Severe drought conditions developed over portions of northeastern Minnesota.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 DLH wrote it up.
Severe drought conditions developed over portions of northeastern Minnesota.
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 Duluth, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 27, 11:25 PM CST, 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 1225 AM CDT TUE APR 28 2015 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 307 PM CDT MON APR 27 2015 A WEAK COLD FRONT AND SHORTWAVE IN THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND MANITOBA/NW ONTARIO WILL MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHLAND TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING. THIS FRONT WILL BRING INCREASING CLOUD COVER THIS EVENING, WHICH WILL HELP BOLSTER THE OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES OVER THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN FORECAST AREA. THERE WILL ALSO BE INCREASING CHANCES OF LIGHT SHOWERS IN THE WAKE OF THE PASSING FRONT. LEANED ON A BLEND OF THE MODELS...BUT THE LATEST BLEND DID DELAY THE TIMING BY ABOUT 3 TO 6 HOURS. OVERNIGHT LOWS SHOULD RANGE FROM THE 30S OVER NW WISCONSIN AND THE ARROWHEAD TO THE LOW 40S OVER THE WESTERN FORECAST AREA. THE NAM/GFS/ECMWF/GEM/GEMREG/WRF MODELS ARE ALL INDICATING THE SHOWERS WILL BEGIN TO DISSIPATE AS THEY MOVE EAST INTO THE FORECAST AREA TUESDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON...SO PCPN CHANCES ARE LOW FOR ALL BUT THE NW FORECAST AREA. THE ONE MODEL THAT STANDS OUT IS THE SREF WHICH INDICATES THE POTENTIAL FOR SHOWER REDEVELOPMENT DURING THE AFTERNOON. THERE SHOULD BE CLEARING SKIES IN THE AFTERNOON AS HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS TO BUILD INTO THE REGION IN THE WAKE OF THE PASSING COLD FRONT. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL PRIMARILY BE IN THE LOW TO MIDDLE 60S. .LONG TERM...(TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY) ISSUED AT 307 PM CDT MON APR 27 2015 OVERALL LITTLE CHANGE TO FORECAST OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS. MILD AND DRY FOR MUCH OF THE WORK WEEK...WITH A CHANCES FOR SHOWERS OVER THE WEEKEND AS TEMPS CONTINUE TO CLIMB. WED/THURS...MID-LEVEL RIDGE WILL GRADUALLY MOVE EAST ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST THROUGH THE LATTER HALF OF THE WORK WEEK...EVENTUALLY ALLOWING WARM AIR TO ADVECT IN AND TEMPS TO WARM TO WELL ABOVE NORMAL. AT THE SFC A WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION ON THURSDAY. A FEW AFTERNOON CLOUDS POSSIBLE...BUT GENERALLY SUNNY AND MILD. LAKE BREEZE WILL BE POSSIBLE WED AND ESPECIALLY THURSDAY...RESULTING IN COOLER TEMPS BY THE LAKE. FRI/SAT/SUN...A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE IN FROM THE WEST A MID-LEVEL TROUGH APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. GENERALLY TEMPS WILL NOT DROP VERY MUCH BEHIND THE FRONT WITH NEAR-NEUTRAL TEMP ADVECTION IN PLACE. CHANCE FOR SHOWERS EACH DAY...ON FRIDAY MORE ASSOCIATED WITH THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE WHILE ON SATURDAY/SUNDAY MORE OF DIURNALLY-DRIVEN CONVECTIVE SCENARIO WITH SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A THUNDERSTORM POSSIBLE EACH DAY. BETTER CHANCE FOR STORMS WILL BE ON SUNDAY DUE TO BETTER QUALITY MOISTURE ALOFT...A SFC HIGH WILL BE OVER THE SOUTHEAST SAT/SUN ALLOWING MOIST GULF AIR TO MOVE UP ACROSS THE MID/UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY REGION. HOWEVER...THERE STILL REMAINS DIFFERENCES IN THE GUIDANCE IN TERMS OF TIMING OF THE MOISTURE AS WELL AS MID/UPPER LEVEL FORCING FEATURES. OVERALL DO NOT EXPECT MUCH PRECIPITATION ANY DAY DUE TO DRY AIR IN THE LOW LEVELS...WITH BEST CHANCE FOR WIDESPREAD RAINFALL LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. TEMPS WARM...GENERALLY IN THE 60S. APPROACHING 70 INLAND...BUT AS COOL AS THE MID 50S BY LAKE SUPERIOR. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z TUESDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1224 AM CDT TUE APR 28 2015 A FAST MOVING SHORT WAVE WITH SFC COLD FRONT WILL BRING MID LEVEL CEILINGS A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS OR SPRINKLES ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH TUESDAY. DUE TO THE VERY DRY AIR MASS CURRENTLY IN PLACE AHEAD OF THE FRONT...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE. LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS OVERNIGHT WILL INCREASE OUT OF THE NW AT 10 TO 15 KT TUESDAY AFTERNOON. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DLH 38 60 36 56 / 0 0 0 0 INL 33 67 37 69 / 0 0 0 0 BRD 37 69 39 67 / 0 0 0 0 HYR 35 63 34 62 / 0 0 0 0 ASX 36 56 34 56 / 0 0 0 0 && .DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MN...NONE. WI...NONE. LS...NONE. && SHORT TERM...GROCHOCINSKI LONG TERM...JJM AVIATION...GRANING
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN 308 PM CDT MON APR 27 2015 MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-006>009-282015- KOOCHICHING-NORTHERN ST. LOUIS-NORTHERN COOK/NORTHERN LAKE- NORTHERN ITASCA-CENTRAL ST. LOUIS-SOUTHERN LAKE/LAKESHORE- SOUTHERN COOK/LAKESHORE-NORTHERN CASS-SOUTHERN ITASCA- SOUTHERN CASS-CROW WING-NORTHERN AITKIN-SOUTHERN AITKIN- CARLTON/SOUTHERN ST. LOUIS-PINE-DOUGLAS-BAYFIELD-ASHLAND-IRON- BURNETT-WASHBURN-SAWYER-PRICE- 308 PM CDT MON APR 27 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON OR TONIGHT. LSZ121-140>148-282015- BAYFIELD TO OAK POINT WI-GRAND PORTAGE TO GRAND MARAIS MN- GRAND MARAIS TO TACONITE HARBOR MN- TACONITE HARBOR TO SILVER BAY HARBOR MN- SILVER BAY HARBOR TO TWO HARBORS MN-TWO HARBORS TO DULUTH MN- DULUTH MN TO PORT WING WI-PORT WING TO SAND ISLAND WI- SAND ISLAND TO BAYFIELD WI-OAK POINT TO SAXON HARBOR WI- 308 PM CDT MON APR 27 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. GROCHOCINSKI MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESS: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DULUTH (ALL LOWER CASE)
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Precipitation deficits since September 2014 has led to the development of severe drought conditions (D2) over southern Koochiching county.
Precipitation deficits since September 2014 has led to the development of severe drought conditions (D2) over northwestern Itasca county.
Precipitation deficits since September 2014 has led to the development of severe drought conditions (D2) over western Cass county.
Precipitation deficits since September 2014 has led to the development of severe drought conditions (D2) over western Cass county.
Precipitation deficits since September 2014 has led to the development of severe drought conditions (D2) over extreme southern Crow Wing county.
Precipitation deficits since September 2014 has led to the development of severe drought conditions (D2) over extreme west central St. Louis county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, April 2015
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: 565111, 565112, 565114, 565115, 565116, 565117.