Medford, MN Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Medford is about the same as Minnesota average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Medford is higher than Minnesota average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #530
| Medford, MN | 0.00 |
| Minnesota | 0.01 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Medford, MN | 0.0000 |
| Minnesota | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #108
| Medford, MN | 202.55 |
| Minnesota | 135.90 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 3,511 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Medford, MN were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 17 | Cold: | 11 | Dense Fog: | 2 | Drought: | 0 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 229 | Hail: | 1,486 | Heat: | 7 | Heavy Snow: | 34 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 3 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 24 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,420 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 70 | Winter Weather: | 1 |
| Other: | 207 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Medford, MN.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Medford, MN.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Medford, MN.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 73 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Medford, MN.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 5.4 | 1982-05-17 | 3 | 44°06'N / 93°13'W | 44°12'N / 93°04'W | 10.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Steele |
| 10.3 | 1970-04-29 | 2 | 43°58'N / 93°33'W | 44°10'N / 93°15'W | 20.10 Miles | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Waseca |
| 11.7 | 1967-04-30 | 2 | 43°59'N / 93°25'W | 44°07'N / 93°25'W | 9.20 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Waseca |
| 13.4 | 1967-04-30 | 4 | 43°51'N / 93°14'W | 44°06'N / 93°13'W | 17.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Steele |
| 14.0 | 1982-05-17 | 3 | 43°51'N / 93°10'W | 44°06'N / 93°10'W | 16.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Steele |
| 17.6 | 1967-04-30 | 4 | 43°51'N / 93°30'W | 44°07'N / 93°29'W | 18.20 Miles | 267 Yards | 6 | 22 | 25.0M | 0 | Waseca |
| 18.7 | 1963-06-09 | 2 | 44°08'N / 93°43'W | 44°11'N / 93°32'W | 9.30 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Waseca |
| 19.6 | 1961-05-14 | 2 | 43°58'N / 93°36'W | 44°02'N / 93°32'W | 5.10 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Waseca |
| 19.7 | 2010-06-17 | 2 | 43°51'N / 93°19'W | 43°56'N / 93°22'W | 7.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Steele |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado moved from Freeborn County and into Steele County and began moving to the north-northwest, thereby missing the city of Ellendale. At about (43.9255, -93.3453), it began moving toward the northwest, and at about (43.9407, -93.3627), it actually turned some more and moved toward the west-northwest until it finally dissipated. Accounting for the change in direction, the tornado had an actual path length of 7.7 miles in Steele County. Along the way, several homes experienced significant structural damage, with one house completely destroyed and the roof removed from two others. Many outbuildings were destroyed, and hundreds of trees were uprooted and snapped. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Several strong storms developed in west-central Minnesota during the mid afternoon hours of June 17th. These storms quickly become severe and produced softball size hail northwest of Alexandria and a tornado near Leaf Valley that became the EF-4 that moved through Wadena, Minnesota. By the late afternoon, numerous thunderstorms developed across southern Minnesota along the leading edge of extreme instability. Numerous funnel cloud reports and a few brief tornado touchdowns were noted prior to 5 pm, but once the low level shear (0-1 km) increased significantly from 15 knots, to over 35 knots, strong tornadoes developed along the Iowa border. These storms along the Iowa border produced a series of long-lived tornadoes near Albert Lea, Minnesota. Very large hail also accompanied some tornadoes along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 20.0 | 1987-07-27 | 3 | 44°28'N / 93°02'W | 44°26'N / 93°16'W | 10.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Rice |
