Thunderstorm Wind in Watonwan County, Minnesota
Thunderstorm Wind June 30, 2026 · Watonwan County, Minnesota
Where the report was made, with tornadoes recorded within 15 miles over the years.
What the National Weather Service wrote
A trained spotter reported multiple 8'10-inch diameter trees blown down or snapped in half in St. James, MN, along with the roof partially blown off a metal commercial/work shed. The AWOS Station located at the St. James municipal airport measured a 60mph thunderstorm wind gust.
The wider storm
A thunderstorm complex that had developed over northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa moved into southwestern Minnesota during the overnight hours of June 29th into June 30th. A cold front had stalled across western MN which left a warm and unstable airmass in place over SW MN, helping maintain this complex over several hours. As the complex reached the MN/IA border, wind gusts reached 60 to 70 mph, ultimately causing damage to a maintenance shed and downing trees in St. James (Watonwan County). The strongest thunderstorm wind gust was recorded 1 mile NNE of Welcome at 67 mph.
Began near St James (43.9800, -94.6300).
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1354435. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.
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