3 lightning, 3 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 Sep 13, 12:50 PM CST, 7 hours 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 150 PM CDT MON SEP 13 2004 .DISCUSSION...MODELS ARE FINALLY COMING INTO LINE OR AGREEMENT WITH PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL AND DEVELOPMENT OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. TSRA WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY THIS EVENING...AND SLIDE EAST INTO EAST CENTRAL MN AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN LATER TONIGHT. SHORTWAVE TROUGH/UPPER LOW OVR SOUTHERN CANADA INTO EASTERN ROCKIES...WILL LIFT NORTHEAST WITH TRAILING TROUGH LAGGING BACK OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS INTO TUESDAY. CDFNT/FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDING FROM NORTHWEST MN INTO SE COLORADO...WILL SLOWLY ADVANCE EAST OVERNIGHT INTO NORTHWEST WI AND SOUTH CNTRL MN...BEFORE EVENTUALLY STALLING OUT...AS IT ATTEMPTS TO PUSH INTO THE MASSIVE RIDGE OVER THE EASTERN SECTION OF THE NATION. SURFACE LOW FORECAST TO LIFT NORTHEAST DURING THE DAY TUESDAY WILL LIKELY INCREASE OR CONTINUE THE THREAT OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND EAST OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. SECONDARY TROUGH/700 MB SHORTWAVE REKINDLE MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY OVER MUCH OF THE CWA. BEST POPS CONFINED OVER SOUTHEAST SECTION OF OUR CWA. EXTENDED FORECAST...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY DGEX AND GFS RUNS INDICATE MORE OF A ZONAL FLOW ALOFT THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. A DEEP TROUGH IS PROGGED TO SPREAD INTO THE WESTERN U.S. LATE NEXT WEEKEND WITH RIDGING DEVELOPING OVER THE UPPER MS VALLEY. THIS TREND WOULD FAVOR DRY CONDITIONS AND WARMING AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE PERIOD. && MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...NONE. WI...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 506 AM CDT MON SEP 13 2004 MNZ041>045-047>070-073>076-082-WIZ014>016-023-027-141006- ANOKA-BARRON-BENTON-BROWN-CARVER-CHIPPEWA-CHISAGO-DAKOTA-DOUGLAS- HENNEPIN-ISANTI-KANABEC-KANDIYOHI-LAC QUI PARLE-LE SUEUR-MCLEOD- MEEKER-MILLE LACS-MORRISON-NICOLLET-POLK-POPE-RAMSEY-REDWOOD- RENVILLE-RUSK-SCOTT-SHERBURNE-SIBLEY-ST CROIX-STEARNS-STEVENS-SWIFT- TODD-WASHINGTON-WATONWAN-WRIGHT-YELLOW MEDICINE- 506 AM CDT MON SEP 13 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA INTO WESTERN WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL CAUSE SURFACE WINDS TO GUST IN THE 30 TO 40 MPH RANGE ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA TODAY. WINDS WILL DECREASE SOMEWHAT DURING THE AFTERNOON IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA AS THE FRONT REACHES THE WESTERN MINNESOTA BORDER. IN ADDITION...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE ADVANCING COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN WESTERN MINNESOTA. THEY WILL SPREAD INTO EASTERN MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. HOWEVER...THE ATMOSPHERE IS FAVORABLE ENOUGH FOR A TORNADO THREAT MAINLY IN WESTERN MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO STALL AS IT MOVES ACROSS SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN. THUS...ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY...MAINLY SOUTH FROM THE TWIN CITIES TO REDWOOD FALLS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. MNZ077-078-083>085-091>093-WIZ024>026-028-141006- BLUE EARTH-DUNN-EAU CLAIRE-FARIBAULT-FREEBORN-GOODHUE-MARTIN-PEPIN- PIERCE-RICE-STEELE-WASECA- 506 AM CDT MON SEP 13 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND A PORTION OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL CAUSE SURFACE WINDS TO GUST IN THE 30 TO 40 MPH RANGE ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA TODAY. IN ADDITION...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE ADVANCING COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON IN WESTERN MINNESOTA. THEY WILL SPREAD INTO SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. HOWEVER...THE ATMOSPHERE IS FAVORABLE ENOUGH FOR A TORNADO THREAT MAINLY WEST OF MANKATO THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO STALL AS IT MOVES ACROSS SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN. THUS...ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. HOWEVER...THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE HEAVY RAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. BAP
The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 124 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:52 UTC.
3 lightning, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a pickup truck on Highway 65. The driver, a 22-year-old man, was stunned by the bolt. He was found shaking and somewhat incoherent but quickly recovered.
A 71 MPH wind gust was recorded by an automated weather sensor at a school.
A few trees were downed.
A home on Garden Street suffered electrical damage after a lightning strike.
A few trees were downed.
A residence on South Jefferson Street suffered damage to a tree, transformer, doorbell, and front door after lightning struck.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, September 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: 5421976, 5421977, 5421978, 5421979, 5421980, 5421981.