| 21.1 | 2010-06-17 | 2 | 43°53'N / 93°05'W | 43°54'N / 93°03'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0K | Steele |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This EF-2 tornado touched down and tracked east-northeast, and soon crossed the path of the Blooming Prairie EF-3 that had moved north-northeast about 10 minutes earlier. A manufactured home was obliterated by the EF-2. A woman inside the home was blown about 20 feet, but was found under debris, rescued by law enforcement, and survived. The tornado continued moving east-northeast, and several outbuildings were destroyed, along with many broken trees. The tornado continued into Dodge County. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Several strong storms developed in west-central Minnesota during the mid afternoon hours of June 17th. These storms quickly become severe and produced softball size hail northwest of Alexandria and a tornado near Leaf Valley that became the EF-4 that moved through Wadena, Minnesota. By the late afternoon, numerous thunderstorms developed across southern Minnesota along the leading edge of extreme instability. Numerous funnel cloud reports and a few brief tornado touchdowns were noted prior to 5 pm, but once the low level shear (0-1 km) increased significantly from 15 knots, to over 35 knots, strong tornadoes developed along the Iowa border. These storms along the Iowa border produced a series of long-lived tornadoes near Albert Lea, Minnesota. Very large hail also accompanied some tornadoes along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 21.2 | 1968-05-15 | 2 | 44°28'N / 93°14'W | 44°29'N / 93°12'W | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Rice | ||
| 21.5 | 2001-05-09 | 2 | 44°28'N / 93°10'W | 44°28'N / 93°05'W | 5.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 9.0M | 0 | Rice |
| Brief Description: NWS damage survey rated the tornado an F2. Tornado touched down briefly in downtown Northfield, flipping over a semi trailer truck and lifting the roof off of one business. Three-fourths mile later, it touched down again on the east side of Northfield, and then remained on the ground for 11 miles. After being in Rice County for 5 miles, it crossed Highway 19 into Dakota County and then dissipated in Goodhue County 4 miles west of Cannon Falls, for a total of 12 miles. Numerous rear flank downdraft gusts estimated at 90 mph caused damage alongside the southern periphery of tornado track. One man sustained minor injuries when he was blown from a tractor, but did not require hospitalization. A total of 8 homes received major damage, 22 more had minor damage, and a turkey processing plant was destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 21.6 | 1998-03-29 | 2 | 44°28'N / 93°26'W | 44°28'N / 93°20'W | 5.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20.0M | 0 | Rice |
| Brief Description: Four homes and 6 businesses severely damaged. Street department building damaged. 20 farms damaged or destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 21.7 | 2010-06-17 | 3 | 43°51'N / 93°07'W | 43°54'N / 93°04'W | 4.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Steele |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado developed just north of the Steele/Freeborn County line, shortly after the dissipation in Freeborn County of the Newry tornado. This new tornado moved northeast, and initially, occasional trees were broken. Damage intensified somewhat when it hit a farm on State Highway 30 just west of Blooming Prairie. The tornado continued moving northeast, decimating crops. Some bean fields were scoured in spots. It intensified significantly to EF-3 2.5 miles northwest of Blooming Prairie, where a house was leveled, trees were snapped, and large portions of bark were removed. A pickup truck was lofted about 50 feet into the basement of the house. Several other houses sustained minor damage. The tornado dissipated just west of Highway 218 and 123rd Street. Video recorded by law enforcement and chasers. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Several strong storms developed in west-central Minnesota during the mid afternoon hours of June 17th. These storms quickly become severe and produced softball size hail northwest of Alexandria and a tornado near Leaf Valley that became the EF-4 that moved through Wadena, Minnesota. By the late afternoon, numerous thunderstorms developed across southern Minnesota along the leading edge of extreme instability. Numerous funnel cloud reports and a few brief tornado touchdowns were noted prior to 5 pm, but once the low level shear (0-1 km) increased significantly from 15 knots, to over 35 knots, strong tornadoes developed along the Iowa border. These storms along the Iowa border produced a series of long-lived tornadoes near Albert Lea, Minnesota. Very large hail also accompanied some tornadoes along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 23.7 | 2001-05-09 | 2 | 44°28'N / 93°05'W | 44°30'N / 93°02'W | 3.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 7.0M | 0 | Dakota |
