Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, September 25, 1998

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, September 25, 1998
Start: 1998-09-25T22:00
End: 1998-09-25T23:10
Location: Minnesota

September 25, 1998 · NWS FGF · 19 events in 3 counties and zones

13 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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: 3
Property damage: $7.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 19

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.

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 130 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Wilkin

When: September 25, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Wilkin County, 1 mi E of Lawndale
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.570, -96.350

Hail, Otter Tail

When: September 25, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, 5 mi NW of Pelican Rapids
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.620, -96.150

Thunderstorm Wind, Otter Tail

When: September 25, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, 3 mi NW of Basswood
Property damage: $75,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 46.480, -95.730

A resort on Dead Lake was hit by the strong winds. Four cabins were damaged and a large propane tank was pushed off its foundation. A boat was picked up and thrown 3 cabins down, dragging the anchor.

Thunderstorm Wind, Otter Tail

When: September 25, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, Amor
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 46.420, -95.730

A barn was destroyed by the wind.

Thunderstorm Wind, Otter Tail

When: September 25, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, Perham
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.600, -95.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Otter Tail

When: September 25, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, Ottertail
Property damage: $2.0 million
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 46.430, -95.550

An 85,000 bushel grain bin was flattened against the Ottertail elevator. Another 90,000 bushel bin crumpled to the ground, and two other 45,000 bushel bins were damaged by the strong wind. Around the town, a storage shed was blown apart, a marine business was damaged, several irrigation systems were twisted, trees were uprooted, and many signs were damaged. A pontoon was picked up by the wind and thrown 150 feet into a spruce tree.

Hail, Otter Tail

When: September 25, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, Perham
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 46.600, -95.570

Two inches of hail fell.

Thunderstorm Wind, Otter Tail

When: September 25, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, Heinola
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 46.450, -95.400

The wind tore up a trailer home, scattering the contents for a half a mile.

Thunderstorm Wind, Otter Tail

When: September 25, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, 5 mi S of Perham
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 46.530, -95.570

The Blue Horizon Ballroom lost part of its roof due to the wind.

Thunderstorm Wind, Otter Tail

When: September 25, 10:55 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, 2 mi N of Ottertail
Property damage: $500
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.470, -95.550

Several trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Otter Tail

When: September 25, 10:55 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, Bluffton
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 46.470, -95.230

In the Bluffton area, 5 miles of roads had to be reopened because of downed trees. Four barns were blown over and a tree fell on two cars.

Thunderstorm Wind, Otter Tail

When: September 25, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, New York Mills
Property damage: $4.0 million
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 46.520, -95.380

The strong winds hit New York Mills quite hard. 1,600 customers in the area lost power, with 50 power poles snapped in half. The city garage lost parts of its roof, as did the school gym and the school storage shed. A garage in the town was ripped in two, sending a portion of the roof into two vehicles parked two lots away. Numerous trees and signs were blown down.

Hail, Otter Tail

When: September 25, 11:01 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, New York Mills
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.520, -95.380

Some hail was still on the ground the next morning.

Hail, Wadena

When: September 25, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Wadena County, Sebeka
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.630, -95.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Wadena

When: September 25, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Wadena County, 5 mi E of Verndale
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 46.400, -94.920

A woman and her three children escaped without injury when their house was hit with the strong winds. Several windows shattered and part of the roof blew off. A barn, silo, machine shed, and several trees were also destroyed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wadena

When: September 25, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Wadena County, Verndale
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 46.400, -95.020

An office building and a storage shed sustained roof damage.

Hail, Wadena

When: September 25, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Wadena County, Wadena
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 46.450, -95.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Wadena

When: September 25, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Wadena County, Wadena
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 46.450, -95.130

A roof from an adjacent building blew into the display vehicles at a car dealership and twisted around them. A church also lost its bell tower.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wadena

When: September 25, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Wadena County, 5 mi N of Verndale
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 46.470, -95.020

A trailer home rolled over in the wind, injuring two of the three occupants inside. Nearby, a man was injured when a 2x4 was blown through his kitchen window, hitting him in the side. Over 10 barns in the area were severely damaged.

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, September 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: 5664673, 5664219, 5664226, 5664473, 5664220, 5664224, 5664225, 5664227, 5664229, 5664221, 5664472, 5664228, 5664222, 5664223, 5664230, 5664231, 5664232, 5664233, 5664471.