Active spring pattern across the center of our nation with several episodes of severe weather and heavy rainfall expected into next week. The potential for very large hail, long track tornadoes, severe wind gusts, frequent cloud to ground lightning strikes and flash flooding are in the outlook. Furthermore, dangerous early season heat wave continues for the Gulf Coast states into early next week. Read More >
Overview
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A surface boundary extended from southern Minnesota into northeast Iowa on Wednesday, June 17th. Warm and moist air pooled up to this boundary, leading to shower and thunderstorm development by early evening. The atmosphere was unstable enough and wind shear was favorable for storms to become severe very rapidly, producing large hail and even a couple tornadoes. The confirmed tornadoes were located in Mower County, Minnesota - in and around Austin (damage path) and several miles west of LeRoy, MN. |
 Radar loop of the Austin, MN tornado |
Tornadoes:
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Tornado - Austin, MN
Track Map  |
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The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
| EF0 Weak 65-85 mph |
EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph |
EF2 Significant 111-135 mph |
EF3 Severe 136-165 mph |
EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph |
EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph |
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Damage Survey
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
245 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009
...AUSTIN MINNESOTA TORNADO SURVEY RESULTS...
STAFF FROM THE LA CROSSE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEYED STORM
DAMAGE TODAY IN MOWER COUNTY MINNESOTA...INCLUDING THE CITY OF
AUSTIN. SEVERE STORMS FORMED QUICKLY WEDNESDAY EVENING AND TRACKED
THROUGH SECTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA.
A TORNADO TRACK WAS FOUND ACROSS MOWER COUNTY...FROM NEAR THE DODGE
AND MOWER COUNTY LINE NORTHWEST OF AUSTIN THROUGH FAR NORTH SECTIONS
OF AUSTIN TO AREAS ABOUT 3 MILES EAST OF AUSTIN. THE WORST TORNADO
DAMAGE WAS CONSIDERED EF2 ON THE EF-SCALE ABOUT 3 MILES NORTH OF
DOWNTOWN AUSTIN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF 243RD STREET AND 4TH STREET
NORTHWEST. A BULK OF THE REMAINING DAMAGE WAS CONSIDERED EF0 AND
EF1. APPROXIMATE TIME OF THE TORNADO WAS 800 TO 823 PM WEDNESDAY
EVENING...JUNE 17TH. THE LENGTH WAS ABOUT 10 MILES LONG WITH A
MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 120 YARDS.
HERE ARE MORE DETAILS...
* MINOR TREE DAMAGE WAS NOTED NEAR 515TH AVE AND 250TH STREET
NORTHWEST OF AUSTIN.
* ROTATION WAS FOUND IN HIGH GRASS ALONG 520TH AVE.
* DEBRIS WAS BLOWN INTO FENCES AND POLES WERE BENT NEAR THE
LANDFILL ALONG 243RD STREET NORTH-NORTHWEST OF AUSTIN.
* SEVERAL POWER POLES WERE SNAPPED OR BENT ALONG HIGHWAY 218
NORTH OF AUSTIN.
* SEVERAL METAL WORK BUILDINGS WERE HEAVILY DAMAGED ALONG 243RD
STREET ALONG WITH NUMEROUS TREES AND SOME MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO
NEARBY HOMES. LARGE DEBRIS LIKE METAL DUMPSTERS WERE TOSSED
LARGE DISTANCES.
* THERE WAS STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE NOTED SOUTH OF THE TORNADO
PATH SOUTH OF THIS AREA...ALONG HIGHWAY 218 AND 4TH STREET NW.
* SEVERAL HOMES HAD MINOR DAMAGE WITH NUMEROUS TREES BLOWN OVER
OR SHEARED ALONG 236TH AND 237TH STREETS DIRECTLY NORTH OF
AUSTIN.
* SMALL BUILDINGS AND PICNIC TABLES WERE TOSSED AT BUSINESSES
ALONG 11TH STREET NE NEAR TODD PARK ON THE NORTH SIDE OF
AUSTIN.
* THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DONE IN TODD PARK...INCLUDING
ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT DAMAGE...SMALL BUILDINGS AND HUNDREDS OF
TREES TOPPLED AND UPROOTED. THE NORTH PART OF THE PARK...
INCLUDING THE NORTHERN SOFTBALL FIELDS HAD THE MOST DAMAGE.
* SOME BUILDINGS WERE DAMAGED ALONG 21ST AVE NE SOUTH OF TODD
PARK BUT THAT APPEARED TO BE STRAIGHT LINE WIND SOUTH OF THE
TORNADO PATH.
* THERE WAS ALSO CONSIDERABLE TREE DAMAGE ALONG 21ST STREET NE
OR 555TH AVE WHICH CONTINUED INTO THE AUSTIN COUNTRY CLUB.
* MINOR DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO FARMS ABOUT A HALF MILE EAST OF THE
AUSTIN AIRPORT AND ABOUT 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE AIRPORT.
