then southeast along Interstate 94. Initially, a severe thunderstorm developed near Fergus Falls during the afternoon of Sunday, July 12th.
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 very unstable atmosphere combined with ample wind shear to result in the development of storms with large hail, severe winds, a tornado, and very heavy rainfall from Alexandria to Lake Mille Lacs...then southeast along Interstate 94.
Initially, a severe thunderstorm developed near Fergus Falls during the afternoon of Sunday, July 12th. As the afternoon progressed, several severe thunderstorms developed south toward Wheaton, then spread east-southeast toward Alexandria. One severe storm moved rapidly eastward across the Todd, Wadena county line and eventually produced a tornado and widespread straight-line wind damage. This tornado moved from Wadena County and into Todd County, destroying a barn south of Aldrich and causing numerous downed trees and power lines. The tornado was accompanied by damaging rear flank downdraft and downburst winds, and the same storm produced wind damage in northwest Morrison County.
Severe storms moved into the area west of Alexandria and produced winds greater than 80 mph in some locations. Near Brandon, there was structural damage to a large shed, a large pontoon boat was flipped on Maple Lake, and there were numerous downed trees and power lines.
Severe storms merged in west central and central Minnesota and then developed more into a line of storms and produced periodic downed trees, power lines, and occasional estimated winds of 60-70 mph as the storms moved southeast along Interstate 94 and into the Twin Cities metro area. Damage was not as widespread after it moved out of central Minnesota and into east central Minnesota, due to less wind shear and instability.
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 Jul 12, 2:03 PM CST, 3 hours 27 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
303 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2015
.SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY)
ISSUED AT 300 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2015
A VERY ACTIVE 6-12 HR PERIOD EXPECTED AS ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
ARE BECOMING EXPLOSIVE FOR TSRA IN WC MN AS OF 3 PM. A FEW STORMS
ARE ALREADY DEVELOPING BETWEEN FARGO ND AND ALEXANDRIA MN WHICH IS
THE FIRST AREA OF CONCERN FOR SVR WX LATER THIS AFTN. /SPC ALREADY
IN THE WORKS ON A SVR WATCH/ ALTHOUGH WE HAVE BEEN ADVERTISING
THIS EVENT FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS...THERE AREA STILL A FEW
SVR WX ELEMENTS THAT NEED TO WORKOUT FOR THE POTENTIAL OF A FEW
SUPERCELL AND THEN TRANSITIONING INTO A BOW ECHO SEGMENT THIS
EVENING. THE LATEST SHORT TERM MODELS /CAMS/ AND THEIR ASSOCIATED
REFLECTIVITY FORECAST INDICATED THE AREA NEAR FARGO WILL MOVE E-SE
ACROSS WC/CENTRAL MN DURING THE LATE AFTN...WHILE ANOTHER AREA
DEVELOPS IN SW/SC MN WHERE DAYTIME HEATING HAS ALLOWED FOR NEARLY
NO INHIBITION AND THE ADDED SFC BOUNDARY MOVING EASTWARD IN THE
AREA. OTHERWISE...NO OTHER CHGS OVERNIGHT WITH THE AFOREMENTIONED
BOW ECHO MOVING E/SE ACROSS OUR CWA. THERE COULD BE LINGERING
SHRA/TSRA AFT MIDNIGHT...BUT THE BULK OF THE SVR WX SHOULD BE IN
WISCONSIN/IOWA. FLASH FLOODING IS ANOTHER ASPECT OF SVR WX IF ANY
TRAINING OF THE STORMS DEVELOP IN WC/CENTRAL MN BEFORE THE MAIN
BOW ECHO SEGMENT MOVES TO THE SE. AM THINKING THAT ANY HEAVY
RAINFALL AND TRAINING SHOULD BE TEMPORARY...SO NOT ANTICIPATING
ISSUING A FFA TONIGHT.
.LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)
ISSUED AT 300 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2015
ASIDE FROM A PASSING RIDGE AXIS ATOP THE REGION TUE
NIGHT-WED NIGHT WHICH WILL LIKELY LEAD TO A SUPPRESSION OF
CONVECTION FOR THAT 24-36 HOUR PERIOD...THE EXTENDED PORTION OF THIS
FCST PKG WILL CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE 20-40 PERCENT POPS FOR
SHWRS/TSTMS FOR EACH DAY.
A SECONDARY TROF AXIS ROUNDING THE WRN PERIPHERY OF THE DEPARTING
UPR LVL LOW OF TDA WILL AID IN KEEPING SHWRS/TSTMS IN THE
AREA...MAINLY OVER ERN PORTIONS OF THE WFO MPX CWFA...FOR MON NIGHT
INTO TUE MRNG. STORM STRENGTH WILL BE RATHER WEAK DUE TO THE LOSS OF
DAYTIME HEATING AND THE DEPARTURE OF UPR LVL SUPPORT. PRECIP WILL
SHIFT OFF TO THE E TUE MRNG AS THE UPR LVL RIDGE ARRIVES...MAKING
FOR A MAINLY DRY TUE NIGHT INTO WED NIGHT PERIOD. POPS RETURN LATE
WED NIGHT THRU THE REST OF THE FCST PERIOD AS THE UPR LVL FLOW
FLATTENS OUT WHILE SEVERAL WEAK DISTURBANCES RIDE EWD THRU THE FLOW.
