Several clusters of storms developed during the afternoon of Friday, June 14th near Eau Claire, Wisconsin. One storm became severe and produced damaging winds with several reports of blown down trees.
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.
Several clusters of storms developed during the afternoon of Friday, June 14th near Eau Claire, Wisconsin. One storm became severe and produced damaging winds with several reports of blown down trees.
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 Jun 14, 2:43 PM CST, 1 hour 57 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 343 PM CDT Fri Jun 14 2019 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Saturday night) Issued at 343 PM CDT Fri Jun 14 2019 Uncertainties exist in the short term forecast, or from this evening, through early Sunday morning. The main uncertainty is how widespread the convection develops overnight, and how does this play into Saturday's forecast as most of the convection should sag to the southwest along the front overnight. The other concern is temperatures, as this front, and/or precipitation field, will likely cause a large deviation between highs in the 70s, to highs in the 50s/60s north of the front. The afternoon regional enhanced satellite imagery denoted an axis of moisture (K-Index) along the outflow boundary from earlier convection across central Minnesota, and portions of east central Minnesota, and west central Wisconsin. The main surface front was in northern Minnesota where lower clouds and drier air has advected southward into this region. This outflow boundary, in combination of the main cold front, and short wave moving east across North Dakota, should enhanced lift (shower/thunderstorm development) along the higher axis of moisture, or instability north of I-94 late this afternoon, and into the evening. There will likely be outflow boundaries from the convection tonight, and as the front slowly drifts southward, more convection will likely form. However, typically, convection starts to die off during the evening as we lose daytime heating and the element of instability. Plus, the main short wave will likely only brush our eastern forecast area where upper level forcing is more pronounced. It looks as though the convection may begin to die off late this evening, and transition to the eastward across Wisconsin, with a secondary area of convection developing in western Minnesota where upper level support increases during the night. This is why percentages are highest in central Minnesota, and portions of east central Minnesota, and west central Wisconsin this evening, with little or chance percentages south of I- 94. (Almost zero chance along the Iowa/Minnesota border through early Saturday morning). Saturday will likely see early morning convection, but as the main short wave moves out of the Dakotas, a more enhanced area of showers and thunderstorms will likely occur in southwest and west central Minnesota. This area of precipitation will then likely transition to the northeast across the rest of Minnesota, and into west central Wisconsin as the main short wave moves eastward across northern Minnesota Saturday afternoon, through Saturday night. This is why higher percentages of precipitation occur in western/southwest Minnesota Saturday, with the highest percentages Saturday evening, overnight in eastern Minnesota, and western Wisconsin. Temperatures on Saturday will be problematic due to the proximity of where the convection holds and sunshine develops. There will likely be a strong gradient between southwest Minnesota, and east central Minnesota/west central Wisconsin which will be on the colder side of the front. Severe weather is dependent on the amount of instability this afternoon. Currently the best instability remains in western Minnesota, but the stronger wind shear is over western Wisconsin. Therefore, the best scenario of severe weather will occur before sunset, and mostly pulse type convection with isolated large hail and damaging winds where the strongest updrafts occur. Severe weather Saturday will be dependent on where the front lies and where ongoing convection becomes surface based in the afternoon. The best potential on Saturday will be south of the front, or along the Iowa/Minnesota border. .LONG TERM...(Sunday through Friday) Issued at 343 PM CDT Fri Jun 14 2019 The steadier showers and scattered thunderstorms should be finished by Sunday morning. Clouds will linger through at least the morning hours and a few sprinkles or light showers may also linger across central MN into western WI. Temperatures are the biggest uncertainty for Sunday. NAM and GFS would have you believe we don't rise much above the mid 50s. Forecast soundings do show a thick cloud layer that doesn't break up until later Sunday evening. This could keep highs cooler than currently forecast. On the other hand, ECMWF does warm temperatures into the 70s south of I-94 and the NBM is almost as warm as the ECMWF. Did lower highs from the NBM a few degrees, but kept them warmer than the 50th percentile. The temperature spread is unusually large for a 48 hour forecast, so wanted to play it closer to the middle of the range. Conditions dry out for early week with general troughing in place. Temperatures will remain below normal. By mid to late week, a trough will dig into the Pacific Northwest and heights will rise over the center of the CONUS. Several short waves will trek across the northern CONUS late in the period. Mid level flow is expected to strengthen, but lapse rates are expected to remain poor and therefore instability should be meager. If pockets of better lapse rates could juxtapose with the stronger flow aloft, there may be some severe episodes late week. For now PoPs remain in the medium range with low confidence on timing these waves through. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Saturday afternoon) Issued at 1215 PM CDT Fri Jun 14 2019 Based on enhanced satellite imagery and regional radar, the best coverage of thunderstorms this afternoon will occur from KAXN- KSTC-KRNH, and northward. Only an isolated storm is possible south of this line through 00z. Chances of thunderstorms increase slightly in central Minnesota this evening, which will transition to mostly showers. Timing/coverage remains problematic, so VCSH or VCTS is the best option. MVFR cigs will likely develop overnight, and continue into Saturday morning, with showers/storms in the vicinity. Winds will be southwest and gusty ahead of the cold front this afternoon, with winds becoming light and variable, then northeast as the cold front moves southward over southern Minnesota toward Saturday morning. KMSP... The best time frame for SHRA/TSRA will occur during the mid/late evening hours. However, I can't rule out an isolated SHRA/TSRA before 03z. After 03z, coverage of the SHRA/TSRA will increase slightly but timing and how widespread the activity becomes remains questionable. MVFR cigs will likely develop late tonight/Saturday morning as the cold front moves through the area. /OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/ Sun...VFR. Possibly MVFR/IFR early. Wind E/ESE 10-15 kts. Mon...VFR. Wind NE 5 kts. Tue...VFR. Wind SE 5 kts. && .MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...None. MN...None. && SHORT TERM...JLT LONG TERM...BORGHOFF AVIATION...JLT
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 319 PM CDT Fri Jun 14 2019 MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028- 152030- 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- 319 PM CDT Fri Jun 14 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central and southern Minnesota...and west central Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Tonight There is a chance of thunderstorms, mainly across central Minnesota and west central Wisconsin. A storm or two may briefly become severe with large hail and damaging winds. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday There is a chance of thunderstorms Saturday through Sunday, and again late Tuesday through Thursday. A few strong or severe storms are possible. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN spotter activation will not be needed. Borghoff
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN 503 PM CDT Fri Jun 14 2019 WIZ025-027-028-142245- Chippewa-Dunn-Eau Claire- 503 PM CDT Fri Jun 14 2019 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT SOUTHEASTERN DUNN...SOUTHWESTERN CHIPPEWA AND WESTERN EAU CLAIRE COUNTIES... At 502 PM CDT, a strong thunderstorm was located over Elk Mound, or 9 miles west of Eau Claire, moving east at 40 mph. Winds in excess of 40 mph and nickel size hail are possible with this storm. Locations impacted include... Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, Altoona, Lake Hallie, Lake Wissota, Fall Creek, Elk Mound, Ludington, Brackett, Hoffman Hills Rec Area, Eau Claire Airport and Seymour. This includes the following highways... Interstate 94 in Wisconsin between mile markers 47 and 79. U.S. Highway 53 between mile markers 86 and 98. LAT...LON 4481 9187 4499 9180 4490 9110 4464 9120 TIME...MOT...LOC 2202Z 285DEG 33KT 4487 9164 JRB
The La Crosse radar (KARX), 111 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:38 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several pictures from social media showed large trees blown down from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire campus, south and east across the southern part of the city. A few trees landed on homes and caused damage to their roofs.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, June 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 819127.