The evening of Sunday, July 17, a small complex of thunderstorms develop across southeast North Dakota, and moved into west-central Minnesota during the late evening and caused several areas of high winds (a measured wind gust of 53 mph occurred at Morris, Minnesota), with trees blown down southeast of Willmar. These storms tracked to the south and southeast before weakening in southwest…
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 MPX wrote it up.
The evening of Sunday, July 17, a small complex of thunderstorms develop across southeast North Dakota, and moved into west-central Minnesota during the late evening and caused several areas of high winds (a measured wind gust of 53 mph occurred at Morris, Minnesota), with trees blown down southeast of Willmar. These storms tracked to the south and southeast before weakening in southwest Minnesota after midnight.
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 Jul 17, 5:40 PM CST, 5 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED FOR 00Z TAFS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
640 PM CDT SUN JUL 17 2011
.DISCUSSION...ISSUED 343 PM CDT
MAIN FORECAST PROBLEM IN THE NEAR TERM...IS THE CONVECTIVE TREND
OVERNIGHT. REMAINS OF MCV IN THE SUBTROPICAL FLOW...THAT MOVED
OUT OF CO LAST NIGHT WAS MOVING THROUGH SOUTHERN MN AT MID
AFTERNOON. SEVERE COMPLEX OVER EASTERN ND AND NW MN WAS RIDING
ALONG THE +13 TO +14 ISOTHERM AT 700 MB. VERY HIGH PRECIPITABLE
WATER OF OVER 200 PCT OF NORMAL IN PLACE OVER THE AREA. IF THE NW
MN STORMS CAN INTERACT OR MERGE WITH THE SHOWERS AND STORMS OVER
EASTERN MN...WE COULD SEE SOME FLOODING PROBLEMS OVER EAST CENTRAL
MN AND WEST CENTRAL WI. IF THIS DOES NOT OCCUR...CHANCES WILL
DECREASE THAT THE NORTHERN MN ACTIVITY WILL BE MAINTAINED INTO THE
WARMER/PSEDU CAPPED ENVIRONMENT OVER SOUTHERN MN. THE DEEP
MOISTURE FEED IS STILL MAINTAINED OVERNIGHT OVER SOUTHERN MN
THOUGH. ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WATCH EARLIER FOR EASTERN AREAS...BUT
THIS COULD BE TRIMMED BACK EARLIER IF NEEDED.
THE REST OF THE FORECAST PROBLEMATIC AS WELL WITH A POSSIBLE
BOUNDARY LINGERING OVER THE AREA ON MONDAY. WE DO GET INTO MORE OF
MID LEVEL RIDGE LATER MONDAY SO PRECIP CHANCES SLIM WITH MID
LEVEL TEMPS GENERALLY ABOVE +13. WILL LEAVE THE SMALL CHANCES IN
OVER EASTERN AREAS. HEAT REMAINS IN PLACE BUT THERE IS SOME
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE EC AND GFS SUGGESTING THAT A STRONGER PUSH
OF THE 850 MB THERMAL RIDGE WILL TAKE PLACE ON WEDNESDAY. A COLD
FRONT MAY CROSS THE AREA ON THURSDAY WITH A SMALL CHANCE OF
STORMS...BUT THIS MAY BECOME STATIONARY OR PUSH BACK AS WARM FRONT
FRIDAY. THE MORE SIGNIFICANT COOLING WILL LIKELY BE LATER NEXT
WEEKEND.
&&
.AVIATION... /00Z TAF ISSUANCE/
ANOTHER RATHER CHALLENGING AVIATION FORECAST WITH BOTH CONVECTIVE
CONCERNS AND THEN ISSUES WITH FOG/STRATUS DEVELOPMENT OVERNIGHT.
AIRMASS REMAINS EXTREMELY STABLE...BUT WARM MID LVL TEMPERATURES
HAVE KEPT VIGOROUS CONVECTION TO OUR NORTH. SOME CONCERN IN THE
OVERNITE THAT CONVECTION COULD BEGIN TO DEVELOP SOUTH. MAY BE SOME
SIGN OF THAT ALREADY IN CNTL MN FROM NEAR AXN-STC WITH WAA ADIDING
DEVELOPMENT. FEEL THAT WITH TIME SHWRS/TSTMS WILL BCM MORE WDSPRD
IN CNTL MN AND BEGIN TO DVLP SE ALONG TKNS FIELD TWRD MSP AND WI TAF
SITES. CONVECTION ALSO MAKES TIMING OF FOG/STRATUS DVLPMT
PROBLEMATIC...BUT FEEL LATE TNGHT WILL LIKELY SEE IFR CONDS IN
STRATUS AND FOG AT AXN/STC AND THEN INTO WI TAF LOCATIONS.
KMSP...SHWRS/TSTMS DVLPG ACRS CNTL MN ARE SHOWING SOME SWRD
EXPANSION AS THEY BECOMES BETTER EST ACRS THAT AREA. FEEL THAT THEY
SHUD BE ABLE TO DVLP TWRD MSP ARND 05Z. BEST WINDOW FOR TSTMS FROM
05Z-09Z. WL LIKELY DVLP MVFR VSBYS IN FOG MAINLY AFTER PCPN ENDS
WITH MVFR VSBYS THRU MRNG.