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Storm Reports
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
230 PM CDT THU JUN 18 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0726 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 2 S CHARLES CITY 43.04N 92.68W
06/17/2009 FLOYD IA BROADCAST MEDIA
BRIEF FUNNEL CLOUD REPORTED BY BROADCAST MEDIA
0726 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 2 E ROCKFORD 43.05N 92.91W
06/17/2009 FLOYD IA TRAINED SPOTTER
0726 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 2 NE ROCKFORD 43.07N 92.92W
06/17/2009 FLOYD IA TRAINED SPOTTER
TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD AT 190TH STREET
AND GLASS AVENUE
0733 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 3 SE BLOOMING PRAIRIE 43.84N 93.01W
06/17/2009 MOWER MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0733 PM HAIL 1 S CLAREMONT 44.03N 93.00W
06/17/2009 E0.75 INCH DODGE MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED DIME SIZE HAIL SOUTH OF
CLAREMONT
0733 PM HAIL 1 S CLAREMONT 44.03N 93.00W
06/17/2009 E0.75 INCH DODGE MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
0737 PM HAIL BLOOMING PRAIRIE 43.87N 93.05W
06/17/2009 E3.00 INCH DODGE MN BROADCAST MEDIA
0742 PM HAIL ELMA 43.25N 92.44W
06/17/2009 E0.75 INCH HOWARD IA PUBLIC
PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL IN TOWN
0808 PM HAIL 4 W BASSETT 43.06N 92.59W
06/17/2009 M1.00 INCH FLOYD IA LAW ENFORCEMENT
0808 PM TORNADO 1 NW AUSTIN 43.68N 92.98W
06/17/2009 MOWER MN TRAINED SPOTTER
LARGE TORNADO ON THE GROUND WITH DEBRIS ON THE NORTHWEST
SIDE OF AUSTIN
0810 PM TORNADO AUSTIN 43.67N 92.97W
06/17/2009 MOWER MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
LARGE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE IN AUSTIN AND ESPECIALLY ON THE
NORTH SIDE. MINOR INJURIES BEING REPORTED THUS FAR.
0820 PM HAIL LIME SPRINGS 43.45N 92.28W
06/17/2009 E1.00 INCH HOWARD IA TRAINED SPOTTER
0825 PM TORNADO 4 NW NASHUA 42.99N 92.60W
06/17/2009 FLOYD IA TRAINED SPOTTER
0827 PM HAIL 2 E AUSTIN 43.67N 92.93W
06/17/2009 E1.50 INCH MOWER MN PUBLIC
RELAYED FROM MEDIA
0844 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 5 NW ADAMS 43.62N 92.79W
06/17/2009 MOWER MN FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
0856 PM HAIL CLAREMONT 44.04N 93.00W
06/17/2009 E0.88 INCH DODGE MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
0857 PM HAIL 3 NW LE ROY 43.54N 92.55W
06/17/2009 E0.75 INCH MOWER MN FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
0858 PM HAIL 3 NW NEW HAMPTON 43.09N 92.36W
06/17/2009 E0.75 INCH CHICKASAW IA PUBLIC
0913 PM HAIL 3 NNW LE ROY 43.55N 92.53W
06/17/2009 E1.75 INCH MOWER MN FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
0923 PM HAIL LIME SPRINGS 43.45N 92.28W
06/17/2009 E1.75 INCH HOWARD IA LAW ENFORCEMENT
0956 PM HAIL ELMA 43.25N 92.44W
06/17/2009 E1.00 INCH HOWARD IA LAW ENFORCEMENT
0956 PM HAIL CRESCO 43.37N 92.12W
06/17/2009 E0.75 INCH HOWARD IA LAW ENFORCEMENT
1009 PM HAIL 5 W WEST UNION 42.96N 91.91W
06/17/2009 E0.88 INCH FAYETTE IA LAW ENFORCEMENT
1032 PM HAIL PROTIVIN 43.22N 92.09W
06/17/2009 E0.50 INCH HOWARD IA LAW ENFORCEMENT
1058 PM HEAVY RAIN 3 S WAUCOMA 43.01N 92.03W
06/17/2009 M3.52 INCH FAYETTE IA TRAINED SPOTTER
1100 PM FLASH FLOOD 1 N LAWLER 43.09N 92.15W
06/17/2009 CHICKASAW IA EMERGENCY MNGR
FEW INCHES OF WATER OVER ROADS IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS. MANY
SPOTS ALONG N-S ROADS CR V56 AND VANDERBILT AVE...AS WELL
AS ALONG W-E ROAD 190TH ST. ALSO REPORTS OF SOME WASHED
OUT FARMERS DIKES IN THE AREA.
1131 PM TSTM WND DMG LAWLER 43.07N 92.15W
06/17/2009 CHICKASAW IA LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTS POWER LINES AND TREES DOWN IN THE
CITY OF LAWLER
1131 PM HAIL LAWLER 43.07N 92.15W
06/17/2009 M1.75 INCH CHICKASAW IA LAW ENFORCEMENT
1135 PM HAIL 2 N LAWLER 43.10N 92.15W
06/17/2009 E1.75 INCH CHICKASAW IA EMERGENCY MNGR
CROPS IN APPROX 15 SECTIONS OF LAND NORTH OF LAWLER
STRIPPED/DESTROYED. ALSO SOME WINDOW/SIDING/ROOF DAMAGE
IN THE AREA. AREAS IMPACTED LIE BETWEEN W-E ORIENTED
STATE HWY 24 AND CR B33 AND A CORRIDOR 2 MILES WEST AND
EAST OF N-S ORIENTED CR V56. ALSO...HAIL IN THE ENTIRE
AREA ESTIMATED BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCH DIAMETER.
1144 PM HAIL 3 S WAUCOMA 43.01N 92.03W
06/17/2009 E1.75 INCH FAYETTE IA PUBLIC
RELAYED FROM MEDIA...HAIL A BIT LARGER THAN GOLF BALL
SIZE WITH SINGLE LINE OF SPIKES AROUND THEM...BROKE
WINDOWS AND DID SOME DAMAGE TO HOUSE SIDING. ALSO...TOTAL
OF 4.80 INCHES OF RAIN.
1148 PM HAIL 3 SE WAUCOMA 43.02N 91.99W
06/17/2009 M1.50 INCH FAYETTE IA TRAINED SPOTTER
1148 PM HAIL 3 SE WAUCOMA 43.02N 91.99W
06/17/2009 M2.00 INCH FAYETTE IA TRAINED SPOTTER
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