Mitchell County, IA Tornadoes

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Tornadoes in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and southwest & central Wisconsin
Background Information	Statistics (1850-Present)	Records (1850-Present)

Mitchell County (IA) Tornadoes*
1850-2020

Date			Time	Location	Other Counties Affected	Length (miles)	Width (yards)	Deaths**	Injuries**	EF-Scale
Month	Day	Year	Time	Location	Other Counties Affected	Length (miles)	Width (yards)	Deaths**	Injuries**	EF-Scale
7	16	2015	1934-1936 CST	Meroa 2.0 NNW to Meroa 3.2 NNE	None	2.07	40	0	0	EF0
			A tornado briefly touched down southwest of Osage. A garage was flipped, a barn destroyed and house siding damaged by flying debris. Multiple trees were either uprooted or snapped off and powerlines were downed. This tornado caused $40,000 in property damage and $10,000 in crop damage.
6	7	2008	1628-1638 CST	St. Ansgar 4.2 WSW to St. Ansgar Airport 3.1WSW	None	1.09	25	0	0	EF0
			A storm chaser spotted a tornado near the Worth-Mitchell County line that tracked east-northeast for a short distance. There was weak debris tossed up in the air, otherwise no known damage.
6	7	2008	1550-1554 CST	Staceyville 2 NW to Stacyville 1.9 NW	None	0.26	30	0	0	EF0
			A brief tornado touched down about 2 to 3 miles northwest of Stacyville, as reported by law enforcement officials and storm spotters. The Stacyville police chief photographed the tornado. There was no damage reported.
3	30	2005	1418-1419 CST	Adams, MN 4S (state line)	Mower	1	30	0	0	F0
			A small tornado touched down briefly near the Minnesota-Iowa state line just south of Adams, MN (Mower County). It damaged barns and outbuildings. This tornado caused approximately $7,500 in property damage.
3	30	2005	1413-1418 CST	Stacyville to Stacyville 4NE	None	4	50	0	0	F0
			A small tornado touched down briefly on the northwest side of Stacyville and destroyed a pole barn. This tornado caused approximately $15,000 in property damage.
3	30	2005	1404-1407 CST	Osage 6W	None	1	50	0	0	F0
			A small tornado occurred just west of Osage near Highway 9 and Echo Avenue. A car was turned upside down, while a board punctured the windshield of a pickup truck. In addition, a machine shed was demolished, which caused sheet metal to be blown several hundred feet in all directions. This tornado caused approximately $10,000 in property damage.
6	16	2004	1347-1402 CST	New Haven 2N to Osage 3E	None	5	40	0	0	F0
			This weak tornado tracked approximately 5 miles across southern Mitchell County. There was no reported damage.
6	11	2004	1617-1633 CST	New Haven 4SE to New Haven 2E	None	4	60	0	0	F1
			This was the first of three tornadoes to be produced by a small but intense thunderstorm in northeast Iowa (two in Howard County and one in Mitchell County). This tornado touched down about 4 miles southeast of New Haven (south of 320th Street and between Walnut and Windfall Avenue). It tracked north, primarily in open fields, and lifted between 350th and 360th Street east of New Haven, or just west of Windfall Avenue. The tornado was rated an F1. This tornado caused an estimated $1,000 in property damage and $10,000 in crop damage.
8	17	1994	1756 CST	Osage 3E	None	0.2	25	0	0	F0
			A tornado touched down briefly in an open field. Large hail pelted sections of the county.
7	31	1994	1726-1730 CST	Stacyville 2.5NW to Stacyville 1W	None	1.5	35	0	0	F1
			Two farms were hit by this tornado west of Stacyville. The first farmstead had several buildings destroyed, while the second farm sustained building damage.
6	8	1993	1220-1230 CST	Osage 4SSE to Osage 4.5E	None	6	100	0	0	F2
			Mainly hitting open fields, this tornado did strike four farmsteads, damaging one severely. Several small outbuildings and barns were damaged but the farmhouses were spared.