| Brief Description: The Northfield tornado (which originated in Rice County) crossed Highway 19 into extreme southeastern Dakota County, then went into Goodhue County. Five homes sustained major damage, including one with its roof completely removed. 12 other homes received minor damage. Several motorists barely made it into nearby homes before the tornado struck. | |||||||||||
| 26.3 | 2001-05-09 | 2 | 44°30'N / 93°02'W | 44°31'N / 92°59'W | 4.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 4.0M | 0 | Goodhue |
| Brief Description: The Northfield tornado (which originated in Rice County) dissipated on the south side of Lake Byllesby, but not before destroying several sheds and causing minor damage to 12 homes. | |||||||||||
| 26.4 | 1998-03-29 | 2 | 44°33'N / 93°15'W | 44°33'N / 93°11'W | 3.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Dakota |
| 26.7 | 2010-06-17 | 3 | 43°45'N / 93°14'W | 43°49'N / 93°10'W | 5.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Freeborn |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: As the Lerdal tornado began to dissipate, it rotated around this new one west of Hollandale. This new EF-3 tornado went on to obliterate a farmstead, with virtually every outbuilding destroyed, and the farm house leveled. It continued northeast and took the roof off a house and destroyed a greenhouse. Just before dissipating, it hit one more farmstead near County Roads 30 and 35, causing damage to outbuildings, minor damage to the house, and uprooting and breaking a couple dozen trees. Video filmed by storm chaser. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Several strong storms developed in west-central Minnesota during the mid afternoon hours of June 17th. These storms quickly become severe and produced softball size hail northwest of Alexandria and a tornado near Leaf Valley that became the EF-4 that moved through Wadena, Minnesota. By the late afternoon, numerous thunderstorms developed across southern Minnesota along the leading edge of extreme instability. Numerous funnel cloud reports and a few brief tornado touchdowns were noted prior to 5 pm, but once the low level shear (0-1 km) increased significantly from 15 knots, to over 35 knots, strong tornadoes developed along the Iowa border. These storms along the Iowa border produced a series of long-lived tornadoes near Albert Lea, Minnesota. Very large hail also accompanied some tornadoes along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 26.9 | 1968-05-15 | 2 | 44°29'N / 93°12'W | 44°35'N / 92°55'W | 15.40 Miles | 333 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Dakota |
| 27.0 | 1967-04-30 | 4 | 43°48'N / 93°31'W | 43°51'N / 93°30'W | 1.90 Miles | 267 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Freeborn |
| 27.0 | 1967-04-30 | 3 | 43°51'N / 93°36'W | 43°56'N / 93°40'W | 6.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Waseca |
| 27.1 | 2003-07-14 | 2 | 44°07'N / 93°48'W | 44°08'N / 93°47'W | 1.50 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.0M | 0 | Blue Earth |
| Brief Description: The sixth tornado in a series was the last of five to hit Blue Earth County. This one took direct aim on four farmsteads. Barns, sheds and outbuildings were downed. A roof was taken off a house and numerous trees were snapped. Law Enforcement video showed this to be a multiple vortex tornado. | |||||||||||
| 27.5 | 1998-03-29 | 2 | 44°22'N / 93°50'W | 44°26'N / 93°34'W | 17.00 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 2 | 20.0M | 0 | Le Sueur |
| Brief Description: Tornado tracked through Le Center and adjoining rural areas. Most of the businesses in the southern part of town were damaged. Buildings destroyed at county fairgrounds. 15 mobiles homes at a trailer park destroyed, another 26 suffering major damage. Over 100 farm buildings destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 27.6 | 1984-06-07 | 3 | 43°40'N / 93°21'W | 43°53'N / 93°20'W | 14.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 12 | 25.0M | 0 | Freeborn |
| 27.6 | 1982-05-17 | 3 | 43°42'N / 93°08'W | 43°51'N / 93°10'W | 10.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Freeborn |
| 27.8 | 1953-05-10 | 2 | 43°45'N / 93°12'W | 43°48'N / 93°04'W | 6.90 Miles | 67 Yards | 6 | 3 | 3K | 0 | Freeborn |
