MNZ092-120800-
Faribault MN-
217 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2026
...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT FARIBAULT COUNTY UNTIL
3 AM CDT...
At 217 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a line of strong
thunderstorms extending from 6 miles west of Elmore to 11 miles south
of Elmore, or extending from 15 miles southeast of Fairmont to 26
miles southeast of Fairmont, moving northeast at 35 mph.
HAZARD...Half inch size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible.
Locations impacted include...
Blue Earth, Wells, Elmore, Bricelyn, Easton, Frost, Delavan and
Brush Creek.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Monitor the weather situation closely and be alert for threatening
weather conditions.
&&
LAT...LON 4357 9425 4385 9405 4385 9396 4370 9365
4369 9365 4350 9378 4350 9425
TIME...MOT...LOC 0717Z 219DEG 31KT 4353 9421 4344 9418 4334 9413
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...<30 MPH
BorghoffSpecial weather statement, Apr 12, 3:00 AM CDT, 12 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
300 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2026
MNZ084-092-093-120845-
Waseca MN-Faribault MN-Freeborn MN-
300 AM CDT Sun Apr 12 2026
...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT SOUTHERN WASECA...
EASTERN FARIBAULT AND FREEBORN COUNTIES UNTIL 345 AM CDT...
At 300 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a line of strong
thunderstorms extending from over Minnesota Lake to 13 miles south of
Mansfield, or extending from 24 miles northwest of Albert Lea to 24
miles southwest of Albert Lea, moving northeast at 35 mph.
HAZARD...Penny size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible.
The strong thunderstorm will be near...
Minnesota Lake and Bricelyn around 300 AM CDT. Wells around 305 AM
CDT. Mansfield around 310 AM CDT. Alden, Emmons, Conger and
Freeborn around 320 AM CDT. Twin Lakes and Hartland around 325 AM
CDT.
Other locations impacted by this strong thunderstorm include Kiester,
Brush Creek, Walters, Baroda and Matawan.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio
stations and available television stations for additional information
and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.
&&
LAT...LON 4350 9381 4356 9388 4384 9387 4385 9385
4385 9377 4388 9377 4400 9348 4391 9341
4385 9341 4385 9336 4380 9332 4350 9314
TIME...MOT...LOC 0759Z 240DEG 31KT 4381 9380 4359 9380 4352 9370 4340
9370
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...<30 MPH
BorghoffThe office that day
Everything else NWS Twin Cities, MN issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 2:17 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | MPX | Faribault | 43 min |
| Apr 12, 3:00 AM CDT | Special Weather Statement | MPX | Freeborn | 45 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 2026Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.