Late-October 1996 tornado outbreak

Late-October 1996 tornado outbreak

F2 tornado damage near Albany, Minnesota.
Type	Tornado outbreak
Duration	October 26, 1996
Tornadoes confirmed	26 (Largest October tornado outbreak in Minnesota history)
Max. rating1	F2 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak2	~11 hours
Fatalities	15 injuries
Damage	$1.4 million (1996 USD)
Areas affected	Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota
Part of the tornado outbreaks of 1996 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado

The Late-October 1996 tornado outbreak was an unusual tornadic event that affected Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota on October 26, 1996. A total of 26 tornadoes would touch down on what turned out to be a record breaking late-season tornado outbreak.

Outbreak description

The outbreak started in Nebraska as three tornadoes touched down from 7:23 am - 9:00 am. The favorable dynamics then shifted northward to South Dakota, where nine tornadoes touched down from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm. Finally, 14 more tornadoes touched down in Minnesota during the middle and late afternoon hours. Of the 26 tornadoes that touched down that day, five of them were rated as F2, with the rest being F0 and F1. Because these tornadoes formed from low-topped supercells, the tornadoes that formed were relatively weak. ^[1] There were no fatalities, fifteen were injured and there was $1.4 million in damage; most of which occurred in rural areas of west-central Minnesota ^[2]

What makes this outbreak notable is the time of year that it took place. Typically early fall is a very quiet time of the year for tornadoes in the United States, and the ones that do form usually touch down in the Southern United States. In Minnesota, prior to this outbreak there had been only ten tornadoes ever recorded during the month of October, so the fourteen tornadoes on this day easily eclipsed most late season outbreak records. ^[3]

Tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	Total
0	8	13	5	0	0	0	26

Confirmed tornadoes

F#	Location	County	Time (UTC)	Path length	Damage
Nebraska
F1	SE of Bassett	Rock	1323	0.8 miles (1.3 km)	A pickup truck was rolled 138 feet (42 m), with the occupant being injured.
F1	N of Midway	Holt	1350	1 miles (1.6 km)	Two houses sustained roof loss/damage, and a building, four trailer homes, and several campers were destroyed. Several trees were uprooted as well. Three people were injured.
F0	SE of Verdigre	Knox	1500	0.2 miles (0.32 km)	No damage was reported.
South Dakota
F1	E of Castlewood	Hamlin	1830	1 miles (1.6 km)
F0	E of Dempster	Deuel	1835	1 miles (1.6 km)
F1	NE of Altamont	Deuel	1845	1 miles (1.6 km)
F1	N of Altamont	Deuel	1850	0.5 miles (0.8 km)
F1	E of La Bolt	Grant	1905	1 miles (1.6 km)
F0	SE of Milbank	Grant	1920	0.5 miles (0.8 km)
F0	NE of Milbank	Grant	1924	0.5 miles (0.8 km)
F0	NW of Milbank	Grant	1924	0.5 miles (0.8 km)
F0	E of Wilmot	Roberts	1934	0.5 miles (0.8 km)
Minnesota
F0	NW of Barry	Big Stone	2001	1 miles (1.6 km)
F1	S of Wheaton	Traverse	2023	1 miles (1.6 km)
F1	SW of Benson	Swift	2059	4 miles (6.4 km)	Tornado damaged several farms outside of Benson. A pipeline facility was impacted and grain bins were destroyed. [4]
F1	SE of Cyrus	Pope	2115	2 miles (3.2 km)
F1	NE of Sunburg	Kandiyohi	2115	7 miles (11.2 km)
F2	S of Garfield	Douglas	2115	9 miles (14.4 km)	Worst damage was in the Lobster Lake area. Homes and cabins were destroyed, some of which were pushed from their foundations. Four people were injured. [5]
F1	NE of Garfield	Douglas	2125	8 miles (12.8 km)	Lake homes, cabins, and trailers were damaged at Lake Miltona. Two people were injured. [6]
F2	NE of Henning	Otter Tail	2210	17 miles (27.2 km)	Several farm buildings were destroyed, with 21 dairy cows being killed in one, a man was injured when his car was spun around, and many trees were downed.
F1	NW of Clearwater	Stearns	2214	1 miles (1.6 km)
F2	SW of Albany	Stearns	2217	5 miles (8 km)	Major damage near Albany, with several unanchored homes destroyed. Three people were injured. [7]
F2	SW of Sebeka	Wadena	2230	4 miles (6.4 km)
F1	Stanchfield area	Isanti	2312	12 miles (18.4 km)	Numerous barns and garages were destroyed, several businesses were damaged in Stanchfield, and a camper was destroyed, with the occupant being thrown clear of the camper, resulting in minor injuries. [8]
F0	N of Dorset	Hubbard	2314	0.5 miles (0.8 km)	No damage was reported.
F2	NE of Wolford	Crow Wing	0000	0.7 miles (1.1 km)	Intermittent tornado near the Mississippi River caused structural damage at a few farms, including about ten buildings on one farm sustaining extensive damage: the roof and doors were torn off a hay barn, and a dump truck was pushed about 6 feet (1.8 m) into the side of a shed. Other outbuildings were knocked down, and a garage was shifted on its foundation. There was some structural damage and many uprooted trees on two nearby farms.
Source: Tornado History Project - October 26, 1996 Storm Data [ usurped ], NCDC Storm Events Database

See also

• Climate of Minnesota
• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks

References

1. "26 October 1996 Minnesota Low-Topped Supercells". National Severe Storms Lab. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
2. "Storm Events". National Climatic Data Center. Archived from the original on May 6, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
3. "The October 26, 1996 Minnesota Tornado Outbreak". National Weather Service. October 25, 2006. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
4. "The October 26, 1996 Minnesota Tornado Outbreak". NWS Twin Cities. NOAA. October 10, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
5. "The October 26, 1996 Minnesota Tornado Outbreak". NWS Twin Cities. NOAA. October 10, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
6. "The October 26, 1996 Minnesota Tornado Outbreak". NWS Twin Cities. NOAA. October 10, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
7. "The October 26, 1996 Minnesota Tornado Outbreak". NWS Twin Cities. NOAA. October 10, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
8. "The October 26, 1996 Minnesota Tornado Outbreak". NWS Twin Cities. NOAA. October 10, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2014.