Severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through September, even though precipitation was near normal for the Arrowhead Region.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 episode as NWS DLH wrote it up.
Severe (D2) drought conditions persisted through September, even though precipitation was near normal for the Arrowhead Region.
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 Aug 31, 11:30 PM CST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 1230 AM CDT WED SEP 1 2010 .AVIATION...UPDATE FOR 06Z TAFS HIGH PRESS MOVG INTO THE REGION OVNGT WILL BRING LIGHTER WINDS...BUT MID/HIGH CLD DECK WILL REMAIN OVR MUCH OF THE AREA THRU THE NGT. EXPECT VFR CONDS EXCEPT FOR PSBL BRIEF IFR IN FG EARLY WED MRNG. CLD COVER AND LOWER DWPTS WILL RETARD FG FORMATION...LIGHT WINDS WILL BE CONDUCIVE. HYR MOST LIKELY LOCATION FOR FG DUE TO RAIN THAT FELL THERE THIS EVE. SE WINDS RETURN BY LATE WED AFTN AS HIGH CENTER MOVES TO THE E. THIS WILL ALLOW NEXT WEA SYSTEM TO APPROACH WRN AREAS WITH INCRSG MID CLDS BY END OF TAF PD. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 940 PM CDT TUE AUG 31 2010/ UPDATE...FOR ZFP NO MAJ CHGS. UPDATED CLDS/POPS/WEA CONSISTENT WITH CURRENT RADAR/SATL TRENDS. OVNGT LOWS STILL LOOK OK. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 624 PM CDT TUE AUG 31 2010/ AVIATION...UPDATE FOR 00Z TAFS CFNT HAS PASSED TAF SITES...BUT STILL CLOSE ENUF TO HYR TO JUSTIFY VCTS FOR A FEW MORE HRS. AFT THAT WINDS SHUD CONT VEERING TO W OR NW AND DECREASING AS HIGH PRESS PUSHES IN FROM THE W. DEW PTS 10-20 DEG LOWER BEHIND FNT AND THERE SHUD STILL BE SOME MID CLDS ARND EARLY WED MRNG...SO FG SHUD NOT BE A BIG ISSUE...ALTHO DID BRING A FEW HRS OF IFR VSBY INTO HIB/HYR WHICH ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FG UNDER LGT WIND CONDS. MOS GUIDANCE HINTING AT THIS AS WELL. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 345 PM CDT TUE AUG 31 2010/ DISCUSSION...MAIN FOCUS FOR TONIGHT IS CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL. THE COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO MARCH EASTWARD ACROSS THE CWA THIS AFTERNOON...AND WAS LOCATED ACROSS NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA. DEWPOINTS BEHIND THE FRONT WERE DROPPING QUICKLY INTO THE 50S...WITH DEWPOINTS NEAR 70 IN MUCH OF NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN. THE MAIN FOCUS FOR THE EVENING WILL BE FRONTAL TO PRE-FRONTAL THUNDERSTORMS...NAMELY ACROSS THE MINNESOTA ARROWHEAD...EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN. CONVECTIVE PARAMETERS ARE FAIRLY FAVORABLE ACROSS NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN ESPECIALLY...ALTHOUGH CONVERGENCE IS FAIRLY MINIMAL IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRONT AND THE FRONT WAS WASHING OUT. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE PROGRESSING ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL MN...WITH SPOTTY SHOWERS SOUTH AND WEST OF THE CWA. THINK THE MAIN RAIN AREA OVERNIGHT WILL BE NW WI...AS THE PRECIPITATION TO THE SOUTH MOVES INTO THAT AREA. THE 12Z AND 18Z MODEL SETS GENERALLY AGREE ON THIS...WITH THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THEN DECREASING FROM WEST TO EAST AS THE NIGHT WEARS ON AND DRIER AIR MOVES IN. WEDNESDAY SHOULD BE PRETTY QUIET...AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN. THE REPRIEVE WILL BE SHORT-LIVED THOUGH...AS THE NEXT SYSTEM PROGRESSES FROM THE DAKOTAS INTO MN BY WEDNESDAY EVENING. WILL HIT OUR SW AREAS THE HARDEST AS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND SURFACE LOW PRESSURE LIFT INTO WESTERN MN OVERNIGHT. THE ASSOCIATED SHORTWAVE TAKES ON MORE OF A NEGATIVE TILT ON THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT...SO HAVE GONE WITH FAIRLY HIGH POPS. HAVE RAISED POPS INTO THE LIKELY CATEGORY FOR THE WHOLE CWA DURING MUCH OF THIS TIME AS THE SYSTEM TAKES ON THE NEGATIVE TILT AND THEN DIGS AS A CLOSED LOW OVER THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES. TEMPERATURES WILL BE BELOW NORMAL DURING THIS TIME DUE TO THE COOL AIR PUSHING IN FROM THE NORTH AND THE CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION. EXTENDED...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. THE BASE OF AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL BE OVER THE GREAT LAKES ON FRIDAY NIGHT. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR THE PROGRESSION OF THIS TROUGH AXIS AS THE NORTHERN PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA MAY SEE MORE EXTENSIVE CLOUDINESS IF IT LINGERS LONGER THAN EXPECTED. NORTHWEST WINDS IN THE WAKE OF THE TROUGH WILL BE OVER THE NORTHLAND THIS UPCOMING HOLIDAY WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR NORMAL THROUGH THE PERIOD...THOUGH SOME LOW TEMPERATURES EARLY SUNDAY MORNING MAY DROP INTO THE UPPER 30S OVER THE IRON RANGE AND NORTHERN PARTS OF THE ARROWHEAD. THE NEXT CHANCE OF SHOWERS WILL BE ENTERING THE REGION LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND LINGER INTO TUESDAY AS A MORE WESTERLY FLOW DEVELOPS ALOFT. AVIATION.../18Z TAF ISSUANCE/ CURRENT MVFR CIGS AT MOST LOCATIONS WILL LIFT AND SCATTER AS A COLD FRONT MOVING OVER WESTERN MINNESOTA WILL PUSH EASTWARD. THE FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH INL AND BRD BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON FOR INL AND BRD AND LATER THIS EVENING FOR HYR. PRECIPITATION AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL BE LIMITED TO SOME LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE THROUGH MID AFTERNOON AT DLH. INCLUDED A VCTS FOR HYR BEGINNING LATE THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THE FRONT. SKIES GRADUALLY CLEAR AND WINDS COME OUT OF THE NORTHWEST BEHIND THE FRONT AFTER 06Z. && .POINT TEMPS/POPS... DLH 74 54 65 50 / 10 50 60 60 INL 74 50 65 48 / 10 50 70 60 BRD 76 58 70 52 / 10 60 50 20 HYR 77 54 71 54 / 10 50 60 50 ASX 76 54 71 53 / 10 30 60 60 && .DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...NONE. WI...NONE. LS...NONE. && AVIATION...04
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 948 PM CDT TUE AUG 31 2010 MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-006>009-011030- 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- 948 PM CDT TUE AUG 31 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA AND NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT IN NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN. THEY ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...AND AGAIN MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TONIGHT. LSZ121-140>148-011030- 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- 948 PM CDT TUE AUG 31 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE TONIGHT OVER THE WISCONSIN NEARSHORE WATERS EAST OF PORT WING. THEY SHOULD NOT BE SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...AND AGAIN MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. 04 MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESS: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DULUTH (ALL LOWER CASE)
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, September 2010
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: 261612, 261613.