Streamflow Comparison from May 4 to May 18, 2015.
Courtesy: MNDNR State Climatology Office
Courtesy: MNDNR State Climatology Office
With a third of Minnesota under a Severe Drought on May 12, the heavy rainfall of May 16-17, 2015 was welcomed by many. However, with the rain came severe storms and the first tornadoes of 2015 for Minnesota. The heaviest rainfall fell in a swath from south central to north central Minnesota with many reports of one to two inches were common. The heaviest 24 hour rainfall total ending on May 17 was 3.65 inches at Lake Wilson in Murray County. Morris in Stevens County had 3.22 inches. These rains and others for the week of May 13-19 brought a one category improvement to the drought situation in parts of central and northern Minnesota and improved the Severe Drought areas to Moderate Drought. The heavy rains largely missed the Twin Cities Metro Area.
In addition to the rains, severe storms were reported. The final count by the National Weather Service showed that Sixteen tornadoes touched down on May 16 in six counties in central Minnesota. Luckily, there was not widespread damage. There was some damage to barns near Darwin in Wright County and some tree and roof damage in Swift and Chippewa Counties.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN, MN
325 PM CDT TUE MAY 19 2015
...PRELIMINARY OVERVIEW OF THE MAY 16 TORNADOES...
HERE IS A VERY PRELIMINARY LIST OF THE MAY 16 TORNADOES IN THE
CHANHASSEN COUNTY WARNING AREA. THIS NUMBER WILL CHANGE SINCE WE
ARE STILL ASSESSING MANY DIFFERENT VIDEOS...AND MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT POSSIBLE DAMAGE OR MORE REPORTS MIGHT COME IN AND MUCH WILL
CERTAINLY BE CLARIFIED. THE TOTAL OF 15 MAY STILL GO DOWN...OR
POSSIBLY RISE.
THE ASSESSMENT INVOLVES TRYING TO DETERMINE WHETHER SOME VIDEOS
ARE OF THE SAME TORNADO...OR WHETHER ANOTHER ONE HAS FORMED. IT IS
NOT A STRAIGHTFORWARD TASK SINCE EXACT LOCATIONS...TIMES AND
DIRECTIONS OF VIDEOS MUST BE ASCERTAINED AND COMPARED WITH RADAR.
HAVING SAID THAT...HERE IS WHAT WE THINK WE KNOW SO FAR. TIMES
SHOWN ARE APPROXIMATE TOUCHDOWN TIMES...BUT THESE WILL ALSO LIKELY
CHANGE AS MORE INFORMATION COMES IN. MOST TORNADOES APPEAR TO HAVE
PRODUCED VERY LITTLE DAMAGE.
1. 425 PM...NEAR ROSEN...LAC QUI PARLE COUNTY.
2. 435 PM...7 N MONTEVIDEO...CHIPPEWA COUNTY.
3. 525 PM...NORTH CENTRAL CHIPPEWA COUNTY.
4. 525 PM...ANOTHER TORNADO IN NORTH CENTRAL CHIPPEWA COUNTY.
5. 551 PM...7 SSW DE GRAFF...SWIFT COUNTY.
6. 610 PM...2 NE DANVERS...SWIFT COUNTY.
7. 620 PM...2 SW CLONTARF...SWIFT COUNTY.
8. 623 PM...2 N MURDOCK...SWIFT COUNTY.
9. 639 PM...5 WSW SUNBURG...SWIFT COUNTY.
10. 701 PM...5 S TERRACE...POPE COUNTY.
11. 719 PM...5 SSW SEDAN...POPE COUNTY.
12. 729 PM...WEST EDGE OF SEDAN...POPE COUNTY.
13. 750 PM...3 SW DARWIN...MEEKER COUNTY.
14. 815 PM...NEAR VILLARD...POPE COUNTY.
15. 835 PM...KIMBALL...STEARNS COUNTY.
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1132 PM CDT SAT MAY 16 2015
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1208 PM HAIL 2 WSW WILLMAR 45.11N 95.08W
05/16/2015 M0.75 INCH KANDIYOHI MN PUBLIC
0425 PM TORNADO 5 N NASSAU 45.13N 96.43W
05/16/2015 LAC QUI PARLE MN TRAINED SPOTTER
TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED TORNADO TOUCH DOWN
FOR ABOUT TWO MINUTES NEAR ROSEN. NO DAMAGE
REPORTED SO FAR.
0435 PM TORNADO 5 NE WATSON 45.05N 95.72W
05/16/2015 CHIPPEWA MN TRAINED SPOTTER
TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED TORNADO TOUCHDOWN
NORTH OF MONTEVIDEO. LAW ENFORCEMENT
REPORTED PART OF ROOF BLOWN OFF BUILDING AT
A FARMSTEAD 1 MILE WEST OF HWY 29 ABOUT 7
MILES NORTH OF MONTEVIDEO.
0537 PM TORNADO 2 NW MURDOCK 45.24N 95.42W
05/16/2015 SWIFT MN TRAINED SPOTTER
TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED TORNADO TOUCHDOWN 2
MILES NW OF MURDOCK.
0540 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 8 NW DANVERS 45.36N 95.87W
05/16/2015 SWIFT MN STORM CHASER
STORM CHASER REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUD 8 MILES
NW OF DANVERS.
