A complex of thunderstorms that developed across western North Dakota, raced eastward and moved into west central and central Minnesota during early morning of Thursday, September 4th. Severe winds and gusts up to 80 mph occurred in portions of central Minnesota, along with torrential downpours and large hail.
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.
A complex of thunderstorms that developed across western North Dakota, raced eastward and moved into west central and central Minnesota during early morning of Thursday, September 4th. Severe winds and gusts up to 80 mph occurred in portions of central Minnesota, along with torrential downpours and large hail. These storms moved into west central Wisconsin after sunrise and produced more damaging winds.
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 Sep 4, 5:09 AM CST, 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 609 AM CDT THU SEP 4 2014 .UPDATED FOR 12Z AVIATION DISCUSSION... ISSUED AT 552 AM CDT THU SEP 4 2014 && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT) ISSUED AT 325 AM CDT THU SEP 4 2014 MAIN CONCERNS WITH THIS PERIOD ARE THE FORWARD PROPAGATING MCS THAT IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND RACE ACROSS CENTRAL MN EARLY THIS MORNING. THIS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY HOT AND HUMID TEMPERATURES ACROSS EASTERN MN AND WESTERN WI...WITH A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE BY LATE AFTERNOON. MEANWHILE A SEASONABLY STRONG COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE REGION AND BRING BREEZY NORTHWESTERLY WINDS OVERNIGHT ALONG WITH COOL/DRY AIR. THE FIRST ORDER OF DISCUSSION IS THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT THIS MORNING RELATED TO THE CONVECTION ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA. HIRES MODELS SUCH AS THE HRRR AND 00/03Z RUNS OF THE HOPWRF ARE IN REMARKABLE AGREEMENT THAT THIS CONVECTION WILL INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES INTO WESTERN MINNESOTA AND DEVELOP INTO A BOW ECHO. THIS STORM MODE SEEM VERY PLAUSIBLE CONSIDERING THE ORIENTATION OF THE DEEP LAYER SHEAR VECTORS IN RELATION TO THE WARM FRONT AND MUCAPE GRADIENT...SO INCLUDED DAMAGING WINDS IN THE FORECAST ACROSS THE FAR NORTHERN TIER OF COUNTIES. THE HRRR SEEMS TO HAVE A BETTER HANDLE ON THE ONGOING CONVECTION...AND IT KEEPS THE MAJORITY OF THE FORECAST PRECIP NORTH OF THE CWA. HOWEVER BASED ON THE ACTUAL LOCATION OF THE WARM FRONT STILL THINK THERE IS LEGITIMATE RISK ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM ALEXANDRIA MN TO RICE LAKE WI. AS THE COLD POOL BECOMES WELL ESTABLISHED THIS CONVECTION WILL RACE EASTWARD. MEANWHILE THE UPPER LEVEL WAVE AND SURFACE LOW WILL SLOWLY MAKE THEIR WAY INTO NORTHERN MN ALLOWING THE WARM SECTOR TO DESTABILIZE THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON THURSDAY. DEPENDING ON THE RESIDUAL CLOUD COVER...AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPS COULD EASILY CLIMB INTO THE 90S ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN MN AND WESTERN WI. FOR NOW DID NOT GO MUCH ABOVE GUIDANCE SINCE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP ALONG THE TRAILING COLD FRONT LIMITING THE DIABATIC HEATING. A FEW OF THESE STORMS ARE LIKELY TO BE SEVERE AS FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW NEARLY 4000J/KG OF CAPE BY LATE AFTERNOON AND AROUND 30KTS OF DEEP LAYER SHEAR ALONG AND EAST OF THE MN/WI BORDER. THIS AFOREMENTIONED COLD FRONT IS THE LAST REAL AREA OF INTEREST. AGAIN FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT. THIS WILL KEEP THE BOUNDARY LAYER WELL MIXED WITH NORTHWESTERLY WIND GUSTS OF 20 TO 30MPH EXPECTED TO PREVAIL AFTER DARK. THEREFORE INCREASED THE WINDS THURSDAY NIGHT...AND USED LESS BIAS-CORRECTED GRIDS FOR OVERNIGHT LOWS SINCE THE TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE RATHER UNIFORM. ALSO RAISED CLOUD COVER SINCE SOUNDINGS SHOW SATURATION ABOVE THE BOUNDARY LAYER. .LONG TERM...(FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 325 AM CDT THU SEP 4 2014 THE FIRST HALF OF THE LONG TERM LOOKS RATHER QUIET. THERE WILL BE A SPLIT FLOW PATTERN DEVELOPING WITH THE SUBTROPICAL JET TO THE SOUTH KEEPING THE HEAT CONFINED TO THE SOUTHERN STATES...AND THE POLAR JET ACROSS CENTRAL CANADA KEEPING THE UNSEASONABLY COOL AIR TO THE NORTH - AT LEAST FOR THE TIME BEING. