Hail and Damaging Wind in Minnesota, May 18 to 19, 1998

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in Minnesota, May 18 to 19, 1998
Start: 1998-05-18T21:30
End: 1998-05-19T00:20
Location: Minnesota

May 18 to 19, 1998 · NWS ARX · 12 events in 6 counties and zones

Spotters and law enforcement officials reported hail the size of dimes, quarters and even golfballs.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $159,000
Crop damage: $40,000
Events: 12

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS ARX wrote it up.

Spotters and law enforcement officials reported hail the size of dimes, quarters and even golfballs.

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:32 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Dodge

When: May 18, 9:30 PM CST to 9:37 PM CST
Where: Dodge County, 2 mi S of West Concord
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 44.120, -92.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Wabasha

When: May 18, 9:32 PM CST
Where: Wabasha County, Elgin
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 44.130, -92.250

Hail, Olmsted

When: May 18, 9:50 PM CST
Where: Olmsted County, Oronoco
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 44.170, -92.530

Hail, Olmsted

When: May 18, 9:55 PM CST
Where: Olmsted County, 2 mi NW of Rochester
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 44.050, -92.500

Hail, Olmsted

When: May 18, 10:05 PM CST
Where: Olmsted County, Rochester
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $8,000
Coordinates: 44.030, -92.470

Hail, Olmsted

When: May 18, 10:06 PM CST
Where: Olmsted County, Rochester
Measured: 1 in hail
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 44.030, -92.470

Hail, Olmsted

When: May 18, 10:10 PM CST
Where: Olmsted County, Rochester
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Property damage: $30,000
Coordinates: 44.030, -92.470

Hail, Fillmore

When: May 18, 11:02 PM CST
Where: Fillmore County, Fountain
Measured: 1 in hail
Property damage: $18,000
Coordinates: 43.750, -92.130

Hail, Fillmore

When: May 18, 11:13 PM CST
Where: Fillmore County, Lanesboro
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $28,000
Coordinates: 43.720, -91.980

Hail, Winona

When: May 18, 11:22 PM CST
Where: Winona County, Hart
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.880, -91.730

Hail, Houston

When: May 18, 11:40 PM CST
Where: Houston County, Houston
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $30,000
Crop damage: $40,000
Coordinates: 43.770, -91.570

Hail, Dodge

When: May 19, 12:20 AM CST
Where: Dodge County, Dodge Center
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 44.030, -92.850

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Minnesota in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, May 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5641941, 5641952, 5641942, 5641943, 5641944, 5641945, 5641946, 5641947, 5641949, 5641948, 5641950, 5641951.