April 21, 2012 West-Central Minnesota Tornadoes

Storm Reports

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND

407 PM CDT MON APR 23 2012

...THREE SATURDAY TORNADOES RATED EF0 TO EF1...

A INTERAGENCY DAMAGE ASSESSMENT HAS DETERMINED THAT AT LEAST THREE

DISTINCT TORNADOES OCCURRED IN AN AREA OF WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA

FROM CENTRAL CLAY COUNTY...ACROSS WILKIN COUNTY AND INTO SOUTHWEST

OTTER TAIL COUNTY... BETWEEN 1230 PM AND 230 PM CDT... ON

SATURDAY... APRIL 21ST. SEVERAL OTHER FUNNELS ALSO OCCURRED AROUND

THIS TIMEFRAME BUT WITHOUT PRODUCING A DAMAGING TOUCHDOWN.

CLAY COUNTY TORNADO RATED EF0. THIS TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY AT

A FARMSTEAD LOCATED ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GLYNDON... OR THREE

AND ONE HALF MILES SOUTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF U.S. HWY 10 AND MN

HWY 9. THE TORNADO TRACKED EASTWARD AND TORE TIN ROOFING PANELS FROM

A POLE SHED AND SCATTERED THEM EASTWARD ACROSS HWY 9. PEAK WINDS ARE

ESTIMATED AT FROM 70 TO 80 MPH.

WILKIN COUNTY TORNADO RATED EF0. THIS TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY

AT A FARMSTEAD LOCATED ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF KENT... OR ABOUT 9

MILES DUE NORTH OF BRECKENRIDGE. THIS TORNADO TORE TIN ROOFING AND

ROOF PANELS FROM AN OPEN FACED POLE SHED AND BROKE SEVERAL TREE

LIMBS. THIS TORNADO THEN SKIPPED EASTWARD WITH ONE OR TWO ADDITIONAL

BRIEF TOUCHDOWNS IN OPENED FIELDS AS REPORTED BY THE WILKIN COUNTY

SHERIFFS DEPUTIES. PEAK WINDS ARE ESTIMATED AT FROM 70 TO 80 MPH.

OTTER TAIL COUNTY TORNADO RATED EF1. THIS TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN

BRIEFLY AT A FARMSTEAD LOCATED ABOUT 7 MILES DUE SOUTH OF FERGUS

FALLS... JUST WEST OF COUNTY RD 25. THE TORNADO TORE THE DOORS OFF

OF A CLOSED POLE SHED... TORE OFF ROOF PANELS... AND UPLIFTED

RAFTERS. THREE EMPTY STEEL GRAIN BINS WERE POPPED OFF THEIR CONCRETE

PADS AND TUMBLED ABOUT THE AREA. THIS TORNADO THEN SKIPPED EASTWARD

BEFORE LIFTING WEST OF DALTON. PEAK WINDS ARE ESTIMATED AT FROM 85

TO 95 MPH.

OUR THANKS ARE EXTENDED TO THE CLAY... WILKIN AND OTTER TAIL COUNTY

EMERGENCY MANAGERS FOR THEIR WORK IN CHECKING OUT THESE DAMAGE

REPORTS AND GATHERING DAMAGE PHOTOS FOR THIS SUMMARY.

NOTE... AS MANY AS SEVEN ADDITIONAL TORNADOES WERE REPORTED ALONG A

LINE OF STORMS WHICH FORMED AHEAD OF A FRONTAL BOUNDARY THAT

EXTENDED FROM WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA ACROSS SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA AND

INTO NORTHWESTERN IOWA... IN AREAS COVERED BY THE NWS OFFICES IN

SIOUX FALLS SD AND CHANHASSAN MN.