| 27.8 | 2010-06-17 | 3 | 43°42'N / 93°25'W | 43°51'N / 93°19'W | 11.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Freeborn |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Touchdown was near the intersection of Freeborn County Roads 14 and 20. Multiple farmsteads experienced significant structural and tree damage, including one house completely destroyed and several others heavily damaged. Many outbuildings were destroyed, hundreds of trees uprooted and snapped, with some partially debarked. It then moved into Steele County, southwest of Ellendale, where it began moving to the north-northwest. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Several strong storms developed in west-central Minnesota during the mid afternoon hours of June 17th. These storms quickly become severe and produced softball size hail northwest of Alexandria and a tornado near Leaf Valley that became the EF-4 that moved through Wadena, Minnesota. By the late afternoon, numerous thunderstorms developed across southern Minnesota along the leading edge of extreme instability. Numerous funnel cloud reports and a few brief tornado touchdowns were noted prior to 5 pm, but once the low level shear (0-1 km) increased significantly from 15 knots, to over 35 knots, strong tornadoes developed along the Iowa border. These storms along the Iowa border produced a series of long-lived tornadoes near Albert Lea, Minnesota. Very large hail also accompanied some tornadoes along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 27.9 | 2006-08-24 | 3 | 44°18'N / 93°58'W | 44°15'N / 93°37'W | 17.50 Miles | 880 Yards | 1 | 30 | 20.0M | 4.0M | Le Sueur |
| Brief Description: The F3 tornado that began in Nicollet County at 1630 CST moved into Le Sueur County near the northern city limits of Kasota. Over 100 homes suffered some damage, dozens of homes had major damage, and three were completely leveled. The tornado moved east-northeast for about ten miles in Le Sueur County, then turned and moved east-southeast until dissipation. Hundreds of farm animals were killed, including 200 cows at a large dairy. Approximately five thousand acres of corn and soybeans were estimated to be ruined across the county. A State Farm spokeswoman said the company expected 4,500 homeowner claims and 8,000 auto claims from the storm. Some information provided by the Star Tribune newspaper. A 91 year old man perished in the upper floor of his home when a tree crashed through the roof. M91PH | |||||||||||
| 28.2 | 1981-06-14 | 2 | 44°23'N / 93°44'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 8 | 250K | 0 | Le Sueur | |
| 30.3 | 1987-07-27 | 3 | 44°34'N / 92°43'W | 44°28'N / 93°02'W | 20.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Goodhue |
| 30.9 | 1981-04-29 | 2 | 44°12'N / 92°39'W | 44°12'N / 92°36'W | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Olmsted | ||
| 31.5 | 1953-07-25 | 2 | 44°10'N / 93°53'W | 0.50 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Blue Earth | |
| 31.8 | 1976-06-14 | 2 | 44°15'N / 93°53'W | 44°17'N / 93°52'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Le Sueur | ||
| 31.8 | 1977-05-21 | 2 | 44°31'N / 93°38'W | 44°34'N / 93°37'W | 2.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Le Sueur |
| 32.1 | 1967-04-30 | 4 | 43°34'N / 93°26'W | 43°51'N / 93°14'W | 21.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 5 | 35 | 25.0M | 0 | Freeborn |
| 33.1 | 1967-04-30 | 3 | 43°40'N / 93°35'W | 43°51'N / 93°36'W | 12.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 2 | 23 | 25.0M | 0 | Freeborn |
| 33.3 | 1952-07-27 | 2 | 43°43'N / 93°29'W | 1.50 Miles | 133 Yards | 0 | 4 | 25K | 0 | Freeborn | |
| 34.6 | 1998-03-29 | 3 | 44°20'N / 93°57'W | 44°24'N / 93°50'W | 6.00 Miles | 2200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Le Sueur |
| Brief Description: See narrative for Nicollet county. | |||||||||||
| 36.1 | 2001-05-01 | 2 | 43°39'N / 93°08'W | 43°40'N / 93°03'W | 5.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.0M | 0 | Freeborn |
| Brief Description: Shortly after the Glenville tornado dissipated, another tornado formed 4 miles southwest of Oakland and dissipated about 1/2 mile before it would have crossed Interstate 90, which law enforcement had barricaded. Major damage to 3 farmsteads, minor damage to 8 others per damage survey. | |||||||||||
| 36.4 | 1982-05-17 | 3 | 43°35'N / 93°17'W | 43°42'N / 93°08'W | 10.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Freeborn |
| 36.5 | 1976-06-14 | 2 | 43°55'N / 94°04'W | 44°15'N / 93°53'W | 24.60 Miles | 300 Yards | 1 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Blue Earth |
