A lightning strike caused an electrical fire at a home in St. Cloud, Minnesota during the early morning hours of Friday, May 31st.
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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.
A lightning strike caused an electrical fire at a home in St. Cloud, Minnesota during the early morning hours of Friday, May 31st. Damage was significant, but the home was not occupied at the time of the fire.
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 30, 10:20 PM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 1120 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 230 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013 A NEGATIVELY TILTED TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE FOCI FOR SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT OVER THE NEXT 24-36 HOURS. EXPECT COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A MORE NOTABLE VORT MAX IN THE BASE OF THE SAID TROUGH LIFTS NORTH AND EAST FROM NE/IA ACROSS MN AND WI. INSTABILITY PARAMETERS ARE MODEST...BUT DECENT LOW LEVEL SHEAR WILL LEND ITSELF TO A SEVERE THREAT OVER WEST CENTRAL WI. IN THE WAKE OF THE EVENING CONVECTION...THE PRIMARY AREA FOR NOCTURNAL REDEVELOPMENT WILL BE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 94...AS THE LLJ RAMPS UP NEAR THE WARM FRONT ACROSS NORTHERN MN...ALTHOUGH THE MAIN AREA WOULD LIKELY BE DISPLACED SLIGHTLY NORTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. ON FRIDAY...THE COLD FRONT WORKS ACROSS CENTRAL MN AND WEST CENTRAL WI. TEMPERATURES IN THE THERMAL RIDGE SHOULD WARM INTO THE UPPER 70S AGAIN. AT THIS POINT...SHEAR AND INSTABILITY COULD PROVE TO BE ADEQUATE TO PRODUCE A FEW SEVERE STORMS AS THE FRONT MOVES ACROSS...MAINLY FROM SOUTHEASTERN MN ACROSS WEST CENTRAL WI. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 230 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013 FRIDAY NIGHT...THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING WILL REMAIN UNSETTLED AND COOL AS THE MEAN UPPER LOW SLOWLY MEANDERS ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST AND INTO THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES. AT THE SFC...A SFC LOW WILL BEGIN TO WEAKEN AND SHIFT TO THE NE BY SATURDAY AFTN WITH ISOLD/SCATTERED SHRA CONTINUING. THE MOST WIDESPREAD COVERAGE OF THE SHRA ACTIVITY WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE WEAK CONVERGENCE ZONE ACROSS CENTRAL MN/EC MN. HOWEVER...COVERAGE SHOULD REMAIN SCATTERED...AND BEGIN TO DECREASE ONCE THE UPPER LOW MOVES OFF TO THE NE. DUE TO ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE...ANY BREAKS IN THE OVERCAST SATURDAY WILL QUICKLY FILL IN. SUNDAY/MONDAY WILL BE THE DRIEST PERIOD IN THE NEXT 7 DAYS AS THE UPPER RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST. TIMING OF SHRA/TSRA DEVELOPING NEXT WEEK STILL REMAINS QUESTIONABLE. LATEST EC/GEM HAS THE NEXT SYSTEM SLOWLY DOWN VS. THE GFS. IN ADDITION...RETURN FLOW WILL LIKELY BE LAGGING AS THE UPPER RIDGE HOLDS ON THRU MONDAY. WILL CONTINUE WITH SHRA/TSRA DEVELOP LATE MONDAY AFTN IN THE FAR WESTERN FA...WITH THE ACTIVITY SLOWLY SPREADING EAST-NE OVERNIGHT. THE BEST CHC OF WIDESPREAD RAINFALL WILL LIKELY OCCUR LATE TUE/WED AS THE UPPER LOW BEGINS TO MOVE OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST. SVR WEATHER REMAINS QUESTIONABLE DUE TO LIMITED INSTABILITY AS THE AIR MASS WILL BE COOLER WITH LESS MOISTURE TO WORK WITH. THIS IS ALSO HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE RETURN FLOW EARLY NEXT WEEK...AND HOW THE MODELS CONVERGE INTO A BETTER SOLUTION FOR THE UPPER/SFC LOW MIGRATION. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1110 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013 MAIN COMPLICATIONS WITH THIS SET ARE TWOFOLD. FIRST...THE ONGOING CONVECTION OVER SW MN...WILL IT HOLD TOGETHER TO REACH THE TERMINALS. SECOND...WILL THERE BE CONVECTION LATE TMRW AFTN/TMRW EVE AT THE TERMINALS. FOR THE SW MN ACTIVITY...THE SHWRS/TSTMS ARE MOVING INTO A REGION OF INCRD INSTABILITY AND AN ENVIRONMENT THAT STILL HAS DEWPOINTS IN THE MID 60S. THE ACTIVITY MAY DIMINISH SOMEWHAT IN STRENGTH...MAINLY LOSING THUNDER...BUT AM MORE THAN MODERATELY CONFIDENT THAT SHWRS WILL REACH ALL TERMINALS OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS SO HAVE INCLUDED STAGGERED