&&
.MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MN...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING UNTIL 9 PM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR
ANOKA-BENTON- BLUE
EARTH-BROWN-CARVER-CHIPPEWA-CHISAGO-DAKOTA-DOUGLAS-
FARIBAULT-FREEBORN-GOODHUE-HENNEPIN-ISANTI-KANABEC-
KANDIYOHI-LAC QUI PARLE-LE SUEUR-MARTIN-MCLEOD-MEEKER-MILLE
LACS-MORRISON-NICOLLET-POPE-RAMSEY-REDWOOD-RENVILLE-RICE-
SCOTT-SHERBURNE-SIBLEY-STEARNS-STEELE-STEVENS-SWIFT-TODD-
WASECA-WASHINGTON-WATONWAN-WRIGHT-YELLOW MEDICINE.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR
ANOKA-BENTON-CARVER-
CHISAGO-DAKOTA-FREEBORN-GOODHUE-HENNEPIN-ISANTI-KANABEC-LE
SUEUR-MCLEOD-MEEKER-MILLE LACS-MORRISON-RAMSEY-RICE-SCOTT-
SHERBURNE-SIBLEY-STEARNS-STEELE-TODD-WASECA-WASHINGTON- WRIGHT.
WI...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING UNTIL 9 PM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR BARRON-
CHIPPEWA-DUNN-EAU CLAIRE-PEPIN-PIERCE-POLK-RUSK-ST. CROIX.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR BARRON-CHIPPEWA-
DUNN-EAU CLAIRE-PEPIN-PIERCE-POLK-RUSK-ST. CROIX.
&&
JPR/BAPHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 724 PM CDT SUN JUL 17 2011 MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028- 181100- DOUGLAS-TODD-MORRISON-MILLE LACS-KANABEC-STEVENS-POPE-STEARNS- BENTON-SHERBURNE-ISANTI-CHISAGO-LAC QUI PARLE-SWIFT-CHIPPEWA- KANDIYOHI-MEEKER-WRIGHT-HENNEPIN-ANOKA-RAMSEY-WASHINGTON- YELLOW MEDICINE-RENVILLE-MCLEOD-SIBLEY-CARVER-SCOTT-DAKOTA- REDWOOD-BROWN-NICOLLET-LE SUEUR-RICE-GOODHUE-WATONWAN-BLUE EARTH- WASECA-STEELE-MARTIN-FARIBAULT-FREEBORN-POLK-BARRON-RUSK- ST. CROIX-PIERCE-DUNN-PEPIN-EAU CLAIRE- 724 PM CDT SUN JUL 17 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA... AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT TEMPERATURES WILL ONLY DIP INTO THE 75 TO 80 DEGREE RANGE OVERNIGHT ALLOWING LITTLE OPPORTUNITY FOR NON-AIR-CONDITIONED BUILDINGS TO COOL. SEE THE LATEST EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING STATEMENT FOR MORE INFORMATION. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN TONIGHT. DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS. TORRENTIAL RAIN WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY ANY STORMS WHICH DEVELOP. FLASH FLOODING WILL BE A CONCERN ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN MINNESOTA INTO WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... MAINLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 94. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WOULD BE THE PRIMARY CONCERN WITH ANY STORMS WHICH DEVELOP. CHANCES INCREASE AGAIN FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA THROUGH WEDNESDAY... WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES MAINLY IN THE 90S... AND HEAT INDEX VALUES ABOVE 100 DEGREES. SEE THE LATEST EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING STATEMENT FOR MORE INFORMATION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
738 PM CDT SUN JUL 17 2011
WIZ016-180145-
RUSK-
738 PM CDT SUN JUL 17 2011
AT 732 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 18 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
GLIDDEN TO 4 MILES WEST OF LORETTA TO 3 MILES EAST OF SPOONER. THESE
STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
WINDS UP TO 50 MPH AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE
STORMS. THE STORMS SHOULD AFFECT NORTHERN RUSK COUNTY BETWEEN 745
PM CDT AND 9 PM CDT. IF THESE STORMS INTENSIFY...A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING MAY BE NEEDED FOR RUSK COUNTY.
* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
TONY.
LADYSMITH.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE
STORM TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.
&&
LAT...LON 4537 9068 4537 9076 4537 9091 4534 9091
4534 9093 4564 9148 4565 9127 4564 9068
4563 9067 4538 9067
TIME...MOT...LOC 0035Z 307DEG 33KT 4594 9028 4587 9091
4581 9181
CLFPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1028 PM CDT SUN JUL 17 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1008 PM TSTM WND GST MORRIS 45.59N 95.91W
07/17/2011 M53 MPH STEVENS MN AWOS
MEASURED AT MORRIS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT
&&
MKMSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1109 PM CDT SUN JUL 17 2011
MNZ049-055>058-065-180515-
CHIPPEWA-KANDIYOHI-MEEKER-RENVILLE-STEARNS-SWIFT-
1109 PM CDT SUN JUL 17 2011
AT 1103 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM ELROSA TO 4 MILES WEST OF
NEW LONDON TO MILAN. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 35 MPH.
HAIL UP TO NICKEL SIZE AND WINDS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE
STORMS. IF THESE STORMS INTENSIFY...A WARNING MAY BE NEEDED.
* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...
GREENWALD.
SPRING HILL.
WILLMAR.
HAWICK.
MONTEVIDEO.
ST MARTIN.
ROSCOE.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE AREA.
&&
LAT...LON 4556 9432 4490 9462 4476 9542 4510 9596
4528 9514 4565 9483
TIME...MOT...LOC 0408Z 307DEG 30KT 4553 9492 4529 9497
4507 9587
CLFThe Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 109 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:44 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several large trees were blown down across County Road 8. In addition, a line of about 12 trees in a wind break were all snapped or blown over along County Road 4 SE.
Several trees were blown down east of Cosmos, Minnesota.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, July 2011
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: 313722, 324476.