Intense thunderstorms tracked northeastward across Minnesota during the afternoon of Thursday May 15, producing multiple small tornadoes in western and central Minnesota, some more classic tornadoes in Wisconsin, and reports of wind damage in northern Minnesota. The storms also brought needed rains to fire-stricken areas of northern, and western Minnesota.
The storms formed as a powerful low-pressure system drew humid and unstable air into the region. As the low intensified, so did the flow of cooler and drier air wrapping into it, creating an arced, almost pinwheeling boundary that swept northward and northeastward across the state Thursday afternoon and evening.
On Thursday morning, remnant thunderstorms from an overnight complex in the Dakotas spread into western and central Minnesota, dissipating before noon. Some of the these storms produced small hail.
In the early afternoon, a broken band of intensifying thunderstorms developed along the advancing boundary between the Minnesota River and Interstate 94. Many of these storms in southern and eastern Minnesota developed large areas of rotation, prompting tornado warnings and wailing sirens for many areas in and near the Twin Cities, although no tornadoes were observed or confirmed. As the axis of storms passed the Twin Cities, the cells in Wisconsin strengthened and grew further, producing observed tornadoes near Roberts, Hammond, and Deer Park, along with destructive hail up to 4 inches in diameter near Eau Claire. In northern Minnesota, the storms produced power outages and damage to many trees, with some of the most significant damage reported near Silver Bay and Beaver Bay, and along Highway 61, as an intense band of thunderstorms crossed Lake Superior and slammed into the north shore.
In western and central Minnesota, the storms exhibited more localized rotation, some of which did lead to the formation of relatively small tornadoes, with sightings and/or minor damage reported near Montevideo, Morris, Benson, Spring Hill, and Crookston.
May 16, 2025
KAB