Thunderstorms developed near a warm front situated along the Canadian border, while a cold front extended southward through central Minnesota. Some storms became severe in the late afternoon and produced large hail.
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 episode as NWS DLH wrote it up.
Thunderstorms developed near a warm front situated along the Canadian border, while a cold front extended southward through central Minnesota. Some storms became severe in the late afternoon and produced large hail. A waterspout touched down on Leech Lake and traveled approximately four miles in a northeasterly direction before dissipating.
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 May 25, 3:20 PM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...MESOSCALE UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 420 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008 .MESOSCALE UPDATE CONCERNING SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL FROM THE BRAINERD LAKES REGION EASTWARD TO NORTHWEST WISCONSIN... CONVERGENCE ALONG PACIFIC FRONT/DYLINE LOCATED FROM LAKE OF THE WOODS SOUTHWARD TO JUST WEST OF WILLMAR CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN.. WITH NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS AT SUSTAINED DEEP CONVECTION JUST TO THE WEST OF THE DLH WESTERN CWA BORDER. HOWEVER..THUS FAR..THESE UPDRAFTS HAVE APPARENTLY NOT BEEN ABLE TO BECOME WELL-ROOTED INTO THE NEAR-SURFACE LAYER..DESPITE SEVERAL STRONG UPDRAFT PULSES. DEEP LAYER SHEAR VECTORS ARE ORIENTED AT ABOUT A 70 DEGREE ANGLE TO THE BOUNDARY..WHICH WOULD TYPICALLY FAVOR DISCRETE STORM MODE..BUT THUS FAR..STORM ORGANIZATION APPEARS TO BE LACKING. THERE IS ALSO SOME QUESTION REGARDING HOW FAR EAST THE SEVERE THREAT WILL EXIST AT LEAST THRU 6 PM..AS VIZ SAT IMAGERY STILL INDICATES STABLE ROLL CLOUDS TO THE NORTHEAST OF I94. IN ADDITION..THE TWO BEST STORMS THUS FAR IN TERMS OF LONGEVITY AND STRUCTURE HAVE BEEN LEFT MOVERS..SUGGESTING THAT HODOGRAPHS IN THIS AREA POSSESS SOME ANTI-CYCLONIC CURVATURE. AT LEAST IN THE SHORT TERM..THE PRIMARY SEVERE THREAT IN AREAS FROM LAKE WINNIBIGOSHISH SOUTHWARD TO THE BRAINERD LAKES AREA APPEARS TO BE LARGE HAIL WITH A SOMEWHAT LESSER THREAT OF DAMAGING WINDS..AS LEFT MOVERS ARE TYPICALLY PROLIFIC HAIL PRODUCERS..SUPPORTED BY RECENT REPORT OF NEAR GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL FROM SMALL LEFT MOVING CORE JUST NW OF LEECH LAKE. MEANWHILE..VERY SIGNIFICANT SEVERE THREAT APPEARS TO BE FOCUSSING ALONG AND JUST NORTH OF NORTHWARD RETREATING OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM MORNING CONVECTION THAT EXTENDS FROM THE NW SUBURBS OF THE MSP METRO AREA..EASTWARD INTO WCENT WI. INTENSE SUPERCELL HAS DEVELOPED OVER WRIGHT COUNTY AT THE LEADING EDGE OF STRONG DRY PUNCH INTO SW MN WHERE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY INTERSECTS THE ADVANCING DRYLINE. AT THIS TIME..THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY REMAINS SOUTH OF BURNETT/WASHBURN/SAWYER/ PHILLIPS COUNTIES..BUT LATEST SHORT RANGE MODEL GUIDANCE IS STILL INSISTENT THAT THE OFB WILL RETREAT NWD BY 00-02Z..ALLOWING MUCH MORE ROBUST SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY TO SURGE NWD INTO THE AFOREMENTIONED AREAS. IF THIS DOES IN FACT TRANSPIRE..A MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL EXIST BETWEEN 6-9 PM. HOWEVER..ANOTHER POSSIBLE SCEANRIO IS FOR ADDITIONAL STORMS TO THE WEST OF THE EXISTING SUPERCELL TO MERGE AND DEVELOP INTO AN MCS WHICH WOULD THEN LIKELY PROPAGATE ESEWD..AND REMAIN MAINLY SOUTH OF THE DULUTH CWA IN NW WI. MILLER && .DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...NONE. WI...NONE. LS...NONE.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 1149 AM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008 MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-006>009-261700- 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- 1149 AM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS IS A VERY VOLATILE SITUATION AND EVERYONE SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE WEATHER VIA YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF WEATHER...OR KEEP YOUR ALL HAZARD WEATHER RADIO IN ALERT MODE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. LSZ121-140>148-261700- 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- 1149 AM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS IS A VERY VOLATILE SITUATION AND EVERYONE SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE WEATHER VIA YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF WEATHER...OR KEEP YOUR ALL HAZARD WEATHER RADIO IN ALERT MODE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS IS A VERY VOLATILE SITUATION AND EVERYONE SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE WEATHER VIA YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF WEATHER...OR KEEP YOUR ALL HAZARD WEATHER RADIO IN ALERT MODE. CLC
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
1200 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1159 AM HAIL 4 S GRANTSBURG 45.72N 92.68W
05/25/2008 M0.75 INCH BURNETT WI AMATEUR RADIO
&&
CCHRISTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
103 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0100 PM HAIL 1 N SPOONER 45.84N 91.89W
05/25/2008 E0.88 INCH WASHBURN WI TRAINED SPOTTER
NICKEL-SIZED HAIL.
0100 PM HAIL SPOONER 45.82N 91.89W
05/25/2008 M0.88 INCH WASHBURN WI TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
BETTWYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
137 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0136 PM HAIL 8 E HAYWARD 46.01N 91.31W
05/25/2008 M0.75 INCH SAWYER WI AMATEUR RADIO
&&
CCHRISTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
319 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0255 PM HAIL 11 SW MERCER 46.05N 90.22W
05/25/2008 M0.75 INCH IRON WI TRAINED SPOTTER
CEDAR COVE CABINS.
&&
BETTWYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
319 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0250 PM HAIL 9 SW MERCER 46.05N 90.18W
05/25/2008 M0.75 INCH IRON WI TRAINED SPOTTER
CEDAR COVE CABINS.
&&
BETTWYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
529 PM CDT SUN MAY 25 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0325 PM HAIL FIFIELD 45.88N 90.42W
05/25/2008 M0.75 INCH PRICE WI TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
CCHRISTThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A waterspout touched down on the south end of Leech Lake and travelled northeast for ten minutes before dissipating.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Minnesota, 2008Warnings in Minnesota, May 2008
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: 105605, 105602, 105603, 105604.