2 tornado, 2 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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 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 Aug 29, 1:15 PM CST, 4 hours 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 215 PM CDT SUN AUG 29 2004 .DISCUSSION... JUST GETTING A PEEK AT 18Z RUC AND IT CONFIRMS THAT INITIATION IS STILL QUITE LIKELY 22Z IN WCNTL MN. INTERESTING MESOSCALE SITN DEVLOPING THIS AFTN. BAND OF RA/SHRA CONT TO MOV EAST ACRS CNTL/ERN MN IN NARROW WAA REGIME AHEAD OF LEAD VORT SWINGING THRU NCNTL MN. MDLS WERE A LITTLE UNDERDONE ON THIS GUY...AND NOW THAT THEY HAVE LATCHED ON...SEEM TO EMPHASIZE A LOT OF ITS UPR FORCING AND CARRYING EAST AWAY FROM FRONTAL ZONE STILL DRAPED FROM GFK TO ABR TO HON. THOUGHT CURRENT BAND OF RA MAY BE THE ONLY SHOW IN TOWN...BUT WV LOOKING QUITE INTERESTING AS SMALL BUT POTENT AREA OF DARKENING/DRYING RAPIDLY DROPPING THRU ND...REPRESENTING NOSE OF H25 JETSTREAK OF 85KT AND UPR PV CENTER. AS THIS CROSSES FRONTAL ZONE...FRONTOGENETICAL CIRCULATIONS EXPECTED TO INCREASE LATE THIS AFTN AMIDST MODESTLY UNSTABLE ATMS CHARACTERIZED BY ML CAPES OF 750 J/KG AND MU CAPES APPROACHING 1500 J/KG. INTERESTING TO WATCH WOOD LAKE (MN) PROFILER IN ADVANCE OF THIS FEATURE...AS MID LVL (H7) FLOW HAS RAPIDLY BACKED AND INCREASED TO 40KT...INDICATIVE OF A STILL FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL H7/H5 TROF TO PASS THRU CWA THRU 09Z. POCKETS OF CU NR JMS ALONG FRONTAL ZONE CURRENTLY GETTING A LITTLE AGITATED AS UPR FORCING ARRIVES. THINK AS THE FRONT MOVES INTO WRN MN 22Z-00Z...SCT TSRA WL DVLP...AND WITH COLD H5 TEMPS (-16C) AND LOW WBZS (8500FT AGL)...HAIL WILL BE PREVALENT WITH ANY DECENT CELL. TSRA DVLPMNT ALSO SUPPORTED IN 18Z RUC BLOSSOMING OF DIFF THETA E ADV IN WRN MN IN LEFT EXIT OF JET STREAK. WL ALSO NEED TO WATCH SW FLANK OF CRNT RA BAND...AS EYEING THE VIS LOOP SHOWS PLENTY OF ISENTROPIC LIFT AS THAT STRENGTHENING LLVL FLO LIFTS UNSTABLE PARCELS OVER THE RAIN COOLED BL. COULD BE SOME ELEVATED HAILERS IN SW MN INTO CNTL MN WITH THIS AS WELL THRU LATE AFTN. ANOTHER BKN LINE OF TSRA SHUD TRAVERSE CWA THIS EVE WITH SCT SVR THREAT RAPIDLY DIMINISHING AS IT MOVS INTO ERN MN WITH LOSS OF INSTABILITY. STRENGTH OF SYS LIFT INVOLVED REQUIRES MAINTENANCE OF LIKELY POPS IN ERN 2/3 OF CWA...ONCE STORMS DVLOP AND BEGIN TO MOVE. HI PRES AND STRONG SUBSIDENCE ON IN RIGHT EXIT OF JET MOVS OVR TOMORROW WITH STRONG CONV-Q VECS IN ALL LVLS. LIKELY SOME HI BASED AFTN CU...AND MIXED ETA H85 TEMPS TO THE SFC FOR MAX TS...WHICH ENDED UP VRY CLOSE TO MOS. A REAL GEM OF A DAY. PLENTY OF UNCERTAINTY BEGINNING TUES INTO WED. GFS CONT TO INDICATE A MCV/CONV INDUCED VORT BLOSSOMING IN CO PLAINS ON TUE AND WORKING INTO CWA WED/WED NIGHT. CANT DECIDE WHETHER THIS IS REAL OR EVOULUTION OF SOME GRID SCALE FEEDBACK. WL HOLD ON POPS FOR NOW FOR WED...DESPITE GFSS PERSISTENCE WITH THIS FEATURE. TUES HAS MN IN SWODY3 SLGT RISK. NOT MUCH GOING FOR US AS FAR AS TSRAS...OTHER THAN A NOCTURNAL MCS TUES NIGHT IN SRN CAN WHICH MAY HOLD TOGETHER AS FALLS SOUTH VIA THE H8-H3 THICKNESSES INTO NRN CWA IN AFTN AMIDST MODEST WAA REGIME ARND CNTL PLAINS RIDGE. GFS/ETA DO LAY AN H85 THETA-E RIDGE ARND MID LVL RIDGE INTO CWA WITH PARAMETERS HI ENUF TO SUPPORT AT LEAST SCT CONVECTION...SO DREW SOME 30 POPS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS THETA-E/THICKNESS RIDGE. BUT AGAIN...LLVL MOISTURE IS PALTRY AND SHALLOW. WL BE WARMER WITH TEMPS FINALLY BACK INTO THE 80S. EXTENDED FORECAST...