National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Overview

A potent severe weather environment resulted in a swath of large hail up to 2.75" in diameter stretching from SE South Dakota up through southern Minnesota into west central Wisconsin. A surface low pressure tracked from the Dakotas through central Minnesota on the afternoon of April 28. Thunderstorms developed along the a dryline boundary early afternoon across western Minnesota and eastern South Dakota. Several severe thunderstorms formed along the dryline and moved eastward through southern Minnesota into western Wisconsin in the afternoon and early evening hours of April 28. A significant severe weather set up was in place across the Upper Mississippi river valley with moderate surface instability and strong shear present along and ahead of the dryline. Initial supercells would congeal into a line of severe thunderstorms as they tracked across south central Minnesota after 430 PM. This line would produce several tornadoes and numerous reports of large hail across southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin through the evening hours. In total, at least 2 tornadoes impacted southern Minnesota & 5 in west-central Wisconsin. 

***All information is considered preliminary until investigations are finalized*** ***Page will be updated with additional photos & information***

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