Dakota-Minnesota Tornado Outbreak of August 2006

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Dakota-Minnesota Tornado Outbreak

Le Sueur Tornado

Date of tornado outbreak:

August 24, 2006

Duration¹:

3 hours, 32 minutes

Maximum rated tornado²:

F3 tornado

Tornadoes caused:

11 confirmed, 13 unconfirmed, 24 total were reported

Damages:

> $10,000,000

Fatalities:

Areas affected:

North Dakota, South Dakota, southern Minnesota

¹Time from first tornado to last tornado
²Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

The Dakota-Minnesota Tornado Outbreak of August 2006 was an outbreak of 11 confirmed tornadoes and 13 other unconfirmed tornadoes in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota on August 24, 2006.

1 Outbreak description
2 Reported Tornadoes
3 Casualties and Damage
4 See also
5 Storm Chaser Accounts
6 References

[edit] Outbreak description

A moderate risk of severe weather was issued by the SPC for August 24, with a significant threat for tornadoes, some of which could be strong. The main threat area ran from North Dakota southeastward into Minnesota and northern Iowa to western Wisconsin.

There were, in total, 24 reported tornadoes in the area.^[1] The National Weather Service has confirmed that one multiple vortex tornado that hit the Minnesota cities of Nicollet, Kasota and Cleveland was an F3 on the Fujita Scale, and was on the ground for 31 miles.^[2] Two other F3's were confirmed - one in Wolsey, South Dakota and another near Eureka, South Dakota. The Wosley storm was one of four tornadoes spawned in the same area from Wessington to Carvour. The three others storms in Beadle County were rated from F0 to F2 ^[3].

The disturbance associated with this outbreak also spawn two tornadoes in the province of Saskatchewan the previous day in Yorkton and Unity without causing any damage (thus F0's).

The next day, the same storm system hit the Mid-Atlantic and prompted a tornado warning to be issued for New York City for a short time. Although no tornado hit the city, a small F0 tornado did touch down on Long Island in Massapequa, New York.

Table of confirmed tornadoes - after surveys by local weather service offices

Confirmed Total	Confirmed F0	Confirmed F1	Confirmed F2	Confirmed F3	Confirmed F4	Confirmed F5
11	6	1	2	3	0	0

[edit] Reported Tornadoes

F#	Location	County	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
South Dakota
F1	NE of Onida	Sully	2140	5 miles (8 km)	Significant damage to a farm, including structural damage to a silo and hay thrown. At one point the tornado was about 600 yards wide.^[4]
F3	Eureka area	McPherson	2203	14 miles (23 km)	One of several tornadoes reported in the area and the strongest. Destroyed a barn, killing dozens of livestock. Several farmhouses, farm buildings and vehicles were also destroyed. One person suffered minor injuries.
F0	NW of Highmore	Hyde	2210	unknown	No damage reported.
F0	N of Highmore	Hyde	2235	unknown	Briefly on the ground. No reports of damage.
F2	W of Miller	Hand	2305	5 miles (8 km)	Tornado destroyed a barn and heavily damaged several houses. At one point the tornado was about 300 yards wide. ^[5]
F3	Wolsey area	Hand, Beadle	2332	24.5 miles (39 km)	Large tornado reported in the area. Several farm buildings were completely destroyed along with at least one mobile home. One home was nearly wiped clean off the foundation, leaving only concrete steps. Other damage included dozens of vehicles severely mangled and twisted high tension power lines. The tornado reached a max width exceeding 500 yards. Two people suffered minor injuries.
F2	Cavour area	Beadle	0018	7 miles (11 km)	Numerous buildings were destroyed, and several houses were severely damaged. A fire also erupted by a blown transformer.
F0	S of Huron	Beadle	0023	unknown	Brief rope tornado with only minor crop damage.\
F0	SW of Esmond	Kingsbury	0056	unknown	Late report of a tornado with little damage.
Minnesota
F0	W of Courtland	Brown	2208	.5 mile	Tornado was observed by storm spotters along the Minnesota River at Highway 68.
F3	W of Nicollet to NW of Waterville	Nicollet, Le Sueur	2230	33 miles (53 km)	1 death, 37 injuries - Large, long track multiple vortex tornado in the area. Widespread structural damage was reported along its path. Many houses were destroyed and some were flattened. Tornado passed from near Nicollet, just south of St. Peter, through Kasota to near Waterville. Maximum width was one-half mile wide and fatality occurred in Kasota.^[6]
Sources: SPC Storm Reports 08/24, Aberdeen office, Sioux Falls office, Twin Cities office

[edit] Casualties and Damage

One person - a 90-year old man - was pinned by a tree in the storm and killed. The man was trapped inside a house in Kasota^[7]. Twelve people were reported to have had injuries. Roofs were ripped off a dozen homes, and many trees and vehicles were damaged by the storm and accompanying hail. The tornado passed near but did not hit the city of St. Peter, which was devastated by the Comfrey - St. Peter Tornado Outbreak of 1998.