Thunderstorms that moved across eastern Minnesota during the afternoon of Saturday May 31st, produced lots of lightning, and one woman was struck while watching a baseball game outside. A home was also struck in the same area and started a house fire.
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.
Thunderstorms that moved across eastern Minnesota during the afternoon of Saturday May 31st, produced lots of lightning, and one woman was struck while watching a baseball game outside. A home was also struck in the same area and started a house fire. A Plymouth home was also struck Saturday, with damage to its roof.
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 31, 12:07 PM CST, 1 hour 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 107 PM CDT SAT MAY 31 2014 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 419 AM CDT SAT MAY 31 2014 THE MAIN CONCERN IS HOW WIDESPREAD THE CONVECTION WILL BECOME LATER THIS AFTN ONCE A STRONGER SHRTWV MOVES NE ACROSS THE PLAINS...AND INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST LATER TONIGHT. THIS SHRTWV WAS EVIDENT MOVING OUT OF THE HIGH PLAINS OF COLORADO/NEBRASKA WITH A LARGE AREA OF SHRA/TSRA. THIS SHOULD BE THE MAIN PLAYER OVERNIGHT AS THIS SHRTWV WILL ENHANCE THE OVERALL LIFT ACROSS MN LATE THIS AFTN/OVERNIGHT. IN THE SHORT TERM...MAINLY THIS MORNING THRU THE EARLY AFTN...COVERAGE WILL REMAIN WIDELY SCATTERED...WITH THE BEST COVERAGE ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL MN WHERE AMPLE CAPE/PWATS REMAIN. REGIONAL RADAR DOES SHOW A WEAK CIRCULATION NEAR KABR WHICH IS LIKELY ENHANCING THE CONVECTION ACROSS FAR EASTERN SD AS OF 230 AM. FURTHER TO THE EAST ACROSS FAR EASTERN MN/WC WI...RESIDUAL DRY AIR FROM THE GREAT LAKES AND OHIO VALLEY REMAINS IN PLACE WITH DEW PTS STILL IN THE 50S IN THE TWIN CITIES AND EASTWARD INTO WC WI. THESE LOWER DEW PTS WILL KEEP THE BULK OF THE SHRA/TSRA WEST OF THE AREA UNTIL LATER THIS AFTN ONCE THE AFOREMENTIONED SHRTWV MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. POPS/WX GRIDS REFLECT THE CURRENT TRENDS OF THE REGIONAL RADAR THRU MID MORNING. THE HRES MODELS OF THE ARW/NMM AND HOPWRF DEPICT THE ENHANCED AREA OF REFLECTIVITY LATER THIS AFTN ACROSS SW/WC MN...AND MOVING THIS AREA E/NE ACROSS MPX CWA DURING THE OVERNIGHT HRS. THE BEST AREAS WILL REMAIN NORTH OF A LINE FROM REDWOOD FALLS TO THE TWIN CITIES. THIS AREA HAS BOTH THE ENHANCED LIFT AND MOISTURE POOLING WHICH WILL LEAD TO WIDESPREAD SHRA/TSRA. LATER SHIFTS MAY NEED TO ADJUST IF THE SHRTWV IS FURTHER TO THE NORTH OR SOUTH BASED ON REGIONAL RADAR/SATELLITE IMAGERY. TEMPS WILL ALSO REFLECT THE HIGHER COVERAGE IN WC/CENTRAL MN WHERE AFTN READINGS MAY NOT RISE INTO THE MID/UPPER 70S. FURTHER SOUTH TEMPS SHOULD RISE INTO THE 80S...BUT WITH LOTS OF HIGH CLOUDINESS ASSOCIATED WITH BLOW OFF FROM MORNING TSRA...MID TO UPPER 80S WILL LIKELY BE CONFINED TO IA/SE MN AND PARTS OF WC WI. SVR WX THREAT WILL BE ISOLD DUE TO LOWER SHEAR VALUES DURING THE NEXT 24 HRS. HOWEVER...CAPES IN THE -10 TO -30C FOR HAIL DEVELOPMENT MAY BE ENOUGH TO SUPPORT ISOLD SVR HAIL LATER THIS AFTN DURING PEAK HEATING. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY) ISSUED AT 419 AM CDT SAT MAY 31 2014 SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...SUN WILL START OFF WITH AN ELONGATED NE- SW SFC FRONT STRETCHING ACRS NW MN INTO ERN SD AND CENTRAL NE. ALOFT...FLOW WILL BE FAIRLY WEAK BUT DEVOID OF ANY PRONOUNCED JETTING BOTH IN THE BROAD SENSE AND MORE MESOSCALE STREAKS. THE SFC FLOW AHEAD OF THE SFC FRONT WILL BE PREDOMINANTLY SLY SO THIS WILL MAINTAIN A DEEP MOISTURE PROFILE IN ADVANCE OF THE SFC FRONT...WHICH WILL MAKE SLOW PROGRESS EWD DURING THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF NEXT WEEK. THE DEEP MOISTURE WILL PRODUCE PWATS ARND 1.5 INCHES EACH DAY...WELL ABOVE NORMAL...PARTICULARLY IN THE SENSE THAT IT WILL BE PROLONGED OVER SEVERAL DAYS. GIVEN THE MODEST INSTABILITY WITH WEAK TO NO CAPPING ALOFT...