A bolt of lightning struck two individual in Hudson, Wisconsin while they placed outside. The two were taken to a local hospital where their burns were treated.
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 bolt of lightning struck two individual in Hudson, Wisconsin while they placed outside. The two were taken to a local hospital where their burns were treated.
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 Apr 14, 4:52 AM CST, 5 hours 38 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 552 AM CDT Fri Apr 14 2017 .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 415 AM CDT Fri Apr 14 2017 An upper level storm system that was rotating across the central plains early this morning will be the main player in the next 24 hours as it moves across the Upper Midwest. Initial elevated instability was noted across southeast Minnesota where a few showers developed overnight, but area coverage remained isolated due to moisture depth. However, later today, moisture depth will increase as the upper level storm system moves closer to the region. Initially, most of the activity should be isolated/scattered through early afternoon. Better coverage will likely occur during the typical diurnal late afternoon/evening time frame as max heating occurs. Forecasters need to look closely as the upper level circulation moves northeast this afternoon. Several weak circulations embedded in the main upper level storm system may be key on where the initial thunderstorms develop this afternoon. Overnight, as the circulation moves overhead and a frontal boundary moves closer to the area, precipitation coverage should also increase. There is also some concerns with severe weather, especially considering wind shear parameters later today/tonight. However, instability parameters are better across Iowa. Current SPC outlook still has any risk of severe weather south of MPX forecast area, but this still needs to be watched based on the proximity of these features. .LONG TERM...(Saturday through Thursday) Issued at 415 AM CDT Fri Apr 14 2017 An active and progressive large scale pattern will be conducive to relatively active weather for our area through the upcoming week. Showers are expected to be ongoing for much of the area on Saturday morning with the warm front having lifted to the north, with continued activity throughout the day as the cold front passes and a shortwave trough skirts the Canadian border. overall the consensus was favored, with precipitation totals for Fri-Sat combined in the 1-1.5 inch range along the I-90 corridor (where thunder potential is also greater). Sunday still looks to be the dry day of the weekend, with westerly low level flow helping to facilitate temperature moderation to around 5 degrees above normal. The next shortwave passes through the fast westerly flow on Monday night and Tuesday. Models still differ notably with the track of the associated surface low, with the ECMWF being 300+ miles north of the GFS track. The EC and Time-shifted HopWrf are much closer to the GFS solution, so overall the consensus was favored, with precipitation totals higher over southern MN. Active flow persists, with weak shortwaves likely to impact the area at other times next week, although given the pattern, timing and coverage will be tricky to pin down very far ahead of time. Expect fairly uniform temperatures in the long term, with highs generally from 55 to 65 degrees (a tad below climatological normals). && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Saturday morning) Issued at 550 AM CDT Fri Apr 14 2017 Thru 18z, isolated SHRA/TSRA across southeast Minnesota should stay in this area until later this afternoon as more activity develops across Iowa/far southern Minnesota. Morning MVFR cigs across western Minnesota should lift with VFR conditions by noon. Confidence on thunderstorm location and timing this afternoon is low based on earlier activity across Iowa/SE Minnesota and the poor model solution. My TAFs are based on the main storm system moving across Nebraska/Kansas/Missouri this morning, and into the Upper Midwest by later today. There should be an area of thunderstorms this afternoon with this system, but again timing and areal extent remains problematic. Will keep things simple until thunderstorms begin to develop this afternoon. MVFR/IFR cigs are likely later tonight. KMSP... Main thunderstorm activity should occur after 21z, with a period of MVFR/IFR cigs late tonight/Saturday morning. As mentioned before, confidence is low on timing and areal extent of the thunderstorms. Winds will remain from the southeast today, and veer to the south/southwest and weaken tonight/Saturday morning. /OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/ Sun...VFR. Wind W 10-20 kts. Mon...VFR. Wind NW 5 kts becoming E. Tue...VFR. Chc MVFR -SHRA. Wind SE 10 kts becoming N. && .MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...None. MN...None. && SHORT TERM...JLT LONG TERM...LS AVIATION...JLT
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 429 AM CDT Fri Apr 14 2017 MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028- 150930- 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- 429 AM CDT Fri Apr 14 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central and southern Minnesota...and west central Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Thunderstorms are likely later today and tonight across most of central and southern Minnesota, as well as west central Wisconsin. The risk of severe thunderstorms is low. Locally heavy rainfall is likely along the Iowa border. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday Showers and thunderstorms are expected Saturday. Severe weather is not expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN spotter activation is not expected at this time. jlt
The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 76 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:32 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Two individuals were struck by lightning as they were playing outside. Both sustained burns to their chest and backs.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, St. Croix | 2017-04-14 | 33 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Lightning, St. Croix | 2017-04-14 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, April 2017
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: 683848.