Funnel Cloud — Brown, Minnesota

2025-05-27 · near Sleepy Eye, Brown, Minnesota

Event narrative

Multiple trained spotters provided photos of funnel cloud 5 miles SE of Sleepy Eye, MN.

Wider weather episode

Low pressure located over the Dakotas was slowly moving eastward across the Upper-Mississippi River Valley. Isolated to scattered rain showers developed diurnally, which a few cells across western Minnesota had enough instability ( 100 to 300 J/kg of MuCAPE) to produce heavier rain and a few rumbles of thunder. Given this region of Minnesota was within close proximity of the closed low combined with weak instability, funnel clouds could not be ruled out.

About five miles southeast of Sleepy Eye, MN a few trained spotters noticed one cell in particular produced a funnel cloud that moved northwest for approximately ten minutes. Spotters confirmed the funnel never reached the ground.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (44.2331, -94.6913)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1248486. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.