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED...MAINLY SUN THROUGH MON. THE MAIN HAZARD WILL CONTINUE TO BE HEAVY RAIN DUE TO THE WEAK STORM MOTION WITHIN THE PLENTIFULLY MOIST ATMOS. LAPSE RATES LOOK TO MITIGATE ANY LARGE HAIL CONCERNS WHILE WEAK MULTIPLE-LEVEL JETTING LOOK TO MITIGATE STRONG WIND CONCERNS...SO ALTHOUGH THERE MAY BE THE ISOLD LARGE HAIL OR MICROBURST-TYPE STORMS...THE RISK FOR SEVERE WX IS LOW. THESE CONDITIONS WILL BE AN ISSUE SUN THRU MON...THEN THE FRONT SLOWLY MOVES THROUGH THE REGION LATE MON INTO MON NIGHT...ALLOWING HIGH PRES TO MOVE INTO THE AREA FROM THE N MON NIGHT INTO TUE. PRECIP CHCS WILL BE MUCH LOWER MON NIGHT INTO TUE WITH THE MUCH MORE STABLE ATMOS. AS FOR TEMPS...THE WARM/MOIST CONDS WILL CONTINUE SUN-MON AHEAD OF THE FRONT AS HIGHS REACH THE MID 70S THRU LWR 80S WITH DEWPTS INTO THE MID-UPR 60S. POST- FRONT...HIGHS WILL ONLY HIT THE LWR 70S ON TUE WITH DEWPTS BACK INTO THE MID-50S. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...ANOTHER WELL-ORGANIZED LOW PRES CENTER DEVELOPING IN THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES TUE NIGHT INTO WED WILL ATTEMPT TO SHIFT NE INTO THE MID-UPR MISSISSIPPI VALLEY FOR WED INTO THU. HOWEVER...EXPANDING HIGH PRES OVER THE UPR MISS RIVER VALLEY LOOKS TO KEEP THIS AREA OF LOW PRES SUPPRESSED TO THE S...HENCE THE HIGHEST POPS WILL BE IN FAR SRN MN THEN DROPPING GOING NWD...BUT POPS NO HIGHER THAN THE CHC CATEGORY. THIS AREA OF HIGH PRES WILL REMAIN IN PLACE THRU THU...THEN LOOKS TO SHIFT OFF TO THE E ON FRI...POSSIBLY ALLOWING ANOTHER ELONGATED SFC FRONT INTO THE N-CENTRAL CONUS. VARYING SOLNS MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO DISCERN THE SCENARIO ATTM SO HAVE KEPT THE FCST MAINLY DRY GOING INTO FRI UNTIL A STRONGER SOLN FOR PRECIP DEVELOPS. TEMPS DO LOOK TO REMAIN SEASONABLY COOL...SEVERAL DEGREES LOWER THAN NORMAL... FOR MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. HIGHS WILL ONLY CLIMB TO THE UPR 60S TO LWR 70S WHILE LOWS BOTTOM OUT IN THE LOW-MID 50S. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SUNDAY AFTERNOON) ISSUED AT 107 PM CDT SAT MAY 31 2014 FRONT STILL EXTENDS FROM NORTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA TO NORTHWEST NEBRASKA...BUT LATE NIGHT STORMS SAGGED SOUTH INTO CENTRAL MN... AND MORE STORMS DEVELOPED LATE MORNING FROM NERN MN TO SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA. THEREFORE WEST CENTRAL MN MAY BE WITHOUT THUNDER FOR A FEW HOURS THIS AFTERNOON. POCKET OF MORE STABLE AIR AND NO STORMS AT THIS TIME IN EAST CENTRAL MN INTO WISCONSIN...BUT THIS WILL GIVE WAY OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS AS CONVECTIVE TEMPS ARE REACHED. THEREFORE WILL EXPAND MENTION OF THUNDER TO THE ENTIRE AREA FOR LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THUNDER WILL ALSO BE ASSOCIATED WITH INCOMING SHORT WAVE NOW IN NEBRASKA AND MCV IN SOUTH DAKOTA. LIFT FROM THESE SHOULD TAPER OFF LATE THIS EVENING...AND ONLY HAVE SHOWERS LATE TONIGHT. COULD WELL BE SOME MVFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES LATE TONIGHT IN THE WAKE OF THE PRECIP. KMSP... SCATTERED STORMS TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST ARE ON THE DOORSTEP OF KMSP...MOVING NNE...SO HAVE TSRA IN THE FORECAST AFTER 19Z. WILL NEED TO MENTION THUNDER THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING AS INSTABILITY REMAINS HIGH AHEAD OF INCOMING SHORT WAVE. CONFIDENCE IS ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THUNDER. ATMOSPHERE IS PRIMED WITH PLENTY OF HUMIDITY...AND SOME DOWNPOURS COULD BRING VISIBILITY DOWN TO 1-2 MILES FOR BRIEF PERIODS. IT WILL NOT BE THUNDERING THE ENTIRE TIME OF COURSE...BUT SCATTERED NATURE OF STORMS SUGGESTS IT WILL FREQUENTLY BE ON AGAIN/OFF AGAIN. OTHER