Hail and Damaging Wind in Minnesota, June 5, 2026

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in Minnesota, June 5, 2026
Start: 2026-06-05T14:36
End: 2026-06-05T17:24
Location: Minnesota

June 5, 2026 · NWS MPX · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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.

A surface cold front bisected Minnesota which had produced thunderstorms during the pre-dawn hours of Friday, June 5th, 2026. A strong low-level jet which had supported this development weakened, thus allowing for gradual clearing and building instability during the daytime hours. A suitable environment for severe thunderstorms was realized across the eastern Dakotas and western Minnesota as precipitable water values exceeded 1 inch and dew points crept into the 60s. Storms redeveloped that afternoon across western MN along this same stalled boundary and producing damaging wind gusts and large hail.

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 Jun 5, 1:08 PM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Scattered thunderstorms, some capable of hail and gusty winds, will continue through early evening. Areas of fog developing late tonight.
Drier and warmer Saturday, before another round of showers and thunderstorms late Sunday through Monday.
Hotter and more humid conditions by the middle of next week with highs in the 90s expected. Heat indices may exceed 100 degrees.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 5, 1:08 PM CST, 1 hour 28 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
208 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Scattered thunderstorms, some capable of hail and gusty winds,
  will continue through early evening. Areas of fog developing
  late tonight.

- Drier and warmer Saturday, before another round of showers and
  thunderstorms late Sunday through Monday.

- Hotter and more humid conditions by the middle of next week
  with highs in the 90s expected. Heat indices may exceed 100
  degrees.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 208 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026

Scattered thunderstorms are beginning to develop across western
MN early this afternoon ahead of the main shortwave trough.
Storms are also developing along an outflow boundary, left
behind from from this morning's activity, from Cambridge
southwestward to Buffalo. Activity will generally increase in
coverage and expand eastward this afternoon, while remaining
fairly disorganized due to a lack of strong deep layer shear.
Nevertheless, some may pulse up and become severe for a short
time, as has been the case for the past couple of days.
Marginally severe hail and gusty winds are the main threats
until storms weaken near sunset. Clouds will clear this evening.
With light winds and recent rain areas of fog are probable
overnight.

Weak high pressure over the Great Lakes will turn winds light
easterly Saturday and drier air will work in. Temperatures will
rebound back to the upper 80s.

An upper low over the southern Plains Saturday will lift north
to the Upper Midwest Sunday night and Monday. With it will come
pwats between 1.75-2 inches. However, poor mid level lapse
rates and little low level forcing may make it difficult to
sustain deep convection which should keep QPF relatively light.

Next week a trough will dig into the west and a ridge will
buckle northward across the eastern U.S. Southwest flow will
overtake the central U.S. and several embedded disturbances may
bring storm chances Tuesday into early Wednesday. 700 mb temps
will climb to near +12C, which is near the warm limit to
allow convection. A hot and humid airmass will advect north,
and if convective development does not occur, widespread low to
mid 90s are expected Wednesday. Heat indices should climb to
around 100. The trough will approach Wednesday and a cold front
may push through as early as Wednesday evening. Showers and
thunderstorms should develop along the front and SPC highlights
the Upper Midwest in their day 6 outlook. Cooler air will
follow the front, and if this timing holds, the forecast may be
way too warm Thursday. Given storm chances and a quicker cold
front arrival, forecast temperatures have trended down mid to
late week.

&&

.AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/...
Issued at 112 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026

Scattered thunderstorms will develop this afternoon north of RWF
and MKT. Highest coverage of storms will be after 20-21Z, but
still not confident enough for anything more than a PROB30 for
now, except at RNH early this evening. TS will weaken and
dissipate near sunset with clearing skies late evening. Areas of
fog will develop overnight, with IFR conditions possible.

KMSP...Tough call on the timing of direct impacts, if any at
all, from TS this afternoon and evening. Given the scattered
nature of the expected convection, continued with the PROB30
until storms begin developing and trends can be determined.

/OUTLOOK FOR KMSP/
SAT...VFR. Wind N at 5-10 kts, becoming E.
SUN...Mainly VFR. Chc TSRA/MVFR late. Wind SE at 10-15 kts
MON...SHRA/TSRA likely. MVFR possible. Wind SE 5-10 kts.

&&

.MPX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MN...None.
WI...None.

&&

DISCUSSION...Borghoff
AVIATION...Borghoff

Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 5, 1:22 PM CST, 1 hour 14 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
222 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026

MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028-
061930-
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-
222 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central and
southern Minnesota, and west central Wisconsin.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Scattered thunderstorms remain possible through this evening. The
strongest storms will be capable of producing large hail and
damaging wind gusts.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Much hotter weather arrives for the middle of next week with heat
index values near 100 possible.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN spotter activation may be needed.