TEMPO GROUPS FOR MVFR VSBY SHWRS. HAVE ALSO INCLUDED MVFR CIGS IN THE PRE-DAWN HRS BEFORE VFR CONDS TAKE HOLD THRU MUCH OF THE DAY. GOING INTO LATE TMRW AFTN...MOST SHORT-TERM MODELS HOLD THE NEXT BATCHES OF CONVECTION OVER IA AND INTO FAR SW WI...WHILE THE BROADER-SCALE MODELS INDICATE CONVECTION MAY OVERSPREAD SRN-CENTRAL MN. HAVE PLAYED THINGS CONSERVATIVELY AND HELD OFF PRECIP MENTION ATTM TO GIVE MORE TIME FOR MODELS TO RESOLVE THE SITUATION AND JUST UTILIZED LOWER-END VFR CIGS. SE WINDS AT THE START GRADUALLY VEER TO S AND SW THRU THIS TAF DURATION...AND AGAIN BECOME GUSTY TMRW AFTN INTO TMRW EVE. KMSP...KEPT CONDS VFR THROUGHOUT THIS SET BUT THERE ARE A FEW TIME PERIODS WHERE MVFR CONDS ARE POSSIBLE. FIRST...CONVECTION OVER SW MN MAY REACH MSP BETWEEN 07Z-10Z. ALTHOUGH THUNDER IS NOT EXPECTED..SOME HEAVIER BURSTS OF RAIN MAY DROP VSBY INTO MVFR RANGE. BEHIND THIS RAIN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PRE-DAWN HRS...VFR CIGS ARE CURRENTLY ADVERTISED BUT SEEING CIGS DROP INTO THE UPPER MVFR RANGE WOULD NOT AT ALL BE UNREASONABLE. AM NOT THINKING CIGS DROP BELOW 2 KFT. CLOUDS THEN SCATTER OUT SHORTLY AFTER SUNRISE AND REMAIN VFR THRU THE DAY. LOWER-END VFR CIGS RETURN LATE IN THE DAY THEN THERE IS HIGH UNCERTAINTY REGARDING CONVECTION RETURNING LATE AFTN THRU THE EVE HOURS. HAVE LEFT IT OUT ATTM DUE TO LOW CONFIDENCE SO WILL LET LATER MODEL RUNS AND TAF ISSUANCES RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. /OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/ SAT...MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE. SHRA LIKELY. WINDS WNW 5-10 KTS. SUN...MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE EARLY. WINDS N 5 KTS. MON...VFR. WINDS SE 5 KTS. && .MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...NONE. WI...NONE. && SHORT TERM...LS LONG TERM...JLT AVIATION...JPC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 457 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013 MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028- 312200- 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- 457 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA... AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED WEAK THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT ACROSS MUCH OF MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. THE RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS VERY LOW AND NOT EVERY LOCATION WILL GET STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE AGAIN POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY WHEN A COLD FRONT SWEEPS ACROSS MINNESOTA AND INTO WISCONSIN. THUNDERSTORMS LOOK MORE FAVORABLE ACROSS FAR EASTERN MINNESOTA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN. THE RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS LOW ON FRIDAY. HOWEVER...IF WE MANAGE TO GET AT LEAST SOME SUNSHINE DURING THE DAY...A FEW THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME STRONG DURING THE AFTERNOON AND PRODUCE HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL AGAIN BE POSSIBLE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT IS LOW AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1145 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013
MNZ074-082-083-091-310545-
BLUE EARTH-BROWN-MARTIN-WATONWAN-
1145 PM CDT THU MAY 30 2013
AT 1142 PM CDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM NEAR MOUNTAIN LAKE. THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT
35 MPH.
HAIL UP TO DIME SIZE AND WINDS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
ODIN.
BUTTERFIELD.
DARFUR.
ST JAMES.
GROGAN.
LA SALLE.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
SEEK SHELTER AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.
&&
LAT...LON 4409 9487 4411 9489 4440 9469 4405 9410
4381 9485 4382 9486
TIME...MOT...LOC 0445Z 223DEG 32KT 4393 9488The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:14 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A lightning strike caused an electrical fire at a home in St. Cloud, Minnesota during the early morning hours of Friday, May 31st. Damage was significant, but the home was not occupied at the time of the fire.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, May 2013
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: 450885.