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL GUARANTEE MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. THINGS BECOME A BIT MORE COMPLEX NEXT WEEK AS THE POLAR JET BEGINS TO SINK SOUTH. A MORE ACTIVE PATTERN IS IN THE OFFING WITH SEVERAL DISTURBANCES SKIRTING ALONG THE NORTHERN TIER OF THE U.S. HOWEVER...WITH THE SUBTROPICAL JET REMAINING SOUTH IT DOES NOT APPEAR ANY OF THESE DISTURBANCES WILL HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF MOISTURE TO WORK WITH. THEREFORE KEPT POPS IN THE CHC RANGE. EVENTUALLY THE JETS WILL PHASE AND CARVE OUT A DEEP TROUGH OVER CANADA AND THE NORTHERN U.S. SOME TIME DURING THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THE MUCH COOLER TEMPS ACCOMPANYING THIS TROUGH SHOULD MARK THE FIRST CRACK AT AUTUMN WEATHER. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 552 AM CDT THU SEP 4 2014 VERY CHALLENING FORECAST WITH CIGS TODAY...FOLLOWED BY PRECIP CHANCES THIS AFTERNOON...AND THE WINDS BEHIND THE FRONTAL PASSAGE TONIGHT. LONG STORY SHORT...THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL STAY NORTH OF THE TAF SITES THIS MORNING. MVFR/IFR CLOUDS COULD DEVELOP SOUTH OF THIS COMPLEX...AND AFFECT ALL SITED EXCEPT KRWF. A FEW SCATTERED SHWOERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THE MN/WI BORDER AND POINTS EAST. TONIGHT FORECAST SOUDNINGS SHOW A SECOND SURGE OF COLD AIR BEHIND THE FRONT SO EXPECT WIND GUSTS TO PICK UP FROM THE NORTHWEST AFTER 06Z. KMSP... MVFR CIGS THIS MORNING SHOULD GIVE WAY TO VFR CONDITIONS. A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATER THIS AFTERNOON...BUT COVERAGE WILL BE LIGHT SO NOT INCLUDING ANYTHING BEYOND VCSH. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY BECOME SW TO NW TODAY...WITH STORNGER GUSTS PICKING UP LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. /OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/ FRI...VFR. WINDS NW 10G20 KTS. SAT...VFR. WINDS W 5-10 KTS. SUN...VFR. WINDS SW 5-10 KTS. && .MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...NONE. WI...NONE. && SHORT TERM...JRB LONG TERM...BORGHOFF AVIATION...JRB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 332 AM CDT THU SEP 4 2014 MNZ041>045-047>053-WIZ014>016-027-050845- DOUGLAS-TODD-MORRISON-MILLE LACS-KANABEC-STEVENS-POPE-STEARNS- BENTON-SHERBURNE-ISANTI-CHISAGO-POLK-BARRON-RUSK-CHIPPEWA- 332 AM CDT THU SEP 4 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA...EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA... NORTHWEST WISCONSIN AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 94 CORRIDOR. SOME STORMS WILL BE STRONG TO SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING WINDS AS THE PRIMARY THREAT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE THIS EVENING IN EASTERN MINNESOTA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN. SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. MNZ054>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ023>026-028-050845- 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- ST. CROIX-PIERCE-DUNN-PEPIN-EAU CLAIRE- 332 AM CDT THU SEP 4 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MINNESOTA...EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA... SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE THIS EVENING IN EASTERN MINNESOTA AND WESTERN WISCONSIN. SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. JRB
The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 203 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:19 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees were blown down in Hewitt, along Highway 210, plus a roof was blown off a building.
Several trees and power lines were blown down in the City of Staples. In addition, the Staples airport, approximately 1 mile north of downtown Staples, in Wadena County, had a measured wind gust of 79 mph at 531 CST.
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, September 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: 532463, 532462, 532457, 532458.