Scattered thunderstorms moved across portions of southeast Minnesota during the afternoon and evening of May 26th. A tree was blown down east of Grand Meadow (Mower County) on State Highway 16 in front of a vehicle and the driver was unable to avoid hitting the tree.
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 ARX wrote it up.
Scattered thunderstorms moved across portions of southeast Minnesota during the afternoon and evening of May 26th. A tree was blown down east of Grand Meadow (Mower County) on State Highway 16 in front of a vehicle and the driver was unable to avoid hitting the tree. Another tree was blown down across U.S. Highway 218 north of Lyle (Mower 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 May 26, 2:43 PM CST, 1 hour 31 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service La Crosse WI 343 PM CDT Tue May 26 2020 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Tonight) Issued at 343 PM CDT Tue May 26 2020 At 3 PM, scattered showers and thunderstorms were found across the area, producing plenty of lightning and some reports of gusty winds/small hail. Surface low pressure was located far to the south in northern Missouri, with warm, moist air streaming northward ahead of it and into our area. Steep low-level lapse rates and very high precipitable water may allow a few wet microbursts/strong wind gusts across the area this afternoon and evening. Mid-level lapse rates are not particularly steep, but are sufficient for some small hail as well. Big question is tornado potential through early evening, as the surface low and an upper level shortwave push north into western Iowa. Deep layer shear is fairly weak at under 30 knots, but low level winds have been gaining an easterly component near the low and winds at 850 mb should increase this afternoon, increasing the low-level shear into the 20+ knot range. This may lead to a several hour period of isolated tornado potential through early evening. Current thinking is this potential is greatest in parts of northeast Iowa closest to the approaching low and strongest shortwave forcing. As these storms move northward into Minnesota, the threat becomes much more conditional as daytime heating is lost and shortwave forcing wanes. Storm chances continue into tonight, mainly out west closer to the surface low/surface front. Will have to keep an eye out for heavy rain across our far western areas, but the latest guidance puts the bulk of the heavier rain to our west as well. Still, the environment will be very moist and deep warm cloud depths mean storms will be efficient rain producers. Remaining storms should gradually diminish later tonight as forcing moves out and instability wanes. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday through Tuesday) Issued at 343 PM CDT Tue May 26 2020 Slow moving cold front will bring more shower and storm chances Wednesday afternoon, but weakening winds aloft/weakening shear, in addition to less instability, should lessen the threat for widespread severe weather. However, gusty winds or perhaps small hail are not totally out of the question with steep low-level lapse rates and 500-1500 J/kg of MLCAPE. With precipitable water of 1"+ and warm cloud depths over 3000m, will have to again watch for locally heavy rainfall across the area. The slow-moving front continues to work across the area Thursday, with shower and storm chances yet again. The cold front finally clears the area late Thursday, with Friday into the weekend looking drier as high pressure nudges in. Temperatures look a little cooler, with highs in the 60s to 70s. Mid-level ridging builds to our south for early to mid next week, with west-southwest flow bringing warmer air back into the area and shower/storm chances with shortwave energy riding on top of the ridge over our area. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Wednesday afternoon) Issued at 1259 PM CDT Tue May 26 2020 VFR conditions are expected this afternoon, with scattered showers and a few thunderstorms possible as a system approaches from the south. For now, have kept this as VCSH in the TAFs for the afternoon, but may need to add in thunder if storms become more widespread than anticipated. Chances for storms should increase this evening, especially toward KRST. Shower and storm chances should then decrease by late tonight. However, guidance suggests some lower MVFR to IFR ceilings may come into KRST and possibly KLSE by late night or tomorrow morning from the west. There are hints that these lower ceilings will then start to scatter out by late morning as daytime heating kicks in. Winds will be southerly around 5 to 15 knots throughout the period, with the exception of near any storms which may produce gustier winds. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...None. MN...None. IA...None. && SHORT TERM...Lee LONG TERM...Lee AVIATION...Lee
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service La Crosse WI 143 PM CDT Tue May 26 2020 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029- 032>034-041>044-053>055-061-271845- Mitchell-Howard-Winneshiek-Allamakee-Floyd-Chickasaw-Fayette- Clayton-Wabasha-Dodge-Olmsted-Winona-Mower-Fillmore-Houston- Taylor-Clark-Buffalo-Trempealeau-Jackson-La Crosse-Monroe-Juneau- Adams-Vernon-Crawford-Richland-Grant- 143 PM CDT Tue May 26 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southeast Minnesota...northeast Iowa and southwest into central Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Scattered storms are expected this afternoon and tonight. A few may become severe, especially near and west of the Mississippi River between 4 pm and 9 pm. The primary hazards will be damaging winds, large hail, lightning, locally heavy rain and isolated tornadoes. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday Thunderstorms are expected again Wednesday into Thursday night. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be required this afternoon and this evening. Spotter reports would be appreciated. Please relay any information about observed severe weather to the National Weather Service. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... No webinar is scheduled.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
218 PM CDT TUE MAY 26 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0203 PM TSTM WND GST 1 SE CALEDONIA 43.62N 91.49W
05/26/2020 E50 MPH HOUSTON MN CO-OP OBSERVER
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
231 PM CDT TUE MAY 26 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0203 PM TSTM WND GST 1 SE CALEDONIA 43.62N 91.49W
05/26/2020 E50 MPH HOUSTON MN TRAINED SPOTTER
CORRECTION TO PREVIOUS REPORT.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
329 PM CDT TUE MAY 26 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0203 PM TSTM WND DMG CALEDONIA 43.64N 91.50W
05/26/2020 HOUSTON MN PUBLIC
2 LARGE TREE LIMBS BLOWN DOWN. TIME AND
LOCATION ESTIMATED. RECEIVED VIA SOCIAL
MEDIA.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
437 PM CDT TUE MAY 26 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0428 PM TSTM WND GST 2 N IONIA 43.07N 92.46W
05/26/2020 M51 MPH CHICKASAW IA MESONET
MESONET STATION RNHI4 2 N IONIA. TIME
ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
440 PM CDT TUE MAY 26 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0130 PM TSTM WND DMG OWEN 44.95N 90.57W
05/26/2020 CLARK WI LAW ENFORCEMENT
DELAYED REPORT, OCCURRED AROUND 1:30 PM.
REPORTS IN OWEN-WITHEE AREA OF SOME
TREES/POWER LINES DOWN, TREE FELL ON HOUSE.
&&
LLSpecial Weather Statement National Weather Service La Crosse WI 508 PM CDT Tue May 26 2020 WIZ033-034-262245- Jackson-Trempealeau- 508 PM CDT Tue May 26 2020 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHWESTERN JACKSON AND NORTHEASTERN TREMPEALEAU COUNTIES... At 507 PM CDT, a strong thunderstorm was located over Blair, or near Whitehall, moving north at 35 mph. Winds in excess of 40 mph are possible with this storm. This storm will be near... Whitehall around 515 PM CDT. Osseo around 545 PM CDT. LAT...LON 4421 9109 4420 9133 4460 9144 4459 9109 TIME...MOT...LOC 2207Z 178DEG 30KT 4430 9121 JSB
The La Crosse radar (KARX), 109 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:16 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was blown down across State Highway 16 east of Grand Meadow. The driver of a vehicle was unable to avoid the fallen tree and ran into it.
A large tree was uprooted in Elgin.
A tree was blown down across U.S. Highway 218 north of Lyle.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, May 2020
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: 892380, 892979, 892381.