9 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 2 funnel cloud, 1 heavy rain, 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 May 8, 1:15 PM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 215 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 2005 .DISCUSSION... AWIPS BASED 0-3 KM VGP VALUES EXCEEDING .26 AT 1900Z PUTTING WESTERN CWA UNDER THE TOR RISK AS PER TOR WATCH 232. 0-6 KM SHEAR CERTAINLY FAVORING SUPERCELLS OUT WEST... 0-1 KM SHEAR IS QUITE WEAK BUT MAY INCREASE INTO THE EVENING HOURS. FOCUS FOR CONVECTIVE INITIATION EXPECTED TO BE WEST AND SOUTHWEST OF OUR CWA...THEN THESE STORMS SHOULD ROLL ACROSS WESTERN CWA THIS EVENING. OVER REST OF OUR CWA...850 MB MOIST FLUX DIVERGENCE THIS AFTERNOON HAS LARGELY SUPPRESSED CONVECTION. THE 850 MB MOIST FLUX DIVERGENCE REVERSES SIGN TONIGHT AS THE LOW LEVEL JET REDEVELOPS TONIGHT. THIS SHOULD INTERACT WITH THE ELEVATED INSTABILITY TONIGHT...TO FAVOR MUCH MORE WIDESPREAD CONVECTION...HOWEVER THE 12Z NAM MODEL STABILIZES THE ELEVATED CONVECTION OVERNIGHT...SO THINK LIKELY POPS FOR TONIGHT ARE ENOUGH. AS UPPER LOW MEANDERS EAST NORTHEASTWARD INTO MN FROM THE DAKOTAS ...FORCING FAVORS MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT...BUT DRIER AIR SHOULD LIMIT PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL MONDAY NIGHT...ALL BUT FAR NORTHERN CWA. PREVIOUS GRIDS IN AGREEMENT WITH LATEST GFS AND NAM IN TERMS OF DRYING PATTERN FOR TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. AGAIN THE 12Z NAM/GFS SUPPORT THE NEXT CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION WITH THE SHORT WAVE APPROACHING US ON WEDNESDAY. CHANGES TO THE GRIDS IN THE TEMPERATURE DEPARTMENT WERE TO RAISE MINS TONIGHT AND MAXES MONDAY BASED ON ADVECTION...AND FOR MONDAY NIGHT BASED ON TRAJECTORY. LEFT READINGS ALONG BEYOND THAT FOR THE REST OF THE SHORT TERM...THROUGH WEDNESDAY. LONGER TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY LATEST GFS RUN CONTINUES TO SHOW A BLOCKY LOOKING PATTERN ACROSS NORTH AMERICA DURING THIS PERIOD. INITIALLY...THE PATTERN LOOKS LIKE A REX BLOCK WITH A TRANSITION TO MORE OF AN OMEGA STRUCTURE BY THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD AS THE SOUTHERN TROUGH SHEARS OUT. THE MAIN FEATURE TO FOCUS ON FOR THE MPX CWA IS THE ARRIVAL OF SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT FOR PRECIPITATION TIMING. THE GFS BRINGS IN SOUTHWEST FLOW LATE WEDNESDAY AND KEEPS THIS INTO SATURDAY MORNING. HOWEVER...WITH THE TROUGH SHEARING OUT AND DROPPING MEAN RH VALUES...WE ARE CARRYING PRECIPITATION FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY AND GOING DRY FOR THE WEEKEND. VERY LITTLE CHANGES MADE TO TEMPERATURE GRIDS. && .MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... .MN...NONE. .WI...NONE. && RJN/WET
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 1145 AM CDT SUN MAY 8 2005 MNZ041-047-048-054>057-064-065-073-074-091100- BROWN-CHIPPEWA-DOUGLAS-KANDIYOHI-LAC QUI PARLE-POPE-REDWOOD-RENVILLE- STEVENS-SWIFT-YELLOW MEDICINE- 1145 AM CDT SUN MAY 8 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER SOUTH DAKOTA WILL BE BRINGING BACK MORE UNSTABLE AIR INTO THE AREA BY AFTERNOON. AS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES CLOSER TO THE AREA...ALONG WITH AFTERNOON HEATING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE. ALTHOUGH THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS IS LIKELY TO BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...A FEW TORNADOES CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE IN THE FORECAST AGAIN FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY BUT ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME...ALTHOUGH ISOLATED SEVERE HAIL REPORTS WILL BE POSSIBLE. ADDITIONAL MODERATE RAINFALL COULD ALSO CAUSE LOCALIZED URBAN... STREAM...AND LOWLAND FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. MNZ042>045-049>053-058>063-066>070-075>078-082>085-091>093- WIZ014>016-023>028-091100- ANOKA-BARRON-BENTON-BLUE EARTH-CARVER-CHIPPEWA-CHISAGO-DAKOTA-DUNN- EAU CLAIRE-FARIBAULT-FREEBORN-GOODHUE-HENNEPIN-ISANTI-KANABEC- LE SUEUR-MARTIN-MCLEOD-MEEKER-MILLE LACS-MORRISON-NICOLLET-PEPIN- PIERCE-POLK-RAMSEY-RICE-RUSK-SCOTT-SHERBURNE-SIBLEY-ST CROIX-STEARNS- STEELE-TODD-WASECA-WASHINGTON-WATONWAN-WRIGHT- 1145 AM CDT SUN MAY 8 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT AS LOW PRESSURE OVER THE DAKOTAS PUSHES TOWARD WESTERN MINNESOTA. