Severe Storms and the First Tornado in Minnesota for 2007:
May 23, 2007

Strong thunderstorms developed over east central Minnesota and moved to the east and northeast during the early afternoon of May 23. The storms quickly became severe over the western Twin Cities, dropping large hail and producing damaging winds over especially Plymouth and Brooklyn Park. The largest hail observed was baseball sized hail in Brooklyn Park. As the storms moved across the Twin Cities they formed a nearly solid line of storms from just east of the Twin Cities into southeast Minnesota.

The first confirmed tornado for 2007 touched down at 4:10pm 5 miles southeast of Dennison in Goodhue County. It was a weak tornado and mainly damaged trees. There was another unconfirmed report of a tornado fifteen minutes later 2 miles SE of Wanamingo in Goodhue County. The Chanhassen National Weather Service has a news article on the severe storms and tornado of May 23.

While these storms were destructive they brought some badly needed rain to eastern Minnesota.

Listed below is a public information statement about the storms courtesy the Chanhassen National Weather Service.

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
731 PM CDT WED MAY 23 2007

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1155 AM     HAIL             NEW ULM                 44.31N 94.46W
05/23/2007  M0.75 INCH       BROWN              MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

0205 PM     TSTM WND DMG     WAYZATA                 44.97N 93.51W
05/23/2007                   HENNEPIN           MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            1 FT DIAMETER TREE BRANCHES DOWN. 1/4 INCH HAIL.

0210 PM     HAIL             PLYMOUTH                45.02N 93.46W
05/23/2007  E0.88 INCH       HENNEPIN           MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

0210 PM     TSTM WND DMG     PLYMOUTH                45.02N 93.46W
05/23/2007                   HENNEPIN           MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SEMI TRAILOR TIPPED OVER IN PLYMOUTH AT HIGHWAY 55 AND
            494. SPOTTER SAID HE WITNESSED A DOWNBURST.

0210 PM     TSTM WND DMG     PLYMOUTH                45.02N 93.46W
05/23/2007                   HENNEPIN           MN   EMERGENCY MNGR

            DAMAGE TO ROOF OF COMMERCIAL BUILDING ON BOONE AVE N.
            TREES IN NEARBY VICINITY UP TO ONE FOOT DIAMETER WERE
            DOWNED OR BLOW OVER. TIME WAS ESIMATED.

0215 PM     TSTM WND DMG     PLYMOUTH                45.02N 93.46W
05/23/2007                   HENNEPIN           MN   AMATEUR RADIO

            CO RD 9 EAST OF 494. POWER LINES DOWN.

0215 PM     HAIL             MINNETONKA              44.91N 93.50W
05/23/2007  E1.00 INCH       HENNEPIN           MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            BROKEN CAR WINDOWS. 1 TO 2 INCH BRANCHES DOWN.

0215 PM     HAIL             PLYMOUTH                45.02N 93.46W
05/23/2007  E1.00 INCH       HENNEPIN           MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            1 MILE EAST OF HIGHWAY 55 AND 494.

0215 PM     HAIL             CRYSTAL                 45.04N 93.36W
05/23/2007  E2.00 INCH       HENNEPIN           MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            MAINLY 1 TO 1.5 INCH STONES. BIGGEST HAIL EGG SIZED.

0225 PM     HAIL             BROOKLYN PARK           45.11N 93.35W
05/23/2007  E2.75 INCH       HENNEPIN           MN   PUBLIC

            BASEBALL SIZED HAIL REPORTED ALONG WITH UNKNOWN WIND
            DAMAGE AT INTERSECTION OF SCHMITT LAKE ROAD AND HIGHWAY
            169. ALSO HALF DOLLAR TO PING PONG SIZED HAIL REPORTED
            NEAR 694 AND 85TH AVENUE.

0225 PM     HAIL             BROOKLYN PARK           45.11N 93.35W
05/23/2007  E1.00 INCH       HENNEPIN           MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            AT HIGHWAY 169 AND HIGHWAY 81.

0225 PM     TSTM WND DMG     BROOKLYN PARK           45.11N 93.35W
05/23/2007                   HENNEPIN           MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TREE LIMBS DOWN

0225 PM     HAIL             BROOKLYN PARK           45.11N 93.35W
05/23/2007  E1.75 INCH       HENNEPIN           MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

0226 PM     HAIL             BROOKLYN PARK           45.11N 93.35W
05/23/2007  M2.50 INCH       HENNEPIN           MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            MEASURED AT INTERSECTION OF 73RD AND ZANE.

0230 PM     TSTM WND GST     ST PAUL                 44.95N 93.10W
05/23/2007  M53.00 MPH       RAMSEY             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            MEASURED IN HIGHLAND PARK.

0230 PM     HAIL             BROOKLYN PARK           45.11N 93.35W
05/23/2007  E0.88 INCH       HENNEPIN           MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            NEAR ZANE AND CO RD 30

0230 PM     HAIL             CRYSTAL                 45.04N 93.36W
05/23/2007  E1.75 INCH       HENNEPIN           MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            NEAR CRYSTAL AIRPORT

0236 PM     HAIL             SPRING LAKE PARK        45.12N 93.25W
05/23/2007  E1.00 INCH       ANOKA              MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

0310 PM     HAIL             2 E FOREST LAKE         45.28N 92.94W
05/23/2007  E0.75 INCH       WASHINGTON         MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            AT MANNING AVENUE AND HIGHWAY 97

0400 PM     TSTM WND DMG     BALSAM LAKE             45.46N 92.45W
05/23/2007                   POLK               WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

            POWER LINES DOWN AT INTERSECTION OF HWY 47 AND 180TH.
            POWER LINES ALSO DOWN AT 190TH AVE AND 136TH ST. TIME WAS
            ESTIMATED.

0400 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 NNE BALSAM LAKE       45.51N 92.42W
05/23/2007                   POLK               WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

            TREE DOWN ON 200TH STREET.

0425 PM     TORNADO          2 SE WANAMINGO          44.28N 92.76W
05/23/2007                   GOODHUE            MN   PUBLIC

            UNCONFIRMED PUBLIC REPORT OF WEAK TORNADO PICKING UP DUST
            WHILE CROSSING OPEN FIELD 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WANAMINGO.
            RELAYED BY COUNTY OFFICIALS.

0504 PM     TSTM WND DMG     HAMMOND                 44.97N 92.44W
05/23/2007                   ST. CROIX          WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

            3-5 INCH BRANCHES DOWN. MEASURED WIND GUST OF 46MPH.

0520 PM     HAIL             HOLLANDALE              43.76N 93.21W
05/23/2007  M0.75 INCH       FREEBORN           MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0605 PM     TSTM WND GST     6 N WEYERHAEUSER        45.51N 91.41W
05/23/2007  E58.00 MPH       RUSK               WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            NUMEROUS SMALL TREES AND ONE INCH TREE LIMBS SEVERED.

0659 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     2 S BLUE EARTH          43.61N 94.10W
05/23/2007                   FARIBAULT          MN   PUBLIC

            REPORTED BY COUNTY DISPATCH.

0722 PM     TORNADO          4 S EAU CLAIRE          44.76N 91.49W
05/23/2007                   EAU CLAIRE         WI   PUBLIC

            REPORTED BY RAINFALL OBSERVER C1. TORNADO OCCURRED NEAR
            CEDAR ROAD AND LOWES CREEK.


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URL: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/tornado070523.htm
Last modified: June 22, 2007