| 37.0 | 2009-06-17 | 2 | 43°43'N / 93°01'W | 43°38'N / 92°54'W | 10.00 Miles | 120 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.0M | 30K | Mower |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado caused damage on the north and northeast side of the city of Austin. Specific reports included minor tree damage, as well as debris blown into fences and bent poles on the northwest side of Austin. Several power poles were snapped off or bent along Highway 218 on the north side of the city. Several metal work buildings were heavily damaged along 243rd St, along with numerous trees and some minor roof damage to nearby homes. Large debris, such as metal dumpsters, were tossed large distances. There was straight-line wind damage noted south of the tornado path, or along Highway 218 and 4th St NW. Several homes had minor damage, with numerous trees blown over or sheared off along 236th and 237th Street directly north of downtown Austin. There was considerable damage done in Todd Park, including athletic equipment, small buildings and hundreds of trees toppled and uprooted. The north side of the park, including the northern softball fields had the most damage. There was also considerable tree damage along 21st St NE or 555th Ave, which continued into the Austin Country Club. Minor damage was noted about a half mile east of the Austin airport and about 2 miles southeast of the airport. One minor injury was reported when a man sustained scrapes and bruises when he took shelter in a shed that rolled over twice. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms were triggered along a warm front during the evening of June 17. One of the storms produced two known tornadoes, one that initially touched down near the Dodge and Mower County line, northwest of the city of Austin. The tornado then moved through far north sections of Austin to areas about 3 miles east of Austin. The worst tornado damage was considered EF2 about 3 miles north of downtown near the intersection of 243rd and 4th street northwest. The bulk of the remaining damage was considered EF0 and EF1. The tornado was on the ground from approximately 8:00 p.m. until 8:23 p.m. Path length was about 10 miles long and had a maximum width of 120 yards. Another small tornado touched down southeast of this track in open country in rural Mower County. | |||||||||||
| 37.0 | 1981-06-23 | 2 | 43°43'N / 93°39'W | 1.00 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Faribault | |
| 37.2 | 2010-06-17 | 4 | 43°34'N / 93°38'W | 43°48'N / 93°31'W | 17.00 Miles | 1760 Yards | 1 | 14 | 0K | 0K | Freeborn |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado initially moved northeast to approximately 3.5 miles west of Conger, where at about (43.6156, -93.6015), it began to move more to the east-northeast. West of Armstrong, at about (43.6597, -93.4938), it began tracking nearly due north to just west of Manchester, where at about (43.7357, -93.4801), it began to move to the north-northwest, before dissipating 1.5 miles west of Hartland. Accounting for the changes in direction of this track, the actual path length covered by the tornado was 19.95 miles. Near 180th Street and County Road 2, a home was likely in the outer circulation of the tornado, as it sustained some roof and siding damage. A barn was also destroyed to its brick foundation and a car was also flipped over lengthwise. Some evidence of tree debarking was noted. The tornado continued to the northeast and caused extensive crop damage approximately 500 yards in width. Near County Roads 17 and 63, the tornado intensified to produce EF-3 damage, impacting a farmstead and causing the complete destruction of three swine barns and the loss of 12 head of swine. Two empty grain bins were completely blown away at this location. The house at this location had some roof damage but appeared to be northwest of the main tornado path. Approximately 100 feet northeast of the house, a 150 foot tripod style wind turbine tower was twisted and toppled. This location also marked the beginning of crops being completely raked, with only stalks of corn left, and soybean fields being almost unrecognizable. After passing through this farmstead the tornado took a more easterly path across County Road 63, and maintained EF-3 strength. After passing County Road 63, another farmstead was hit, and two empty harvester silos were toppled. The tornado continued to the northeast across County Road 4, where continued raking of the fields was noted with significant deposition of debris along the tornado path. Numerous trees were toppled at County Road 89 where it turns to the north. The tornado continued to the north-northeast, grew to 1000 yards, and around 1750 LST impacted a farmstead along County Road 12 two miles north of Conger, where EF-4 damage was observed. The house at this location was completely destroyed, as was the barn and several other buildings. Extensive tree damage was noted with nearly all branches being removed from the trunks. Debarking of trees was widespread at this location. A car was also tumbled a distance of 3200 feet, coming to rest in a field east of County Road 12. The