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY ALL LONG RANGE MODELS IN AGREEMENT RE UPCOMING TRANSITION FROM WRN RIDGE WITH WEAK SHORT WAVES ATOP RIDGE...MORE TO A SWLY FLOW REGIME. GFS SUGGESTS PHASING OR ARCTIC AND POLAR JETS WITH BROAD AND DEEP UPPER TROUGH DEVELOPING WELL SWD INTO THE NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL STATES...WHILE UKMET AND ECMWF KEEP JETS SOMEWHAT DISTINCT AND THUS BROAD UPPER TROUGH REMAINS IN CANADA...BUT WITH VARIOUS SHORT WAVES MOVING TOWARD MN IN UPPER SWLY FLOW. AM QUITE SKEPTICAL OF THE PHASING INDICATED ON THE GFS. ECMWF AND UKMET IN GENERAL AGREEMENT... THOUGH SOME MINOR DISAGREEMENT RE HOW QUICKLY THE SHORT WAVES APPROACH MN AND WI. WILL GO FOR CHC POPS BEGINNING FRIDAY AND CONTINUING INTO SUNDAY...BUT WILL NEED TO MONITOR IN CASE SYSTEM TRANSLATES EWD AT A FASTER CLIP. && MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...NONE. WI...NONE. && BINAU/KRAUSE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 100 PM CDT SUN AUG 29 2004 MNZ041>043-047>050-054>058-064-065-073-300100- BENTON-CHIPPEWA-DOUGLAS-KANDIYOHI-LAC QUI PARLE-MEEKER-MORRISON-POPE- REDWOOD-RENVILLE-STEARNS-STEVENS-SWIFT-TODD-YELLOW MEDICINE- 100 PM CDT SUN AUG 29 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL... WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A SMALL AREA OF SHOWERS DURING MIDDAY WILL GIVE WAY TO PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON. THE FILTERED SUNSHINE WILL HEAT UP THE ATMOSPHERE...AND WITH A COLD FRONT MOVING IN...A FEW STORMS WILL LIKELY BECOME SEVERE. LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS ARE POSSIBLE. HOWEVER...THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE THAT ONE OF THE STORMS COULD PRODUCE A TORNADO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND TUESDAY NIGHT. A WARM AIRMASS IS FORECAST TO BUILD INTO THE NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS STATES. INSTABILITY ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF THIS WARMER AIR IS FORECAST TO TRIGGER STORMS...AND A FEW STORMS COULD PRODUCE STRONG WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. WIZ015-016-025>028-300100- BARRON-CHIPPEWA-DUNN-EAU CLAIRE-PEPIN-RUSK- 100 PM CDT SUN AUG 29 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. MNZ044-045-051>053-059>063-066>070-074>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014- 023-024-300100- ANOKA-BLUE EARTH-BROWN-CARVER-CHISAGO-DAKOTA-FARIBAULT-FREEBORN- GOODHUE-HENNEPIN-ISANTI-KANABEC-LE SUEUR-MARTIN-MCLEOD-MILLE LACS- NICOLLET-PIERCE-POLK-RAMSEY-RICE-SCOTT-SHERBURNE-SIBLEY-ST CROIX- STEELE-WASECA-WASHINGTON-WATONWAN-WRIGHT- 100 PM CDT SUN AUG 29 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN MINNESOTA AND A SMALL PART OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND TUESDAY NIGHT. A WARM AIRMASS IS FORECAST TO BUILD INTO THE NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS STATES. INSTABILITY ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF THIS WARMER AIR IS FORECAST TO TRIGGER STORMS...AND A FEW STORMS COULD PRODUCE STRONG WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 175 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:45 UTC.
2 tornado, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
An off-duty police officer witnessed a brief touchdown of a tornado near the intersection of county routes 11 and 14. No damage was reported.
An off-duty emergency manager witnessed a brief touchdown of a tornado 3 miles south of Browerville, 1/2 mile east of Highway 71. No damage was reported.
The hail swath was one mile wide and went from Browerville eastward into Morrison County.
The hail swath that began in Browerville in Todd County continued eastward into Morrison County. It was located as far east as 4 miles southwest of Randall, but may have continued beyond this location.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Minnesota, 2004Warnings in Minnesota, August 2004
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: 5418739, 5418740, 5418741, 5418821.