Severe Thunderstorm Warning Hits St. Louis County, 60 mph Winds, Hail Threat

A severe thunderstorm warning put Duluth, Hermantown, Proctor and much of the North Shore under immediate threat Friday afternoon as a fast-moving line of storms raced northeast at 60 mph. The warning, issued by National Weather Service Duluth at 2:44 p.m. CDT, covered southeastern St. Louis County, northeastern Carlton County, southern Lake County and northwestern Douglas County, Wisconsin, and was set to expire at 3:45 p.m. CDT.

At the time of the warning, radar showed the storm line stretching from Scanlon to near Wisconsin Point, with 60 mph wind gusts and quarter-size hail embedded in the cells. National Weather Service forecasters warned that hail could damage vehicles and that strong winds could tear at roofs, siding and trees, raising the risk of scattered power outages where limbs or larger trees came down.

The path cut through some of the county’s most familiar places: Duluth, Hermantown, Proctor, Knife River, Two Harbors, Gooseberry Falls State Park, Split Rock Lighthouse, Silver Bay, Beaver Bay, Brimson and Tettegouche State Park. That meant the worst conditions could hit the urban core, shoreline communities and popular recreation areas in a narrow window as the line swept northeast across the region.

Along Lake Superior, the danger extended beyond land. A Special Marine Warning was also in effect for waters near Duluth, and National Weather Service Duluth notes that those warnings are issued as needed for western Lake Superior when storms threaten mariners. For anyone on the lake Friday afternoon, the combination of fast winds, hail and rough conditions made the water especially hazardous.

The storm system left enough damage to prompt follow-up work the next day. On Saturday, April 18, meteorologists with National Weather Service Duluth were conducting a damage assessment in portions of Bayfield and Ashland counties after multiple wind-damage reports from Friday’s storms, with additional damage reported in Hayward and near Trego in Washburn County. The office asked people who saw wind damage, hail or other severe weather to send reports to help confirm the impacts, a reminder that one fast-moving line can leave a broad trail of debris across the Northland.