The morning of Saturday, May 16th, a warm front surged northward from the Minnesota, Iowa border to west central and east central Minnesota. Surface winds backed from the northeast, to the east-southeast once the front went through the area. In addition, there was a sharp clearing line south of this front that led to strong surface heating once the front passed.
Thunderstorms began to develop across southwest and west central Minnesota during the afternoon, and moved northward. Once the storms moved northward near the warm front, the storms quickly became tornadic. Some tornadoes occurred for only a minute or two, but others had a longer duration of 5 to 10 minutes and looked quite large according to video.  Just about all the tornadoes moved over farm fields that were still open, as corn and bean plants were just beginning to emerge.  A few outbuildings were damaged or destroyed along with roof and tree damage. One of the storms that developed southeast of Litchfield, Minnesota, caused damage to several buildings. Another storm moved near Kimball, Minnesota, and damaged a schools athletic field.

Hail in KANDIYOHI, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 11:08:00 to 16-MAY-15 11:08:00 (CST-6)
Location: WILLMAR
Magnitude: 0.75 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

Hail in MEEKER, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 18:58:00 to 16-MAY-15 18:58:00 (CST-6)
Location: GREENLEAF
Magnitude: 1.00 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Amateur Radio

Tornado in DOUGLAS, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 19:09:00 to 16-MAY-15 19:11:00 (CST-6)
Location: OSAKIS
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

The last tornado in a series touched down in an open field.  It was recorded on video by multiple storm chasers.

Tornado in SWIFT, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 16:33:00 to 16-MAY-15 16:40:00 (CST-6)
Location: MURDOCK
Tornado F-scale: EF1
Property damage: 50.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

Tornado mostly moved across open fields, but it also hit a farmstead, blowing out windows, knocking down power lines, and destroying an outbuilding.  The tornado was recorded on video by numerous storm chasers.

Tornado in MEEKER, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 18:48:00 to 16-MAY-15 18:58:00 (CST-6)
Location: DARWIN
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 50.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey

This tornado knocked down dozens of trees, pushed a barn and other sheds off their foundations, and took the roof off a pole barn.

Hail in MEEKER, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 19:29:00 to 16-MAY-15 19:29:00 (CST-6)
Location: DASSEL
Magnitude: 0.88 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Thunderstorm Wind in LAC QUI PARLE, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 15:31:00 to 16-MAY-15 15:34:00 (CST-6)
Location: ROSEN
Magnitude: 52.00 EG
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A downburst associated with a decaying funnel cloud hit several groves of trees. A trained spotter from the area provided a very detailed map and photos of the damage. The photos clearly showed the tree damage occurred in a divergent pattern.

Funnel Cloud in LAC QUI PARLE, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 15:23:00 to 16-MAY-15 15:25:00 (CST-6)
Location: ROSEN
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

A storm chaser recorded video of a funnel when it was over Minnesota.

Hail in CARVER, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 22:06:00 to 16-MAY-15 22:06:00 (CST-6)
Location: EAST UNION
Magnitude: 0.88 
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Funnel Cloud in POPE, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 18:44:00 to 16-MAY-15 18:47:00 (CST-6)
Location: SEDAN
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

Video from a storm chaser showed a funnel that was completely separate from the circulation that produced the Sedan tornado and the tornado 2 to 4 miles north of Sedan from 1841 to 1847.  It is possible this touched down, but there is not enough evidence to be certain.

Tornado in CHIPPEWA, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 16:23:00 to 16-MAY-15 16:29:00 (CST-6)
Location: GLUEK
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

Tornado moved across open fields.  It was recorded on video by numerous storm chasers.

Tornado in CHIPPEWA, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 16:51:00 to 16-MAY-15 16:53:00 (CST-6)
Location: GLUEK
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

Tornado moved across open fields. It was recorded on video by numerous storm chasers.

Tornado in SWIFT, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 17:24:00 to 16-MAY-15 17:25:00 (CST-6)
Location: MURDOCK
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

Tornado touched down in open field. It was recorded on video by multiple storm chasers. The tornado moved toward the southeast, even though its parent storm was moving north-northeast.

Tornado in SWIFT, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 16:36:00 to 16-MAY-15 16:37:00 (CST-6)
Location: BENSON ARPT
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

This tornado briefly touched down in an open field.  It was recorded on video by two completely independent experienced storm chasers. Times and locations of both chasers were checked very carefully, as radar only showed a weak echo west of Clontarf at the time of the tornado.

Tornado in CHIPPEWA, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 16:57:00 to 16-MAY-15 17:00:00 (CST-6)
Location: GLUEK
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

This tornado moved across an open field. It was photographed and recorded on video by two independent storm chasers and also viewed by multiple trained spotters.

Tornado in CHIPPEWA, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 15:33:00 to 16-MAY-15 15:38:00 (CST-6)
Location: WATSON
Tornado F-scale: EF1
Property damage: 250.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Law Enforcement

A tornado produced damage at a farm. A 100' x 70' long machine shed was destroyed when it was pushed off its foundation, with metal blown 1.5 miles downwind. Much of the equipment inside the shed was destroyed. A metal fence was blown down, and dozens of trees were broken. The tornado even clipped off some of the new soybeans that had emerged and were only one or two inches out of the ground.

Tornado in SWIFT, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 17:38:00 to 16-MAY-15 17:42:00 (CST-6)
Location: SWIFT FALLS
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

A tornado moved across open fields. It was recorded on video by numerous storm chasers.

Tornado in POPE, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 18:01:00 to 16-MAY-15 18:02:00 (CST-6)
Location: GILCHRIST
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

This tornado was recorded on video by multiple storm chasers. It briefly touched down in an open field.

Tornado in POPE, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 18:15:00 to 16-MAY-15 18:29:00 (CST-6)
Location: TERRACE
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

This tornado mostly moved across open fields, and was recorded on video by numerous storm chasers and spotters.  After it touched down in an open field east of Terrace, it lifted off briefly and came back down a couple of times before moving through the western edge of Sedan.  The tornado caused about a dozen trees to be uprooted at a cemetery on the northwest edge of Sedan.  This was a multiple vortex tornado.  It also appears there may have been a satellite tornado that touched down in the back yard of a house on County Road 29, 1/2 mile south of Sedan, but the video is inconclusive as to whether it was a satellite tornado or part of the main tornadic circulation.

Tornado in POPE, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 18:41:00 to 16-MAY-15 18:47:00 (CST-6)
Location: SEDAN
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

A tornado touched down in an open field. It was recorded on video by numerous storm chasers.

Tornado in STEARNS, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 19:28:00 to 16-MAY-15 19:32:00 (CST-6)
Location: KIMBALL
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 100.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey

This tornado knocked down a couple dozen trees, pushed over a barn, and damaged sheds, including a storage shed at the football field at the Kimball Area Schools, where equipment was strewn downfield. The tornado dissipated shortly thereafter.

Tornado in SWIFT, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 16:18:00 to 16-MAY-15 16:26:00 (CST-6)
Location: DANVERS
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 5.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

The tornado moved across open fields and into a wildlife management area, where a number of trees were broken or downed.  The tornado also hit a farmstead, producing minor damage.  It was recorded on video by two completely independent experienced storm chasers. Times and locations of both chasers were checked very carefully, as radar only showed a weak echo north of Danvers at the time of the tornado.

Tornado in POPE, MINNESOTA
From 16-MAY-15 18:56:00 to 16-MAY-15 18:59:00 (CST-6)
Location: VILLARD
Tornado F-scale: EF0
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Storm Chaser

The tornado touched down for brief times on several occasions before it dissipated.  It was recorded on video by multiple storm chasers.