Southeast Minnesota sweltered for one day with excessive heat in the middle of July. Heat indices topped out between 105 and 115 on July 19th.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 ARX wrote it up.
Southeast Minnesota sweltered for one day with excessive heat in the middle of July. Heat indices topped out between 105 and 115 on July 19th. Air temperatures during this heat wave generally topped out around 90 while dew points climbed into the lower 80s. The highest calculated heat index was 117 from a mesonet station in Houston (Houston County), near Kellogg (Wabasha County) and the automated weather observing equipment at the Winona airport (Winona County).
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 La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 19, 4:55 AM CST, 5 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service La Crosse WI
555 AM CDT Fri Jul 19 2019
.UPDATE...
Issued at 348 AM CDT Fri Jul 19 2019
Decided to expand Excessive Heat Warning to include all but Taylor
county in north central Wisconsin. Taylor county is now in a Heat
Advisory today. See latest NPW product or Watches, Warning,
Advisory section at bottom for details.
&&
.SHORT TERM...(Today through Saturday Night)
Issued at 256 AM CDT Fri Jul 19 2019
Currently watching ongoing problematic heavy rain producing
thunderstorms lined up mainly along the I-90 corridor and just
south. CAMs show this convection eventually moving east of the area
by 7-8am as the LLJ bends further east and tapers.
Attention then turns to heat today and then enhanced severe threat
late this afternoon into tonight. A warm front will be lined up
approximately between the I-90/94 corridors. RAP showing 925mb
temperatures increasing into the 29-31C range by this afternoon with
partly to mostly sunny skies. This is expected to translate to highs
well into the 90s across much of the area along with uncomfortable
dewpoints in the 70s. Resulting heat indices will generally be in
the 100-105 range north of I-90, and 105-110 across portions of
northeast IA/far southwest WI. Will leave heat headlines alone as
they cover this well.
High heat and humidity (CAPE of 5000+ Kj/Kg) + warm frontal boundary
+ ample bulk shear (35-50kt) will lead to an enhanced risk of severe
thunderstorms by this evening into the overnight hours. All severe
threats (damaging winds, large hail, tornadoes) will potentially be
experienced as well as a flash flood risk if storms train over the
same area. The highest severe threat looks to be north of the I-90
corridor where that warm front will be hanging out. Will be
monitoring this situation closely!
Likelihood of thunderstorm continue into Saturday/Saturday night as a
mid-level trough crossing the Northern Plains begins to drive a
surface cold frontal boundary southward into the area. Will again
have to be situationally aware of severe/flash flooding threat as
there will still be plenty of cape and shear to work with.
.LONG TERM...(Sunday through Thursday)
Issued at 256 AM CDT Fri Jul 19 2019
Could still be a chance of shower/thunderstorms south of I-90 Sunday
morning as that cold frontal boundary sags slowly southward out of
the area. Otherwise, cooler/drier air filtering into the area as
Canadian high pressure builds into the region. Quiet/cooler weather
continues through Thursday as the Canadian high settles over the
region.
&&
.AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Saturday morning)
Issued at 555 AM CDT Fri Jul 19 2019
Thunderstorms finally cleared southeast of the area this morning.
Another round of thunderstorms looks likely for this evening but
not confident enough if storms will make it into the KRST/KLSE
sites at this times. Will include a VCTS at KRST from 03-09Z and
at KLSE in the 04-09Z time frame. Looks to be VFR through the
period.
&&
.ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...Excessive Heat Warning until 7 PM CDT Saturday for WIZ054-061.
Excessive Heat Warning until 7 PM CDT this evening for WIZ029-
032>034-041>044-053-055.
Heat Advisory from 1 PM this afternoon to 7 PM CDT this evening
for WIZ017.
MN...Excessive Heat Warning until 7 PM CDT this evening for MNZ079-
086>088-094>096.
IA...Excessive Heat Warning until 7 PM CDT Saturday for IAZ011-018-
019-029-030.
Excessive Heat Warning until 7 PM CDT this evening for
IAZ008>010.
&&
UPDATE...DAS
SHORT TERM...DAS
LONG TERM...DAS
AVIATION...DAS<!doctype html>
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Heat indices of 105 to 115 were common across Mower County on July 19th. The highest calculated heat index was 113 from a mesonet station near Dexter.
Heat indices of 105 to 115 were common across Houston County on July 19th. The highest calculated heat index was 117 from a mesonet station in Houston.
Heat indices of 105 to 115 were common across Dodge County on July 19th. The highest calculated heat index was 113 from a mesonet station near Kasson.
Heat indices of 105 to 115 were common across Wabasha County on July 19th. The highest calculated heat index was 117 from a mesonet station near Kellogg.
Heat indices of 105 to 115 were common across Olmsted County on July 19th. The highest calculated heat index was 115 from a mesonet station in Rochester.
Heat indices of 105 to 115 were common across Winona County on July 19th. The highest calculated heat index was 117 from the automated weather observing equipment at the Winona airport.
Heat indices of 105 to 115 were common across Fillmore County on July 19th. The highest calculated heat index was 114 from a mesonet station near Canton.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, July 2019
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 846148, 846147, 846140, 846151, 846150, 846153, 846146.