Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, June 12, 2008

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, June 12, 2008
Start: 2008-06-12T18:45
End: 2008-06-12T23:15
Location: Minnesota

June 12, 2008 · NWS DLH · 12 events in 5 counties and zones

Thunderstorms developed in western Minnesota and moved east through northeastern Minnesota during the evening and into the late night hours. The thunderstorms produced strong winds and some hail.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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 DLH wrote it up.

Thunderstorms developed in western Minnesota and moved east through northeastern Minnesota during the evening and into the late night hours. The thunderstorms produced strong winds and some hail.

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 Duluth, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 12, 1:11 PM CST, 5 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 12, 1:11 PM CST, 5 hours 34 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
211 PM CDT THU JUN 12 2008

.DISCUSSION...
FULLY OCCLUDED SFC SYSTEM POSITIONED JUST N OF MT/ND/CN BORDER AND
MOVG VERY SLOWLY TO THE NE. LOLVL MSTR AND TRIGGER MECHANISM
LACKING...BUT -20 500 MB TEMPS AND AFTN HTG IN DRY SLOT WILL
RESULT IN RAPID DESTABILIZATION LATE AFTN/EVE...SO SLGT RISK IS
RSNBL. CU FIELD ALREADY FORMING. SEE SWODY1 DISC FOR MORE INFO.
SOME POPS WILL PERSIST THRU FRI AS UPR LOW SLOWLY SLIDES AWAY. AFT
A BRIEF PD OF WEAK RIDGING...SEVERAL OTHER S/WVS SHOOT ACRS BORDER
COUNTRY OVR THE WEEKEND...AFFECTING MAINLY THE NRN PART OF OUR
CWA. MODELS STILL DEPICT AMPLIFYING UPR LVL RIDGE OVR MIDWEST NXT
WEEK. GFS STILL STRONGER WITH THIS RIDGE THAN ECMWF...BUT IDEA IS
THE SAME. TIMING OF PRECIP IN RETURN FLOW ON BACK SIDE OF SFC HIGH
LATER NXT WEEK A BIT UNCERTAIN. KEPT TUE-THU PD DRY FOR NOW.

&&

.AVIATION...
DRY SLOT FROM DEEP SFC LOW OVER SE  SASK HAS SWEPT ACROSS WRN 2/3 OF
CWA WITH VFR DOMINATING. AREA OF MVFR/IFR ACROSS ERN CWA...INCLUDING
HYR...IS ASSOCIATED WITH OCCLUDED FRONT. WITH UPPER LVL WINDS STILL
PARALLEL TO THIS FEATURE....EXPECT MVFR/IFR TO CONTINUE INTO THIS
EVENING BEFORE ANY IMPROVEMENT OCCURS. WITH COLD AIR ALOFT AND SFC
HEATING...MAY SEE SCT RW/TRW THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING ALTHOUGH POPS
ARE LOW IN ANY ONE LOCATION. DLH TERMINAL FCST IS TRICKY AS MARINE
LAYER MAY TRY TO REDEVELOP/DEEPEN OVER AREA THIS EVENING ONCE
MECHANICAL MIXING FROM DAYTIME HEATING DISSIPATES. HAVE INCLUDED
TEMPO FOR LIFR AFTER MIDNIGHT. UPPER LOW WILL MOVE TOWARDS REGION
TONIGHT. HIGHEST CHANCE FOR MVFR/IFR WILL OCCUR NEAR INL EARLY
FRIDAY.

&&

POINT TEMPS/POPS...
DLH  48  68  46  67 /  20  20  20  30
INL  48  64  45  65 /  30  40  30  30
BRD  50  68  50  72 /  20  20  10  20
HYR  54  72  48  71 /  20  20  10  20
ASX  52  70  50  69 /  20  20  10  30

&&

.DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

MN...NONE.
WI...NONE.
LS...NONE.

04/CANNON

Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 12, 2:28 PM CST, 4 hours 17 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
328 PM CDT THU JUN 12 2008

MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-006>009-131030-
KOOCHICHING-NORTHERN ST. LOUIS-NORTHERN COOK/NORTHERN LAKE-
NORTHERN ITASCA-CENTRAL ST. LOUIS-SOUTHERN LAKE/LAKESHORE-
SOUTHERN COOK/LAKESHORE-NORTHERN CASS-SOUTHERN ITASCA-
SOUTHERN CASS-CROW WING-NORTHERN AITKIN-SOUTHERN AITKIN-
CARLTON/SOUTHERN ST. LOUIS-PINE-DOUGLAS-BAYFIELD-ASHLAND-IRON-
BURNETT-WASHBURN-SAWYER-PRICE-
328 PM CDT THU JUN 12 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA AND
NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT...MAINLY NORTH OF DULUTH. AN ISOLATED SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE LATE THIS EVENING. THE MAIN HAZARD WILL
BE LARGE HAIL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MIGHT BE NEEDED THIS EVENING.

LSZ121-140>148-131030-
BAYFIELD TO OAK POINT WI-GRAND PORTAGE TO GRAND MARAIS MN-
GRAND MARAIS TO TACONITE HARBOR MN-
TACONITE HARBOR TO SILVER BAY HARBOR MN-
SILVER BAY HARBOR TO TWO HARBORS MN-TWO HARBORS TO DULUTH MN-
DULUTH MN TO PORT WING WI-PORT WING TO SAND ISLAND WI-
SAND ISLAND TO BAYFIELD WI-OAK POINT TO SAXON HARBOR WI-
328 PM CDT THU JUN 12 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF
WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT...MAINLY NORTH OF DULUTH. AN ISOLATED SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM IS POSSIBLE LATE THIS EVENING. THE MAIN HAZARD WILL
BE LARGE HAIL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

04

The radar

The Duluth radar (KDLH), 184 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:46 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Cass

When: June 12, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Cass County, Walker
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 47.100, -94.600

Hail, Cass

When: June 12, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Cass County, 3 mi N of Walker
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 47.143, -94.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Crow Wing

When: June 12, 7:24 PM CST
Where: Crow Wing County, Brainerd
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 46.370, -94.200

Hail, Itasca

When: June 12, 7:25 PM CST
Where: Itasca County, 5 mi SW of Inger
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 47.499, -94.076

Thunderstorm Wind, Crow Wing

When: June 12, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Crow Wing County, 9 mi E of Brainerd
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.370, -94.011

Thunderstorm Wind, Crow Wing

When: June 12, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Crow Wing County, Cross Lake
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.670, -94.120

People were trapped in a campground due to numerous downed trees. Trees were also reported down in the Whitefish and Deerwood areas.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pine

When: June 12, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Pine County, 3 mi SE of Finlayson
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.169, -92.876

Several trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pine

When: June 12, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Pine County, Askov
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.180, -92.780

A few trees were uprooted.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When: June 12, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Cass County, 2.5 mi WSW of East Gull Lake
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.436, -94.428

Six very large red pine trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, St. Louis

When: June 12, 11:14 PM CST
Where: St. Louis County, Brookston
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.870, -92.600

Twenty trees were blown down. A shed was blown over and a greenhouse flattened by the strong winds.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cass

When: June 12, 11:15 PM CST
Where: Cass County, 1 mi NE of East Gull Lake Arpt
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.390, -94.355

Six trees were blown down across a road, and power outages were reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Crow Wing

When: June 12, 11:15 PM CST
Where: Crow Wing County, Cross Lake
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.670, -94.120

Trees were blown down.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Minnesota in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, June 2008

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: 119970, 119971, 119985, 119972, 119986, 119975, 119977, 119978, 119979, 119980, 119981, 119984.