tornado continued to the northeast across County Road 69 and County Road 46, where it weakened slightly to EF-3 intensity. As it crossed County Road 46, a house was rotated off the foundation. The tornado was approximately 700 yards wide at this point. To the north-northeast, a swine barn was destroyed with sheet metal being carried off to Interstate 90. At this same time, a satellite tornado developed and caused damage in the town of Armstrong (see separate entry). The main tornado continued to the north-northeast and was 500 yards in width. The tornado crossed County Road 74 and caused EF-2 damage to three farmsteads. One farmstead with a manufactured home was hit, resulting in one fatality and one severe injury. The tornado crossed Interstate 90 just west of County Road 14 as it grew to one third of a mile in width and re-strengthened to EF-3 intensity. Several farmsteads saw significant damage between Sugar Lake and County Road 14, with a house and two barns completely destroyed. From this point the tornado continued to the north, growing to one mile in width. Around 1800 LST, a house and barn were destroyed approximately one mile west of Manchester on County Road 25, where extensive tree and structural damage was also noted at several properties in the area. Additionally, west of this tornadic damage, a separate area of tree and structural damage was caused by strong thunderstorm winds associated with a rear flank downdraft (see separate entry). About one mile north, the tornado weakened slightly to EF-2 Intensity, where it damaged three full grain bins near County Road 29. The tornado was approximately 1300 yards at this point. Further north, at County Road 95, the tornado continued to weaken, although a farmstead still received EF-1 damage to trees and structures. Finally, the tornado continued north and began to narrow and weaken. It dissipated west of Hartland. One person was killed and 14 injured from this tornado. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Several strong storms developed in west-central Minnesota during the mid afternoon hours of June 17th. These storms quickly become severe and produced softball size hail northwest of Alexandria and a tornado near Leaf Valley that became the EF-4 that moved through Wadena, Minnesota. By the late afternoon, numerous thunderstorms developed across southern Minnesota along the leading edge of extreme instability. Numerous funnel cloud reports and a few brief tornado touchdowns were noted prior to 5 pm, but once the low level shear (0-1 km) increased significantly from 15 knots, to over 35 knots, strong tornadoes developed along the Iowa border. These storms along the Iowa border produced a series of long-lived tornadoes near Albert Lea, Minnesota. Very large hail also accompanied some tornadoes along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 37.7 | 1961-08-04 | 2 | 43°40'N / 92°57'W | 2.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Mower | |
| 38.9 | 1977-05-21 | 2 | 44°34'N / 93°37'W | 44°48'N / 93°31'W | 16.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Scott |
| 39.0 | 1966-10-14 | 2 | 43°39'N / 93°36'W | 43°39'N / 93°31'W | 2.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Freeborn |
| 39.4 | 1984-06-07 | 2 | 43°38'N / 92°59'W | 43°39'N / 92°54'W | 5.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 7 | 2.5M | 0 | Mower |
| 39.8 | 2001-05-01 | 2 | 43°34'N / 93°17'W | 43°37'N / 93°10'W | 7.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20.0M | 0 | Freeborn |
| Brief Description: Tornado first touched down on the western fringe of Glenville, and produced major damage, especially on the northwest side of Glenville. There were 25 homes that sustained major damage, and 70 with minor damage. Damage survey indicated F2 damage on northwest side of Glenville, with F1 damage along rest of path. | |||||||||||
| 39.9 | 1952-06-24 | 2 | 44°20'N / 93°51'W | 45°07'N / 93°05'W | 65.80 Miles | 267 Yards | 0 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Le Sueur |
| 40.0 | 1967-04-30 | 2 | 43°38'N / 92°56'W | 43°40'N / 92°51'W | 3.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Mower |
