Minnesota, 2008High Wind in Minnesota, October 26, 2008
October 26, 2008 · NWS MPX · 16 events in 16 counties and zones
A strong cold front whipped through Central and Southern Minnesota on this date. Strong Northwest winds behind the front were most prevalent across a portion of West Central and much of South Central Minnesota.
Every event with a place to put it; 16 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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- Floods
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 16
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.
A strong cold front whipped through Central and Southern Minnesota on this date. Strong Northwest winds behind the front were most prevalent across a portion of West Central and much of South Central Minnesota. Some of the highest gusts that occurred were: 58 knots five miles South of Marietta; 54 knots at Blue Earth, 53 knots in Hanley Falls; 52 knots in Fairmont; 50 knots at Redwood Falls; 49 knots in Alexandria; 48 knots at Morris, 48 knots in Glenwood.
High Wind, Lac Qui Parle
- When
- October 26, 6:30 AM CST to 1:30 PM CST
- Where
- Lac Qui Parle forecast zone
- Measured
- 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 44.996, -96.173 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Report of 58 knots occurred at MNDOT observation site, 5 S of Marietta. A gust to 51 knots was also reported from an AWOS site in Madison.
High Wind, Yellow Medicine
- When
- October 26, 7:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Yellow Medicine forecast zone
- Measured
- 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 44.716, -95.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind gust occurred in Hanley Falls at 1200 LST. Another gust to 49 knot was observed at Canby at 1132 CST, with a gust to 48 knots also recorded in Granite Falls at 0731 CST.
High Wind, Stevens
- When
- October 26, 7:30 AM CST to 2:30 PM CST
- Where
- Stevens forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 45.586, -96.000 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Brown
- When
- October 26, 7:30 AM CST to 1:30 PM CST
- Where
- Brown forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 44.242, -94.727 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Gust occurred at New Ulm at 0731 LST.
High Wind, Blue Earth
- When
- October 26, 7:30 AM CST to 1:30 PM CST
- Where
- Blue Earth forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 44.035, -94.067 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Watonwan
- When
- October 26, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Watonwan forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 43.978, -94.614 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Martin
- When
- October 26, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Martin forecast zone
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -94.551 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wind gust occurred at Fairmont at 0915 LST.
High Wind, Nicollet
- When
- October 26, 8:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Nicollet forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 44.350, -94.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Steele
- When
- October 26, 8:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Steele forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 44.022, -93.226 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Reported in Owatonna at 1117 LST.
High Wind, Swift
- When
- October 26, 8:30 AM CST to 1:30 PM CST
- Where
- Swift forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 45.283, -95.681 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Faribault
- When
- October 26, 9:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Faribault forecast zone
- Measured
- 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -93.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Reported at MNDOT observation in Blue Earth at 1101 LST.
High Wind, Chippewa
- When
- October 26, 9:30 AM CST to 1:30 PM CST
- Where
- Chippewa forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 45.022, -95.567 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Redwood
- When
- October 26, 9:30 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Redwood forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 44.404, -95.254 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Fifty knot gust occurred in Redwood Falls at 0710.
High Wind, Renville
- When
- October 26, 9:30 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
- Where
- Renville forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- ASOS
- Coordinates
- 44.727, -94.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Waseca
- When
- October 26, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Waseca forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 44.022, -93.587 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Reported at 1116 LST in Waseca.
High Wind, Freeborn
- When
- October 26, 12:00 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
- Where
- Freeborn forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- AWOS
- Coordinates
- 43.674, -93.349 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Reported in Albert Lea at 1115 LST.
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- High Wind in Iowa, October 26, 2008$3.5 million · 60 kt wind · 43 events
- High Wind in South Dakota, October 26, 2008$280,000 · 51 kt wind · 24 events
- High Wind in North Dakota, October 26, 2008$73,000 · 56 kt wind · 34 events
- High Wind in Iowa, October 26, 2008$45,000 · 11 events
- High Wind in Illinois, October 26, 20081 injured · $40,000 · 53 kt wind · 2 events
- Strong Wind in Wisconsin, October 26, 2008$36,000 · 12 events
- Damaging Winds in New York, October 26, 2008$44,000 · 52 kt wind · 4 events
- High Wind in Nebraska, October 26, 2008$22,000 · 57 kt wind · 11 events
- High Wind in South Dakota, October 26, 200863 kt wind · 26 events
- High Wind in Nebraska, October 26, 2008$15,000 · 64 kt wind · 14 events
- High Wind in Iowa, October 26, 200853 kt wind · 21 events
- High Wind in South Dakota, October 26, 200866 kt wind · 18 events
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 139354, 139357, 139352, 139359, 139651, 139360, 139361, 139650, 139653, 139353, 139362, 139355, 139358, 139649, 139652, 139654.