Minnesota, 1999

Flood and Lightning Strike in Minnesota, August 18, 1999

August 18, 1999 · NWS MPX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

1 flood, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 96 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Steele

When
August 18, 9:00 AM CST to 10:30 AM CST
Where
Steele County, Blooming Prairie
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
44.022, -93.226 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Some streets in southwest portion of town under knee deep water. No basements flooded or damages reported.

Lightning, Washington

When
August 18, 9:58 AM CST
Where
Washington County, Stillwater
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
45.039, -92.884 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning strike fried radio, phone, and computer systems at City Hall.

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, August 1999

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: 5719219, 5719218.