| 40.6 | 2010-06-25 | 2 | 44°00'N / 94°02'W | 43°58'N / 94°01'W | 2.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Blue Earth |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado damaged several farmsteads. A barn was caved in on a side, roofs of hog barns were blown off, trees were snapped or uprooted, and a wood pole was snapped. EPISODE NARRATIVE: During the morning of Friday June 25th, a small complex of thunderstorms developed across west-central Minnesota, and quickly moved eastward across southern Minnesota. Isolated severe weather occurred with these storms in west-central Minnesota during the morning hours. During the afternoon, a larger complex of storms developed across western Minnesota, and moved quickly across portions of central and southern Minnesota during the evening. Damage was extensive as several bow echoes, supercells, and squall lines raced across the area. There were numerous reports of structural damage to farms and homesteads, very large hail, and very large trees blown down. Softball to baseball size hail was reported near New Ulm, Minnesota, with several reports of wind damage throughout southern, and east-central Minnesota. Several significant tornadoes occurred in portions of south central Minnesota during the late afternoon, and early evening hours. Two separate severe storms moved across the Twin Cities area, one produced minor damage with hail in the late afternoon, but the second that occurred in the early evening caused more straight-line wind damage throughout the area, along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 41.0 | 1964-04-13 | 2 | 43°57'N / 92°28'W | 44°00'N / 92°28'W | 3.40 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Olmsted |
| 41.2 | 1998-03-29 | 3 | 44°17'N / 94°10'W | 44°20'N / 93°57'W | 12.00 Miles | 2200 Yards | 1 | 0 | 120.0M | 0 | Nicollet |
| Brief Description: Tornado made a direct hit on the city of St. Peter and Gustavius Adolphus College. All major buildings on campus suffered varying degrees of damage. The spire on Christ Chapel snapped in half. 70% of the windows on campus were broken. 500 homes were destroyed in St. Peter, 1,700 were damaged. Over 1,000 trees uprooted. One person killed just outside St. Peter when the tornado struck a vehicle. St. Peter Catholic Church destroyed. Hospital severely damaged. Roof ripped off library. 25% of books lost. Debris from St. Peter found 50 miles away in southern suburbs of the Twin Cities. 60 rural homes and farms damaged or destroyed from Courtland to St. Peter. Rural damage estimated at 6.5 million. M6VE | |||||||||||
| 42.0 | 1962-09-16 | 4 | 43°58'N / 92°27'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 34 | 250K | 0 | Olmsted | |
| 42.8 | 1962-05-22 | 2 | 43°53'N / 92°29'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Olmsted | |
| 43.5 | 2006-08-24 | 3 | 44°16'N / 94°16'W | 44°20'N / 93°57'W | 15.50 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 7 | 3.5M | 0 | Nicollet |
| Brief Description: The tornado began with a very narrow path and gradually expanded to a half mile wide multiple vortex tornado. One home in Nicollet lost much of its upper floor, and other homes suffered major damage, including some bring shifted off their foundation. The tornado continued east along Highway 99, producing major damage to houses, farm buildings, and a power substation. It did its most severe damage on the southern outskirts of St. Peter, where a house was completely leveled. A total of 57 homes properties in Nicollet County were damaged, and several homes had to be totaled out. A spokesmen from the St. Peter Community Hospital said several persons were admitted with severe wounds, such as broken bones. The tornado crossed the Minnesota River near the southern city limits of St. Peter, and entered Le Sueur County near the city of Kasota (see separate entry). | |||||||||||
| 43.8 | 2010-06-25 | 2 | 44°06'N / 94°08'W | 44°05'N / 94°07'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Blue Earth |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Barn walls collapsed and a garage was pushed off its foundation. Power poles were snapped and multiple trees uprooted. EPISODE NARRATIVE: During the morning of Friday June 25th, a small complex of thunderstorms developed across west-central Minnesota, and quickly moved eastward across southern Minnesota. Isolated severe weather occurred with these storms in west-central Minnesota during the morning hours. During the afternoon, a larger complex of storms developed across western Minnesota, and moved quickly across portions of central and southern Minnesota during the evening. Damage was extensive as several bow echoes, supercells, and squall lines raced across the area. There were numerous reports of structural damage to farms and homesteads, very large hail, and very large trees blown down. Softball to baseball size hail was reported near New Ulm, Minnesota, with several reports of wind damage throughout southern, and east-central Minnesota. Several significant tornadoes occurred in portions of south central Minnesota during the late afternoon, and early evening hours. Two separate severe storms moved across the Twin Cities area, one produced minor damage with hail in the late afternoon, but the second that occurred in the early evening caused more straight-line wind damage throughout the area, along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 44.1 | 1994-08-07 | 2 | 43°57'N / 94°05'W | 5.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0 | Blue Earth | |
