High Wind in Minnesota, April 7, 2001

Name: High Wind in Minnesota, April 7, 2001
Start: 2001-04-07T08:00
End: 2001-04-07T15:00
Location: Minnesota

April 7, 2001 · NWS MPX · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $8.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 17

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 MPX wrote it up.

A strong surface low pressure system moved out of the southwestern US and into north central Minnesota by the early afternoon on the 7th. This system produced numerous wind gusts in the 50 to 75 mph range across portions of southern Minnesota. The highest measured wind to be reported was 79 mph at Fairmont (Martin County). Other strong gusts that were measured include 71 mph at St. Clair (Blue Earth County), 69 mph at Waseca (Waseca County), 64 mph at Owatonna (Steele County), and 61 mph at Faribault (Rice County). Some damages of note include 30 homes with shingle damage in Mankato (Blue Earth Co.), Semi trailers blown over near Eagle Lake (Blue Earth County) and Goodhue (Goodhue County), roof off a barn near Cleveland (Le Sueur County), and a railroad cross arm blown over on power lines in St. James (Watonwan County). Strong winds estimated at around 70 mph (by the Ellendale Eagle newspaper) toppled a 45,000 bushel bin at the Cannon Valley Co-op Elevator in Ellendale (Steele County). A one hundred foot section of a turkey house roof in Lemond Township (Steele County), was torn away by strong winds. The Maple River school and bus garage in Minnesota Lake (Blue Earth County) incurred roof damage. Two fifty foot tall, WFS 50,000 bushel capacity empty grain bins were torn down near Mapleton in Blue Earth County. A large barn was destroyed, along with the Walters Liquor store building in or near Kiester (Faribault County).

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Apr 7, 2:44 AM CST, 5 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 7, 2:44 AM CST, 5 hours 16 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
330 AM CDT FRI APR 6 2001

NOT MUCH TIME FOR DISCUSSION. FORECAST CONCERN IS FOR SMALL CHANCE
OF STRONG WINDS WITH VORT LIFTING INTO SW MN AND CONTINUING HEAVY
RAIN OVER WEST CENTRAL. ALSO DRY SURGE COMING UP WITH VORT AND
STRONG WINDS LIKELY OVER SOUTHERN MN AS LOW LIFTS INTO WEST CENTRAL
MN. UPPER JET PASSING FARTHER EAST TOWARD SOUTHERN WI DURING MORNING
BUT WITH PRESS RISES AND FORECAST 850 MB WINDS OF 50 TO 60 KNOTS
OVER S MN...SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR OF SUSTAINED 40
MPH WINDS. WILL GO AHEAD WITH WARNING AFTER CORRD WITH LSE AND FSD.
WILL SURROUND WARNING WITH ADVISORIES THIS AFTERNOON. WEST CENTRAL
MN WILL STILL BE IN DEFORMATION ZONE FOR A TIME THIS MORNING..BUT
MOST OF HEAVY RAIN LIFTING NORTH. WE STILL HAVE URBAN AND SMALL
STREAM OUT TIL 7AM. WRAP AROUND SHOWERS TO GO MOSTLY OVER CENTRAL
SECTIONS SO POPS SEEM A LITTLE HIGH OVER PARTS OF SOUTH. TEMPS
TRICKY..BUT WARM AIR WILL PUSH INTO MOST OF EAST CWA. COLD FRONT TO
QUICKLY FOLLOW WITH POSSIBLE FALLING TEMPS..WILL NOT GET TOO
SPECIFIC RIGHT NOW.

.MSP...HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY SOUTH CENTRAL...SJ OF LINE
       KRWF...KULM...KMKT...KOWA

       WIND ADVISORY THIS AFTERNOON SOUTH OF A
       LINE KAXN..KMGG..KOEO...TO CHIPPEWA COUNTY WI.
JPR

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 7, 6:31 AM CST, 1 hour 29 minutes before

WIZ014>016-023>028-071700-

SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
731 AM CDT SAT APR 7 2001

...THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS
WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL
WISCONSIN FROM LATE THIS MORNING THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. A FEW
STORMS COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL FROM BALSAM
LAKE...BALDWIN AND ELLSWORTH ON EASTWARD THROUGH LADYSMITH...BLOOMER
AND EAU CLAIRE.

STRONG LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL MINNESOTA TODAY.
SOUTHWEST WINDS IN ADVANCE OF THE LOW WILL BRING WARM AND HUMID AIR
TO THE AREA...ALLOWING THE POSSIBILITY FOR STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP.

PEOPLE ACROSS WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN SHOULD STAY ALERT THROUGH
EARLY THIS AFTERNOON ON THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.

HILTBRAND

Local storm report, Apr 7, 7:17 AM CST, 43 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
717 AM CST SAT APR 07 2001

TIME(CST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0651 AM    FAIRMONT                  MN   NON TSTM WINDS
04/07/01   MARTIN                         79 MPH NON TSTM WINDS.
                                          POWER LINES
                                          DOWN. SEMIS BLOWN OVER.
                                          REPORTED BY LOCAL RADIO
                                          STATION/OBSERVER.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Blue Earth

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Blue Earth forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.035, -94.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Brown

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Brown forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.242, -94.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Dakota

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Dakota forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.672, -93.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Faribault

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Faribault forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.674, -93.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Freeborn

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Freeborn forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.674, -93.349 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Goodhue

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Goodhue forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.410, -92.723 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Le Sueur

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Le Sueur forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.371, -93.730 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Martin

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Martin forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.674, -94.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Nicollet

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Nicollet forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.350, -94.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Redwood

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Redwood forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.404, -95.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Rice

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Rice forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.354, -93.297 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Scott

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Scott forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.649, -93.536 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sibley

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Sibley forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.580, -94.232 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Steele

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Steele forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.022, -93.226 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Waseca

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Waseca forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.022, -93.587 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Washington

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.039, -92.884 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Watonwan

When: April 7, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Watonwan forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph)
Property damage: $8.0 million
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.978, -94.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Minnesota in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, April 2001

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: 5241851, 5241852, 5241853, 5241854, 5241855, 5241856, 5241857, 5241943, 5241944, 5241945, 5241946, 5241947, 5241948, 5241949, 5241950, 5241951, 5241952.