Hail in Minnesota, May 24, 2012

Name: Hail in Minnesota, May 24, 2012
Start: 2012-05-24T12:14
End: 2012-05-24T12:52
Location: Minnesota

May 24, 2012 · NWS MPX · 7 events in 4 counties and zones

Numerous thunderstorms continued to develop along and behind a cold front, that continued to move slowly eastward during the afternoon. Some of the stronger storms produced up to nickel size hail across portions of south central and east central Minnesota during the afternoon of Thursday May, 24th.

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: 7

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 MPX wrote it up.

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 Twin Cities, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 24, 6:55 AM CST, 5 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 24, 6:55 AM CST, 5 hours 19 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
755 AM CDT THU MAY 24 2012

.UPDATE...

UPDATED FOR THE 12Z AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW.

.DISCUSSION...
FORECAST CONCERNS TODAY ARE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT OVER WESTERN
WISCONSIN AND ADDITIONAL RAINS OVER RAIN SOAKED AREAS IN SOUTH
CENTRAL INTO EAST CENTRAL MN. SHORT TERM MODELS HAVE A GOOD HANDLE
ON THE MAX RAINFALL LOCATION PAST 12 HOURS. PRECIP SHOULD MOVE
EAST OVER EASTERN MN AND WESTERN WISCONSIN TODAY. RAINFALL
ESTIMATES SO FAR HAVE BEEN BETWEEN TWO TO THREE INCHES FROM
SOUTHWEST INTO EAST CENTRAL MN. THE LATEST IR SATELLITE LOOP
SHOWED CLOUD TOPS OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST WARMING. RAINFALL RATES
DURING THE REST OF THE MORNING SHOULD REMAIN UNDER .60 INCH PER
HOUR. ONLY FLOOD PROBLEM WILL BE SOME PONDING OF WATER IN LOW
LYING AREAS...AND URBAN AREAS...STORM DRAINS CANT HANDLE THE
AMOUNT OF RUNOFF. CONTINUE THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR CENTRAL AND
SOUTH CENTRAL MN THROUGH 100 PM THIS AFTERNOON. THERE WAS SOME
CONCERN WHETHER TO EXPAND EAST OVER INTO WESTERN WISCONSIN. FLASH
FLOOD GUIDANCE VALUES WERE ONE TO THREE HOUR TOTALS WERE BETWEEN
2.9 TO 4.0 INCHES. DONT REALLY FEEL STRONG IF AREAS IN WESTERN
WISCONSIN WILL RECEIVE RAINFALL TOTALS EXCEEDING 3 INCHES IN ONE
OR THREE HOURS.

SURFACE WAVE WILL LIFT NORTHEAST ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY TODAY
IN RESPONSE TO A DEEPER SHORTWAVE TROUGH FORECAST TO MOVE INTO THE
UPPER MIDWEST THIS AFTERNOON. BY AFTERNOON...MLCAPES VALUES COULD
EXCEED OVER 1000 J/KG. WITH A COUPLED JET MAXS WITH PLENTY SHEAR
IN PLACE. ISOLD SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON...WITH
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS.
TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.

SURFACE GRADIENT WILL TIGHTEN AHEAD OF THIS WAVE...ESPECIALLY
OVER WESTERN WISCONSIN. WINDS GUST EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 25-30
MPH IN THE WAKE OF THE SURFACE LOW OVER SOUTH CENTRAL MN THIS
AFTERNOON. THUS WILL GO WITH A WIND ADVISORY FOR PARTS OF WEST
CENTRAL WISCONSIN FROM NOON THROUGH 600 PM THIS EVENING.

FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...LONG WAVE TROUGH OVER THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST...WILL SLOWLY MOVE SOUTHEAST AND STRENGTHEN OVER THE
WESTERN CONUS BEFORE LIFTING NORTHEAST INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS
EARLY IN THE WORK WEEK NEXT WEEK. THE THREAT OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WILL LINGER OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST AS SURFACE
FRONTAL BOUNDARY MEANDER OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND LOWER GREAT
LAKES.

&&

.AVIATION.../12Z TAF ISSUANCE/

KIND OF A MESS OUT THERE WITH VFR TO LIFR...RAIN FREE AREAS TO
HEAVY RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS...WINDS SWITCHING DEPENDING WHAT SIDE
OF THE FRONT YOUR ON...AND TO TOP IT OFF IT CHANGES EVERY HOUR.
PRETTY LOW CONFIDENCE IN THE SPECIFIC TIMING OF TIMING OF
THUNDERSTORMS...SO TRIED TO HANDLE THE TWO EXPECTED WAVES. THERE
IS THE FIRST COMING THROUGH THIS MORNING. THE STORM MOTION IS
ROUGHLY 50KTS...SO IT SHOULD BE THROUGH PRETTY QUICK. THEN...A
LULL...BEFORE REDEVELOPMENT IN THAT AFTERNOON IN FAR EASTERN MN
AND WESTERN WI. THE MODEL GUIDANCE SEEMS WAY TOO AGRESSIVE WITH
LOW CEILINGS/VISIBILITY BEHIND THE FRONT. AS A RESULT...THE TAF
TRENDS TOWARD VFR AFTER THE RAIN MOVES OUT.