3	24	1988	1622 CST	Riceville 1S	None	0.1	15	0	0	F0
			A machine shed was destroyed.
5	23	1981	1755 CST	St.Ansgar 4.5S	None	4	50	0	0	F2
			A trailer, three barns, three machine sheds, and a garage were destroyed.
6	3	1974	1735 CST	?	None	?	?	0	0	F1
7	12	1971	1650 CST	Grafton 1SE to Stacyville 1S	Worth	18	300	0	0	F3
			This tornado moved northeast from southeast of Grafton (Worth County), passing 5 miles east-southeast of St.Ansgar, and south of Stacyville. Homes, barns, and other farm buildings were torn apart and scattered. Fifteen farms were severely damaged, and over 5,000 acres of grain were destroyed. A potato sack was carried for 7 miles. Known as the St.Ansgar Tornado.
6	26	1969	1520 CST	?	None	?	?	0	0	F1
6	11	1966	1900 CST	?	None	?	?	0	0	F2
5	5	1965	1945-2124 CST	Nora Springs 2N (IA) to Yucatan (MN)	Fillmore (MN) Floyd Houston (MN) Howard Winneshiek	80	150	0	17	F4
			Moved east-northeast from 2 miles north of Nora Springs, passing 3 miles north of Cresco and lifting near Yucatan, MN. The only F4 damage was to two large farmhouses, 3 miles northwest of Kendallville in Winneshiek County. About 28 farms lost buildings in Iowa. Six people were injured in Minnesota, as homes and barns were destroyed near Canton, Lenora, and Newburg (Fillmore County). Six people were injured in Floyd County and 5 in Howard County.
5	23	1954	1800 CST	?	None	?	?	0	0	F2
6	19	1937	2130 CST	Riceville 1W to Kendallville	Howard Winneshiek	25	100	0	0	F2
			This tornado moved east-northeast from west of Riceville (Mitchell County), passing near Davis Corners and Cresco (Howard County), to near Kendallville (Winneshiek County). A half dozen barns were damaged or destroyed. Beyond Kendalville, downburst damage totalled $100,000.
6	23	1919	1825 CST	Riceville 1SE	None	5	??	0	0	F2
			An unusual tornado "smashed barns to kindling" and killed horses and cattle. The funnel made a complete loop and crossed its own path, all within a small area of Douglas Township. Some eyewitnesses claimed that there were three tornadoes and that two followed the exact same looping path.
9	21	1894	2115 CST	Osage 2S to Riceville 6S to Cresco 10WSW	Howard	25	?	5	20	F4
			The tornado moved east northeast from 2 miles south of Osage to 6 miles south of Riceville to about 10 miles west southwest of Cresco. Five or more homes were destroyed and five people were killed all in or near the community of "Lowther" (5 miles north of Elma) in Mitchell County.
9	21	1894	2030 CST	Mason City (IA) 5NE to Spring Valley (MN)	Cerro Gordo Fillmore (MN) Mower (MN)	60	800	16	70	F4
			This tornado moved northeast from 5 miles northeast of Mason City, Iowa killing at least 3 people in northeast Cerro Gordo County. At least four people died in homes 4 miles northeast of Osage as 13 farmhouses were destroyed. At Le Roy, Minnesota, damage totaled $120,000 as four people were killed and 80 buildings were damaged or destroyed, including 35 homes. Entire farms were leveled southwest of Spring Valley. Ten homes were destroyed, five people killed and 35 injured in the northwest part of Spring Valley as losses totaled $60,000.
6	23	1890	1800 CST	Riceville 1NW to Saratoga 1S	Howard	?	15	0	0	F2
			The tornado moved east southeast from northwest of Riceville to about 1 mile south of Saratoga. Ten barns were damaged or destroyed across Howard County. One home near Saratoga was shifted 8 feet, another was unroofed, and another house was hit by trees and lost its kitchen.
* The data in this table came from *Storm Data* and *Significant Tornadoes--1680-1991* by Thomas P. Grazulis. ** Injuries and Deaths are for the entire tornado track.

Last Updated Friday, April 24, 2020 - Jeff Boyne

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