| Brief Description: This tornado touched down near County Road 10 in Lyra Township, 3 miles east of Vernon Center. As it tracked to the southeast, it damaged 4 barns, 2 mobile homes and 2 homes. It then entered Sterling Township, caused significant crop damage by flattening a path through a corn field. It damaged 3 more barns and 9 more homes before lifting off the ground about 1 mile east of Sterling Center. Despite the amount of damage, there were no injuries or fatalities. Overall, 12-14 buildings received structural damage and 7 barns were damaged. | |||||||||||
| 44.3 | 1967-04-30 | 4 | 43°30'N / 93°07'W | 43°34'N / 93°07'W | 4.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Freeborn |
| 44.7 | 1979-07-03 | 2 | 43°57'N / 92°24'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Olmsted | |
| 44.8 | 2003-07-14 | 2 | 44°07'N / 94°09'W | 44°07'N / 94°09'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 0 | Blue Earth |
| Brief Description: The second tornado from a cyclic tornadic supercell touched down on the western edge of a farmstead. It snapped a dozen trees and demolished a barn and sheds. The roof of a house was peeled away and four vehicles were moved. | |||||||||||
| 44.9 | 1979-05-22 | 2 | 44°49'N / 93°19'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Hennepin | |
| 45.9 | 1964-08-28 | 2 | 44°17'N / 92°21'W | 44°20'N / 92°20'W | 2.70 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Wabasha |
| 47.1 | 1981-06-14 | 3 | 44°49'N / 93°16'W | 44°53'N / 93°10'W | 6.20 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 23 | 25.0M | 0 | Hennepin |
| 47.7 | 1962-09-16 | 2 | 43°51'N / 92°25'W | 43°53'N / 92°21'W | 3.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Olmsted |
| 47.9 | 1952-06-23 | 2 | 44°50'N / 93°30'W | 44°51'N / 93°28'W | 0 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Hennepin | ||
| 48.2 | 1967-04-30 | 4 | 43°27'N / 93°10'W | 43°30'N / 93°07'W | 3.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Worth |
| 48.5 | 1995-07-27 | 2 | 43°34'N / 92°44'W | 43°36'N / 92°41'W | 3.50 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0M | Mower |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down in Adams and moved northeast touching down several times. Several buildings were damaged or destroyed. Many trees uprooted. A church in Adams lost its steeple and bell tower. | |||||||||||
| 49.5 | 2010-06-17 | 2 | 43°31'N / 93°43'W | 43°33'N / 93°42'W | 3.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Faribault |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey, plus photo and video evidence from chasers, showed this tornado developed just west of Kiester, moved north and struck the northwestern edge of Kiester, producing widespread tree damage and rated EF-1 at this point. It continued north as a multiple vortex tornado, doing EF-2 damage to a grove of trees. Farther north, several trees and grave stones were knocked over in a cemetery. It then turned and moved north-northeast before dissipating to the northeast of Kiester. It should be noted that another tornado which developed south-southwest of Kiester (see entry for 1710 to 1716 CST) wrapped around this tornado and dissipated west of Kiester. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Several strong storms developed in west-central Minnesota during the mid afternoon hours of June 17th. These storms quickly become severe and produced softball size hail northwest of Alexandria and a tornado near Leaf Valley that became the EF-4 that moved through Wadena, Minnesota. By the late afternoon, numerous thunderstorms developed across southern Minnesota along the leading edge of extreme instability. Numerous funnel cloud reports and a few brief tornado touchdowns were noted prior to 5 pm, but once the low level shear (0-1 km) increased significantly from 15 knots, to over 35 knots, strong tornadoes developed along the Iowa border. These storms along the Iowa border produced a series of long-lived tornadoes near Albert Lea, Minnesota. Very large hail also accompanied some tornadoes along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 49.6 | 1952-06-23 | 2 | 44°23'N / 94°35'W | 44°50'N / 93°30'W | 61.60 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Nicollet |
| 49.9 | 1967-04-30 | 3 | 43°20'N / 93°12'W | 43°34'N / 93°04'W | 17.20 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Worth |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.