0551 PM TORNADO 3 WSW MURDOCK 45.21N 95.45W
05/16/2015 SWIFT MN STORM CHASER
TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED MULTI-VORTEX
TORNADO 3 MILES WSW OF MURDOCK.
0551 PM TORNADO 5 SW DE GRAFF 45.21N 95.54W
05/16/2015 SWIFT MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTS DAMAGE FROM TORNADO
5 MILES SW OF DE GRAFF. WINDOWS BLOWN
OUT...SMALL BUILDING DOWN...POWER LINE
DOWN...PARTIAL ROOF DAMAGE TO ANOTHER
BUILDING. ALSO SCATTERED REPORTS TREES DOWN
IN PARTS OF EASTERN SWIFT COUNTY.
0625 PM FUNNEL CLOUD DE GRAFF 45.26N 95.47W
05/16/2015 SWIFT MN TRAINED SPOTTER
ROPE FUNNEL CLOUD CAME DOWN BRIEFLY BUT DID
NOT TOUCH THE GROUND. REPORTED BY TRAINED
SPOTTER BETWEEN MURDOCK AND BENSON LOCATED
NEAR 120TH AVE S AND 20TH ST. SE.
0639 PM TORNADO 5 WSW SUNBURG 45.32N 95.33W
05/16/2015 SWIFT MN STORM CHASER
STORM CHASER REPORTED TORNADO BRIEFLY
TOUCHED DOWN 5 MILES WSW OF SUNBURG.
0701 PM TORNADO 7 WSW BROOTEN 45.46N 95.25W
05/16/2015 POPE MN STORM CHASER
STORM CHASER REPORTED TORNADO. SPOTTER
LOCATED 7 MILES WSW OF BROOTEN. TORNADO IS 2
TO 3 MILES SW OF THEIR LOCATION.
0717 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 3 S SEDAN 45.53N 95.25W
05/16/2015 POPE MN TRAINED SPOTTER
TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED FUNNEL CLOUD 3
MILES SOUTH OF SEDAN.
0724 PM HEAVY RAIN 2 NNW LITCHFIELD 45.15N 94.54W
05/16/2015 U0.00 INCH MEEKER MN AMATEUR RADIO
2 FEET OF WATER REPORTED ON HIGHWAY 12 NEAR
INTERSECTION OF COUNTY RD 22. RAINFALL
AMOUNT UNKNOWN.
0735 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 2 W BROOTEN 45.50N 95.16W
05/16/2015 POPE MN TRAINED SPOTTER
3 REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS COMING UP AND
DOWN JUST WEST OF BROOTEN. 2 REPORTS FROM
TRAINED SPOTTER. 1 PUBLIC REPORT. RELAYED
VIA COUNTY DISPATCH.
0740 PM TORNADO 2 N SEDAN 45.61N 95.25W
05/16/2015 POPE MN STORM CHASER
STORM CHASER REPORTED TORNADO 2 MILES N OF
SEDAN. LIFTED AT 7:42 PM. FUNNEL CLOUD
REMAINS.
0750 PM TORNADO 3 WSW DARWIN 45.08N 94.46W
05/16/2015 MEEKER MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED THAT TORNADO HIT A
FARMSTEAD 3 MILES WSW OF DARWIN. ALL
OUTBUILDINGS WERE DESTROYED. HOUSE WAS OK.
IN ADDITION, TWO IRRIGATORS WERE BLOWN INTO
A FIELD.
0758 PM HAIL 5 NNE CEDAR MILLS 45.01N 94.48W
05/16/2015 M1.00 INCH MEEKER MN AMATEUR RADIO
NICKEL TO QUARTER SIZED HAIL REPORTED IN THE
GREENLEAF AREA.
0829 PM HAIL 1 N DASSEL 45.10N 94.31W
05/16/2015 M0.88 INCH MEEKER MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0835 PM TORNADO 1 W KIMBALL 45.31N 94.32W
05/16/2015 STEARNS MN TRAINED SPOTTER
TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED TORNADO TOUCHDOWN
ABOUT 1/2 MILE WEST OF KIMBALL. ROOF DAMAGE
WITH SHEET METAL DEBRIS REPORTED IN AREA.
EMERGENCY MANAGER REPORTS DAMAGE TO TWO
SHEDS AT HIGH SCHOOL AND DEBRIS ON HWY 55
1/3 MILE WEST OF KIMBALL.
0925 PM TSTM WND DMG 2 S WAVERLY 45.04N 93.97W
05/16/2015 WRIGHT MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A TREE ON A HOUSE 2
MILES S OF WAVERLY. POWER LINE ALSO DOWN.
0945 PM HEAVY RAIN SOUTH HAVEN 45.29N 94.22W
05/16/2015 U0.00 INCH WRIGHT MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED FLOODING ON SEVERAL
COUNTY ROADS DUE TO HEAVY RAINFALL. HEAVIEST
RAIN FELL IN FAR WESTERN PORTION OF THE
COUNTY. RAINFALL TOTAL UNKNOWN.
1106 PM HAIL 4 SW CARVER 44.72N 93.68W
05/16/2015 E0.88 INCH CARVER MN TRAINED SPOTTER
TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED NICKLE SIZED HAIL
1/2 MILE WEST OF EAST UNION.
Last modified: May 22, 2015
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