IN ADDITION...A FEW MEANDERING SFC FRONTS WILL DEVELOP IN THE
CENTRAL-NRN PLAINS WHICH WILL DRIFT INTO THE UPR MISS RIVER VALLEY.
THE CONTINUED DEEPLY MOIST ENVIRONMENT COMBINED WITH THESE
NONDESCRIPT FEATURES WILL FORCE MENTION OF SHWRS/TSTMS IN THE FCST
THRU MUCH OF THE WEEK. BECAUSE NO PRONOUNCED FEATURES WILL ESTABLISH
THEMSELVES AS A MAIN DRIVER OF CONVECTION...SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL
LOOKS RATHER LOW FOR MUCH OF THE UPCOMING WEEK BEYOND MONDAY.
AS FOR TEMPERATURES...A COOLING TREND WILL COMMENCE BEHIND THE
STRONG FRONTAL SYSTEM IMPACTING THE AREA THRU MONDAY. HIGHS WILL
DROP BACK TO THE UPR 70S TO MID 80S...SO STILL WARM BUT NOT OVERLY
SO. ALSO...LOWS WILL HOLD MAINLY IN THE 60S.
&&
.AVIATION...(FOR THE 18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z MONDAY AFTERNOON)
ISSUED AT 1225 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2015
MVFR CIGS WILL RISE TO VFR EARLY THIS AFTN AS THE CLDS MIX OUT
AND LIFT. OTHERWISE...THE MAIN CONCERN IS WHERE AND WHEN THE TSRA
DEVELOP LATER TODAY. BASED ON THE LATEST INFORMATION...TIMING FROM
PREVIOUS TAFS ARE GOOD FROM 22Z IN WEST CENTRAL MN...TO 00-02Z IN
EAST CENTRAL MN. AFT 02Z IN WC WI. A FEW ISOLD TSRA AREA POSSIBLE
BEFORE 22Z ALONG A FRONTAL BOUNDARY IN CENTRAL MN...AND WHERE AN
OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM A PREVIOUS TSRA NEAR MORA/HINCKLEY OCCURRED.
HIGH CONFIDENCE REMAINS ON A TSRA COMPLEX DEVELOPING IN CENTRAL/WC
MN THIS AFTN AND DIVING SE ACROSS SOUTHERN MN/WC WI. LOWER
CONFIDENCE ON TIMING AND THE EXTENT OF IFR CIGS/VSBYS. IF A LINE
FORMS...THERE WILL BE A BRIEF PERIOD OF 1/2-1 1/2SM OF TSRA WITH
STRONG WINDS/HAIL. IF INDIVIDUAL TSRA DEVELOP...THE BRIEF PERIOD
COULD BE LONGER. BY 6Z... MOST OF THE ACTIVITY WILL BE OUT OF MPX
CWA. WILL BE UPDATING AS CONDITIONS WARRANT ON NEW INFORMATION.
KMSP...
AS PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED...CURRENT TAF IS REASONABLE ON TIMING AND
SEVERITY OF TSRA THIS EVENING. THERE IS AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY MOVING
SW ACROSS THE NE TWIN CITIES AREA WHICH MAY BE ANOTHER PROBLEM ON
MORE TSRA THIS AFTN. HOWEVER...AM LEANING TOWARD THE MAIN EVENT
AFT 1Z. IN ADDITION...BASED ON THE LATEST INFORMATION...THERE
COULD BE A PERIOD OF 1/2 - 1 1/2SM IN HEAVY RAIN/STRONG WINDS AND
POSSIBLE HAIL. AN AIRPORT WEATHER WARNING IS POSSIBLE WITH
HAIL/WINDS THE MAIN THREAT. AFT 3-5Z...MOST OF THE ACTIVITY SHOULD
BE SE OF THE AIRPORT FIELD WITH VFR CONDS THERE AFTER. SOME MORE
TSRA ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE MONDAY AFTN. WINDS FROM THE SE/S THIS
AFTN/TONIGHT...BECOMING NW ON MONDAY.
/OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/
TUE...VFR. SLIGHT CHC OF SHRA/TSRA. WINDS NW 5-10 KTS BCMG NE.
WED...VFR. SLIGHT CHC OF SHRA/TSRA. WINDS E-SE 5 TO 10 KTS.
&&
.MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MN...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR MNZ047>049-054>060-
062-064>069-073>076-082>084-091>093.
