Hail in Minnesota, October 17, 2016

Name: Hail in Minnesota, October 17, 2016
Start: 2016-10-17T16:30
End: 2016-10-17T16:52
Location: Minnesota

October 17, 2016 · NWS MPX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A cluster of thunderstorms that developed across southern Minnesota during the afternoon and evening of Monday, October 17th, produced a few large hail stones in the southern part of the Twin Cities metro area. 75 inch.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MPX wrote it up.

What forecasters said that day

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 Oct 17, 2:29 PM CST, 2 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 17, 2:29 PM CST, 2 hours 1 minute before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 17, 10:12 AM CST, 6 hours 18 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1112 AM CDT MON OCT 17 2016

MNZ054-056-060-062>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028-
181300-
LAC QUI PARLE-CHIPPEWA-HENNEPIN-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-
1112 AM CDT MON OCT 17 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MINNESOTA...EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA...WEST CENTRAL
MINNESOTA...NORTHWEST WISCONSIN AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
THIS EVENING. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL
AND DAMAGING WINDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH THIS EVENING.

MNZ041>045-047>053-055-057>059-061-181300-
DOUGLAS-TODD-MORRISON-MILLE LACS-KANABEC-STEVENS-POPE-STEARNS-
BENTON-SHERBURNE-ISANTI-CHISAGO-SWIFT-KANDIYOHI-MEEKER-WRIGHT-
ANOKA-
1112 AM CDT MON OCT 17 2016

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MINNESOTA...EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA.

.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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 17, 3:42 PM CST, 48 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Oct 17, 4:00 PM CST, 30 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Oct 17, 4:22 PM CST, 8 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
522 PM CDT MON OCT 17 2016

MNZ060-062-063-069-070-172300-
SCOTT-WASHINGTON-DAKOTA-HENNEPIN-RAMSEY-
522 PM CDT MON OCT 17 2016

...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT SOUTHERN WASHINGTON...
SOUTHEASTERN HENNEPIN...NORTHEASTERN SCOTT...NORTHERN DAKOTA AND
SOUTHERN RAMSEY COUNTIES THROUGH 600 PM CDT...

AT 522 PM CDT...RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED
ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM EDINA TO SAVAGE TO CREDIT RIVER. MOVEMENT
WAS EAST AT 50 MPH.

WINDS IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH AND HALF INCH HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE
STORMS.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
MINNEAPOLIS...ST. PAUL...BLOOMINGTON...EAGAN...WOODBURY...
EDEN PRAIRIE...BURNSVILLE...LAKEVILLE...APPLE VALLEY...EDINA...
MAPLEWOOD AND RICHFIELD.

TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS...AND MAY
CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED
ROADWAYS.

FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM.
LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 10 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE
SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE.

LAT...LON 4474 9338 4489 9341 4510 9277 4506 9280
      4503 9276 4497 9277 4491 9276 4490 9278
      4482 9277 4477 9281 4474 9279 4468 9281
      4466 9342
TIME...MOT...LOC 2222Z 257DEG 45KT 4487 9336 4476 9333 4468 9337

JPC

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 32 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Dakota

When: October 17, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Dakota County, 1.47 mi NNE of Eagan
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.820, -93.160

Hail, Washington

When: October 17, 4:42 PM CST to 4:52 PM CST
Where: Washington County, 2.55 mi WSW of Cottage Grove to 3.98 mi E of Cottage Grove
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 44.820, -92.930

A swath of 0.75 inch hail occurred in the southern part of Washington County from Cottage Grove, east to the Wisconsin border.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Minnesota in 2016 Every state in 2016 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, October 2016

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 656480, 656481.