Preliminary info from the May 17, 2026 Southern MN Tornadoes

Overview

A strong low pressure system brought a round of severe weather to the Midwest, including near the Minnesota and Iowa state line. At least 2 tornadoes have been confirmed in southern MN so far, with with additional areas of damage reported that could be tornadic depending on further analysis.

Tornado 1: A short rope tornado was reported around 7:12pm northwest of Fairmont north of mile marker 99 along I-90. The tornado was confirmed by law enforcement and a trained spotter and has a preliminary rating of EFU (unknown damage).

Tornado 2: The combined evidence of a photo report, damage to several out buildings, and swirls in a farm field confirm a tornado about 2 miles SW of Conger, MN in Freeborn County. The tornado occurred around 10:18pm and has preliminary wind speed estimates of around 80 to 90 mph (consistent with high end EF0 to low end EF1).

In additional to the tornadoes, there were several cases of wind damage reported across southern MN. Minor structural damage and scattered tree damage suggest wind speeds around 60 to 75 mph were likely tied to the thunderstorms. Visit the SPC Storm Reports page to view all of the severe reports from May 17th, 2026.

KMPX Radar Reflectivity with Severe Thunderstorm Warnings (yellow boxes) and Tornado Warnings (red boxes) overlayed from May 17-18th, 2026.