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT...BUT ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IS CONTINUING THE SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ON MONDAY. THE LOW PRESSURE TROUGH WILL BE PASSING OVER THE AREA ON MONDAY...AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP MAY BECOME SEVERE IN THE AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS ARE IN THE FORECAST AGAIN FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY BUT ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME...ALTHOUGH ISOLATED SEVERE HAIL REPORTS WILL BE POSSIBLE. ADDITIONAL MODERATE RAINFALL COULD ALSO CAUSE LOCALIZED URBAN... STREAM...AND LOWLAND FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 148 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 2005 MNZ041-047>048-054>056-064-073-090200- CHIPPEWA MN-DOUGLAS MN-LAC QUI PARLE MN-POPE MN-REDWOOD MN- STEVENS MN-SWIFT MN-YELLOW MEDICINE MN- ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH 232 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT FOR THE FOLLOWING AREA... IN MINNESOTA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 8 COUNTIES IN SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA REDWOOD... IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA CHIPPEWA... DOUGLAS... LAC QUI PARLE... POPE... STEVENS... SWIFT... YELLOW MEDICINE... THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...GRANITE FALLS...MORRIS... ALEXANDRIA...MADISON...BENSON...REDWOOD FALLS... MONTEVIDEO AND GLENWOOD.
The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 152 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:13 UTC.
9 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 2 funnel cloud, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy downpours flooded small creeks and low lying farm fields.
A wind gust of 59 MPH was recorded by a spotter just outside of town. Small trees were downed in the vicinity.
A trained spotter reported penny sized hail.
A deputy sheriff reported nickel sized hail.
A deputy sheriff reported quarter sized hail.
Hail up to 2 inches in diameter fell in a band beginning 2 miles north and ½ mile west of Haydenville and continued northeast for 5 miles to just south of Bellingham. A storm chaser just south of Bellingham said that the 2 inch diameter hail covered the road. Storm chasers also reported 1.75 inch diameter hail 3 miles south of Bellingham and 1.50 inch diameter hail in Bellingham.
The roof of a pole barn (228'x70') was blown off and tossed southeast of the structure.
A storm chaser videotaped a brief touchdown of a weak tornado in an open field. This tornado was also witnessed by law enforcement.
A medium sized tree was downed in addition to a few branches. The downed tree broke a window.
A storm chaser videotaped a brief touchdown of a weak tornado in an open field.
A deputy sheriff reported penny sized hail.
Scattered trees were downed.
A tornado touched down on Highway 21 just west of Mazaska Lake. It knocked over several dozen trees then started crossing the lake at a boat ramp. It tracked for one mile and dissipated just as it got to shore, where it knocked down one more tree. The tornado was witnessed by two Sheriff's Department water patrol officers.
A trailer was tipped over. A 6'x10'x4' air conditioning unit on top of a grocery store was rolled along the roof. A tree and picnic table at a nearby gas station was damaged and a sign on another store was blown off.
Six inch branches were downed.
Several trees were downed.
An ambulance driver reported a funnel cloud at the Rice and Dakota County line.
Several trees were downed.
Spotters reported a funnel cloud near Highway 52 via HAM radio.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Minnesota, 2005Warnings in Minnesota, May 2005
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: 5446023, 5446024, 5446026, 5446025, 5446027, 5446028, 5446303, 5446689, 5446692, 5446690, 5446691, 5446693, 5446694, 5446695, 5446696, 5446697, 5446698, 5446699, 5446703, 5446700, 5446704, 5446701, 5446702.