KMSP...KMSP...BOUTS OF THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE...ALTHOUGH SHOULD
GET A DECENT BREAK SHORTLY AND RETURN TO JUST LIGHT -SHRA UNTIL
THIS AFTERNOON WHEN STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECETD TO BREAK
OUT AGAIN. STORMS MIGHT ACTUALLY FORM RIGHT OVER THE MINNEAPOLIS
METRO AND QUICKLY MOVE INTO WISCONSIN.

/OUTLOOK/
FRIDAY...VFR. WINDS SOUTHWEST AT 10G15KT.
SATURDAY...MVFR WITH TSRA POSSIBLE. WINDS ESE AT 15G20KT.
SUNDAY...VFR WITH TSRA POSSIBLE. WINDS SSW AT 20G25KT.

&&

.MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MN...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR ANOKA-BLUE
     EARTH-BROWN-CARVER-CHISAGO-DAKOTA-HENNEPIN-ISANTI-KANABEC-
     LE SUEUR-MARTIN-MCLEOD-MEEKER-MILLE LACS-NICOLLET-RAMSEY-
     SCOTT-SHERBURNE-SIBLEY-WASHINGTON-WATONWAN-WRIGHT.

WI...WIND ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR
     CHIPPEWA-EAU CLAIRE-RUSK.

&&

JVM/CLF

Hazardous weather outlook, May 24, 9:16 AM CST, 2 hours 58 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1016 AM CDT THU MAY 24 2012

WIZ014>016-023>028-251030-
POLK-BARRON-RUSK-ST. CROIX-PIERCE-DUNN-PEPIN-CHIPPEWA-EAU CLAIRE-
1016 AM CDT THU MAY 24 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST
WISCONSIN AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE OVER
MUCH OF WESTERN WISCONSIN TODAY...REDEVELOPING MAINLY THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE
POTENTIAL TO BE SEVERE. THE MAIN HAZARDS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS
AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER
OVER THIS AREA TODAY. IN ADDITION...SOME STORMS MAY PRODUCE
LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL THAT COULD CAUSE FLOODING PROBLEMS IN
LOW-LYING...POOR DRAINAGE AND URBAN LOCATIONS.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA FOR THE LATEST
UPDATES ON THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. MAKE SURE THE
ALERT FUNCTION ON YOUR RADIO IS ENABLED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

SEVERAL MORE ROUNDS OF THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE
WEEKEND AS THE UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN REMAINS ACROSS THE UPPER
MIDWEST.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.

MNZ044-045-051>053-059>063-066>070-074>078-082>085-091>093-251030-
MILLE LACS-KANABEC-SHERBURNE-ISANTI-CHISAGO-WRIGHT-HENNEPIN-ANOKA-
RAMSEY-WASHINGTON-MCLEOD-SIBLEY-CARVER-SCOTT-DAKOTA-BROWN-
NICOLLET-LE SUEUR-RICE-GOODHUE-WATONWAN-BLUE EARTH-WASECA-STEELE-
MARTIN-FARIBAULT-FREEBORN-
1016 AM CDT THU MAY 24 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MINNESOTA...EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND
SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NUMEROUS TO WIDESPREAD RAIN WITH SCATTERED EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS
WILL CONTINUE FOR MUCH OF THE DAY IN CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
MINNESOTA. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE...MAINLY EARLY
AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING...WITH THE MAIN HAZARDS BEING
DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN AND SOUTHERN
MINNESOTA...MAINLY ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM ANNANDALE TO
HUTCHINSON TO FAIRFAX TO SPRINGFIELD...INCLUDING THE TWIN CITIES
METRO. IN ADDITION...SOME STORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALIZED HEAVY
RAINFALL THAT COULD CAUSE FLOODING PROBLEMS IN LOW- LYING...POOR
DRAINAGE AND URBAN LOCATIONS.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA FOR THE LATEST
UPDATES ON THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. MAKE SURE THE
ALERT FUNCTION ON YOUR RADIO IS ENABLED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

SEVERAL MORE ROUNDS OF THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE
WEEKEND AS THE UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN REMAINS ACROSS THE UPPER
MIDWEST.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING.