CONCERN WILL BE LATER TONIGHT WITH MVFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES POSSIBLE IN THE WAKE OF THE PRECIP. CONFIDENCE ONLY AVERAGE ON THIS. /OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/ SUN NIGHT THROUGH MON...OCCASIONAL SHRA/TSRA. PERIODS OF MVFR AND BRIEF IFR CONDS EXPECTED WITH HEAVIER SHRA/TSRA. WINDS S ARND 10 KTS. TUE...MVFR POSSIBLE WITH SCHC TSRA EARLY...THEN VFR. WIND WNW 10-15 KTS. && .MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...NONE. WI...NONE. && SHORT TERM...JLT LONG TERM...JPC AVIATION...TDK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 1220 PM CDT SAT MAY 31 2014 MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028- 011730- 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- 1220 PM CDT SAT MAY 31 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA... AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT. WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED BUT ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS CONTAINING LARGE HAIL OR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS ARE POSSIBLE. THE PRIMARY CONCERN WITH ANY STRONGER STORM WILL BE HEAVY RAIN. WEAK STORM MOTION PRODUCING CONTINUAL HEAVY RAIN COMBINED WITH SOGGY SOIL CONDITIONS MAY PRODUCE QUICK STREAM RISES AND HIGH AMOUNTS OF RUNOFF IN URBAN AREAS. FLOODING COULD OCCUR WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED SUNDAY AND MONDAY...WITH FEWER AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL IS LOW...BUT HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL WILL CONTINUE. THERE IS STILL THE RISK THAT THE STRONGER STORMS COULD PRODUCE BURSTS OF HEAVY RAIN THAT COULD LEAD TO FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
930 AM CDT SAT MAY 31 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0915 AM HEAVY RAIN 3 WNW ALBANY 45.65N 94.63W
05/31/2014 E2.00 INCH STEARNS MN STORM CHASER
STORM CHASER REPORTED COUNTY ROAD 157 BLOCKED OFF DUE TO
LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER ON ROADWAY BETWEEN ALBANY AND
FREEPORT. ALSO REPORTED NUMEROUS DIRT ROADS IN AREA
PARTIALLY COVERED WITH WATER FROM LOCAL CREEKS.
&&
AJZPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
937 AM CDT SAT MAY 31 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0915 AM FLASH FLOOD 3 WNW ALBANY 45.65N 94.63W
05/31/2014 STEARNS MN STORM CHASER
STORM CHASER REPORTED COUNTY ROAD 157 BLOCKED OFF DUE TO
LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER ON ROADWAY BETWEEN ALBANY AND
FREEPORT. ALSO REPORTED NUMEROUS DIRT ROADS IN AREA
PARTIALLY COVERED WITH WATER FROM LOCAL CREEKS.
&&
AJZPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1027 AM CDT SAT MAY 31 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1017 AM FLASH FLOOD 1 W ALBANY 45.63N 94.59W
05/31/2014 STEARNS MN STORM CHASER
TWO TO THREE FEET OF WATER MOVING ACROSS ROAD.
&&
AJZPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1029 AM CDT SAT MAY 31 2014
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1017 AM HEAVY RAIN BROWERVILLE 46.09N 94.87W
05/31/2014 M2.90 INCH TODD MN BROADCAST MEDIA
OCCURRED DURING THE LAST 7 HOURS
&&
AJZThe Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 51 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:46 UTC.
3 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A woman was struck by lightning while watching an outdoor baseball game. She was sent to the hospital and recovered from her injuries.
A house was struck by lightning during the afternoon of Saturday, May 31st. The house sustained some damage.
Lightning struck a Plymouth home the afternoon of Saturday, May 31st. The lightning bolt started a fire, and caused extensive damage to the attic and roof.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, May 2014
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: 511223, 511224, 511828.