WI...NONE.
&&
SHORT TERM...JLT
LONG TERM...JPC
AVIATION...JLTHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN 1218 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2015 MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028- 131730- 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- 1218 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA... AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE HEAT THREAT. VERY WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON WITH HEAT INDEX VALUES REACHING 95 TO 105 DEGREES ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MINNESOTA...AND BETWEEN 90 AND 95 IN WESTERN WISCONSIN. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST HEAT ADVISORY FOR MORE INFORMATION. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF MINNESOTA AND IN FAR WESTERN WISCONSIN. VERY LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND A TORNADO OR TWO ARE POSSIBLE LATER ON TODAY. PLAN AHEAD AND STAY SAFE LATER TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY OCCASIONAL THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ARE EXPECTED THROUGH NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED LATER TODAY. JLT
The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 205 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:30 UTC.
38 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees and power lines were blown down along Highway 210 near and west of Hewitt.
Several large trees and power lines were blown down near Bertha.
Several trees and power lines were blown down near Clarissa.
Several hardwood trees were snapped, six wooden power poles were snapped, and an irrigation system was tipped over.
A hardwood tree was snapped.
A damage survey revealed that a rear flank downdraft (RFD) accompanied a tornado, and produced tree damage to the south of the tornado track. Numerous trees were tipped over and large branches were broken. Once the tornado dissipated about two miles west of Staples, the RFD broadened out and swept across the south side of Staples, where it continued to topple dozens of trees. The last damage noted from the RFD was southeast of Staples. Several outbuildings were damaged, and trees fell across many vehicles.
Several trees and power lines were blown down near Browerville.
A tornado moved out of Wadena County (where it was rated EF2) and into Todd County. A barn was collapsed just south of Aldrich, with roofing material blown 1/2 mile downwind. Dozens of trees were broken or uprooted in this area. Several wooden power poles were snapped. An outbuilding was also destroyed. Farther east, an outbuilding was destroyed along with a roof partially blown off near the intersection of 500th street and 223rd Avenue, just northwest of Dower Lake. Significant tree damage was noted on the northeast side of Dower Lake, and concentrated damage continued in a path to about two miles west of Staples. Separate entries have also been made for numerous trees blown down due to the rear flank downdraft and downbursts north of the tornado track.
Downburst damage was noted north of the tornado track. Initially, wooden poles were leaning and several oak and pine trees were snapped, and this is where the strongest winds were noted. As the downburst entered Staples, dozens of large trees were uprooted and many large branches were broken from Airport Rd to the east side of town. Winds across Staples were estimated in the 60-70 mph range.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in the far northwest portion of Morrison County.
A local newspaper had several large trees blown down in Evansville.
Several large trees were uprooted in Brandon.
Several large trees were blown down west of Garfield, along County Road 82.
A large shed under construction was partially destroyed. The damage occurred on Halverson Road, south of County Road 82, east of Brandon.
Large pine trees were uprooted along Interstate 94 south of Garfield.
Power lines were blown down northeast of Garfield.
A pontoon boat was thrown and flipped over on Maple Lake.
A measured wind gust of 70 knots was reported by a trained spotter with a mobile anemometer.
Several large trees were blown down south of Villard.
Large trees were uprooted in Villard.
Trees were blown down in St. Cloud.
A wind sensor at the Sauk Centre Airport measured a severe wind gust. A number of trees were blown down in Sauk Centre.
A large tree limb was blown down in Kimball.
A traffic signal was damaged in St. Joseph.
A few trees were blown down in Albany.
A few trees were blown down in the city of Onamia.
A large tree was uprooted near Braham.
A wind sensor at the Mora Airport measured a severe wind gust. Several trees were reported down in Mora.
A large tree was blown down near Cambridge.
Several trees and power lines were blown down in Rushseba Township, northeast of Rush City.
A local Minnesota Department of Transportation RWIS wind sensor measured a severe wind gust.
A few trees were blown down near North Branch.
A few trees were blown down in Amador Township, near Almelund.
A tree was blown across a road north of Dassel.
A large tree blew down onto a power line on Riverview Drive in Monticello.
Three large trees blown down, with some crop damage on County Road 30 near Howard Lake.
A large tree was blown down in the southern part of French Lake Township.
A large tree was blown down in Shakopee.
A few large trees were blown down near Prior Lake.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Minnesota, 2015Warnings in Minnesota, July 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: 579028, 579027, 579030, 591512, 591511, 591513, 579031, 596520, 579037, 578958, 580567, 578962, 579034, 578959, 579033, 579035, 579032, 579038, 579036, 578963, 579039, 579040, 578964, 578965, 579041, 579042, 579043, 580582, 579045, 578966, 579046, 580572, 578967, 579047, 580571, 578960, 579048, 579057, 579050, 579052, and more.