MNZ041>043-047>050-054>058-064-065-073-251030-
DOUGLAS-TODD-MORRISON-STEVENS-POPE-STEARNS-BENTON-LAC QUI PARLE-
SWIFT-CHIPPEWA-KANDIYOHI-MEEKER-YELLOW MEDICINE-RENVILLE-REDWOOD-
1016 AM CDT THU MAY 24 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MINNESOTA...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE FOR
MUCH OF THE DAY IN WESTERN MINNESOTA. THUNDERSTORMS FOR THIS
PORTION OF MINNESOTA ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. HOWEVER...
SOME STORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL THAT COULD
CAUSE FLOODING PROBLEMS IN LOW-LYING...POOR DRAINAGE AND URBAN
LOCATIONS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

SEVERAL MORE ROUNDS OF THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY
AND OVER THE WEEKEND AS THE UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN REMAINS
ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE NEEDED THROUGH
TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 24, 11:36 AM CST, 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1236 PM CDT THU MAY 24 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1235 PM     HAIL             GLENCOE                 44.77N 94.15W
05/24/2012  E0.25 INCH       MCLEOD             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

DFC

Local storm report, May 24, 11:39 AM CST, 35 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1239 PM CDT THU MAY 24 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1214 PM     HAIL             1 NW NEW ULM            44.32N 94.48W
05/24/2012  M0.25 INCH       BROWN              MN   COCORAHS

&&

MKM

Special weather statement, May 24, 11:58 AM CST, 16 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1258 PM CDT THU MAY 24 2012

WIZ014-241830-
POLK-
1258 PM CDT THU MAY 24 2012

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING  OVER POLK COUNTY THROUGH 130 PM CDT...

AT 1253 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES SOUTHWEST OF RANGE. THIS STORM WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 75 MPH.

ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL AND WINDS UP TO 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH
THIS STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
  RANGE.
  MCKINLEY.
  CLAM FALLS.

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 4572 9215 4564 9214 4564 9215 4560 9215
      4531 9224 4540 9247 4573 9250 4574 9216
TIME...MOT...LOC 1758Z 209DEG 63KT 4544 9229

Local storm report, May 24, 12:08 PM CST, 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
108 PM CDT THU MAY 24 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0106 PM     HEAVY RAIN       COLOGNE                 44.77N 93.79W
05/24/2012  M4.20 INCH       CARVER             MN   BROADCAST MEDIA

            STORM TOTAL SINCE LAST EVENING

&&

MKM

Special weather statement, May 24, 12:08 PM CST, 6 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
108 PM CDT THU MAY 24 2012

MNZ075-076-083-241845-
BLUE EARTH-LE SUEUR-NICOLLET-
108 PM CDT THU MAY 24 2012

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING OVER BLUE EARTH...LE SUEUR AND NICOLLET
COUNTIES THROUGH 145 PM CDT...

AT 107 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES SOUTH OF NORTH MANKATO. THIS STORM WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 70 MPH.

HAIL UP TO DIME SIZE AND WINDS UP TO 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
  SKYLINE.
  EAGLE LAKE.
  KASOTA.
  CLEVELAND.
  ST THOMAS.
  HEIDELBERG.

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.

THIS THUNDERSTORM COULD INTENSIFY QUICKLY...SO BE READY TO ACT IF A
WARNING IS ISSUED.

&&

LAT...LON 4408 9421 4446 9403 4446 9393 4451 9388
      4453 9390 4454 9389 4454 9354 4454 9353
      4400 9399
TIME...MOT...LOC 1809Z 207DEG 59KT 4413 9404

Local storm report, May 24, 12:14 PM CST, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
114 PM CDT THU MAY 24 2012

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0114 PM     HAIL             HENDERSON               44.53N 93.91W
05/24/2012  E0.50 INCH       SIBLEY             MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

DFC

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 83 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:11 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Blue Earth

When: May 24, 12:14 PM CST
Where: Blue Earth County, 1.49 mi E of Mankato
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.170, -93.990

Hail, Hennepin

When: May 24, 12:15 PM CST
Where: Hennepin County, 0.69 mi N of Bloomington
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.830, -93.320

Hail, Hennepin

When: May 24, 12:17 PM CST
Where: Hennepin County, 1.47 mi W of Richfield
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.880, -93.280

Hail, Le Sueur

When: May 24, 12:22 PM CST to 12:24 PM CST
Where: Le Sueur County, 1.21 mi SE of Kasota
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.290, -93.950

Hail, Hennepin

When: May 24, 12:23 PM CST
Where: Hennepin County, 1.26 mi NNE of Richfield
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 44.897, -93.241

Hail, Hennepin

When: May 24, 12:30 PM CST
Where: Hennepin County, 1.4 mi N of Golden Vly
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.020, -93.402

Hail, Chisago

When: May 24, 12:52 PM CST
Where: Chisago County, 1.46 mi NNW of Chisago City
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.400, -92.910

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Minnesota in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, May 2012

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: 372822, 372824, 372825, 372828, 372826, 372829, 372832.