Strus

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 5, 11:14 AM CST, 3 hours 22 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
1214 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026

MNZ044-045-051745-
Mille Lacs MN-Kanabec MN-
1214 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT CENTRAL KANABEC AND EAST CENTRAL
MILLE LACS COUNTIES UNTIL 1245 PM CDT...

At 1214 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Rum River State Forest, or 34 miles northwest of Cambridge, moving
east at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Penny size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible.

Locations impacted include...
  Knife Lake, Warman and Mora Airport.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Monitor the weather situation closely and be alert for threatening
weather conditions.

&&

LAT...LON 4594 9362 4600 9370 4607 9350 4607 9329
      4601 9310 4593 9322 4588 9328 4593 9352
TIME...MOT...LOC 1714Z 276DEG 17KT 4607 9351 4601 9332 4596 9343 4593
9349 4594 9361 4600 9370

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...<30 MPH

Borghoff

Special weather statement, Jun 5, 11:48 AM CST, 2 hours 48 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
1248 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026

MNZ045-051815-
Kanabec MN-
1248 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHEASTERN KANABEC COUNTY
UNTIL 115 PM CDT...

At 1248 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Quamba, or 30 miles north of Cambridge, moving east at 25 mph.

HAZARD...Nickel size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible.

Locations impacted include...
  Mora Airport, Quamba and Snake River State Forest.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Monitor the weather situation closely and be alert for threatening
weather conditions.

&&

LAT...LON 4606 9328 4608 9305 4598 9306 4598 9314
      4588 9314 4588 9327
TIME...MOT...LOC 1748Z 267DEG 20KT 4598 9321

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN
MAX WIND GUST...<30 MPH

Borghoff

Special weather statement, Jun 5, 1:58 PM CST, 38 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
258 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026

MNZ054-064-052030-
Yellow Medicine MN-Lac Qui Parle MN-
258 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTHEASTERN LAC QUI PARLE AND
CENTRAL YELLOW MEDICINE COUNTIES UNTIL 330 PM CDT...

At 258 PM CDT, Public reported a strong thunderstorm near Boyd, or 15
miles southwest of Montevideo, moving east at 30 mph.

HAZARD...Penny size hail.

SOURCE...Public reported.

IMPACT...Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible.

Locations impacted include...
  Clarkfield, Boyd, Spring Creek and Hazel Run.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Monitor the weather situation closely and be alert for threatening
weather conditions.

&&

LAT...LON 4480 9608 4495 9601 4489 9567 4489 9565
      4488 9565 4467 9574 4478 9609
TIME...MOT...LOC 1958Z 288DEG 24KT 4485 9599

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...<30 MPH

Borghoff

Special weather statement, Jun 5, 2:23 PM CST, 13 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
323 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026

WIZ015-052115-
Barron WI-
323 PM CDT Fri Jun 5 2026

...HEAVY RAIN AND MINOR FLOODING WILL IMPACT BARRON COUNTY UNTIL 415
PM CDT...

At 323 PM CDT, Trained spotters reported heavy rain and minor
flooding between Rice Lake and Cumberland beneath a batch of storms
moving east at 25 mph.

Locations impacted include...
  Turtle Lake, Comstock, Cumberland, Almena, Barronett, Cumberland
  Airport, Barron, Haugen, Rice Lake Airport, Rice Lake, Cameron,
  Chetek, Brill, Canton, Sumner and Mikana.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Monitor the weather situation closely and be alert for threatening
weather conditions.

If you encounter a flooded roadway, turn around and find an
alternative route.

&&

LAT...LON 4535 9154 4536 9216 4564 9215 4564 9154
TIME...MOT...LOC 2021Z 276DEG 20KT 4552 9168

Strus

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 182 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:36 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Douglas

When: June 5, 2:36 PM CST to 2:42 PM CST
Where: Douglas County, Alexandria
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 45.880, -95.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Douglas

When: June 5, 2:38 PM CST to 2:45 PM CST
Where: Douglas County, 0.48 mi E of (Axn)chndlr Fld Alxn
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 45.870, -95.390

Chandler Field ASOS in Alexandria, MN reported a severe wind gust of 64 mph.

Hail, Swift

When: June 5, 3:04 PM CST to 3:15 PM CST
Where: Swift County, 2.06 mi WSW of De Graff
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 45.260, -95.520

Hail, Wright

When: June 5, 5:20 PM CST to 5:24 PM CST
Where: Wright County, 1.69 mi SE of Silver Creek
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.300, -93.960

Report of penny size hail provided via social media.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Minnesota in 2026 Every state in 2026 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, June 2026

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1345953, 1345959, 1345960, 1345968.