Late-October 1996 tornado outbreak
![]() F2 Tornado damage near Albany, Minnesota | |
Date(s) | October 26, 1996 |
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Duration | ~12 hours |
Confirmed tornadoes | 26 confirmed (Largest October tornado outbreak in Minnesota history) |
Maximum rated tornado | F2 (Fujita scale) |
Damages | $1.4 million (1996 dollars) |
Casualties | 0 |
The Late-October 1996 tornado outbreak was an unusual tornadic event that affected Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota on October 26, 1996. Twenty-six tornadoes touched 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
F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
Confirmed tornadoes
F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nebraska | ||||||
F1 | SE of Bassett | Holt | 1323 | 0.8 miles (1.3 km) |
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F1 | N of Midway | Holt | 1350 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
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F0 | SE of Verdigre | Knox | 1500 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) |
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South Dakota | ||||||
F1 | E of Castlewood | Hamlin | 1830 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
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F0 | E of Dempster | Deuel | 1835 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
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F1 | NE of Altamont | Deuel | 1845 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
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F1 | N of Altamont | Deuel | 1850 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
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F1 | E of La Bolt | Grant | 1905 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
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F0 | SE of Milbank | Grant | 1920 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
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F0 | NE of Milbank | Grant | 1924 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
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F0 | NW of Milbank | Grant | 1924 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
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F0 | E of Wilmot | Roberts | 1934 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
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Minnesota | ||||||
F0 | NW of Barry | Big Stone | 2001 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
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F1 | S of Wheaton | Traverse | 2023 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
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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) |
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F1 | NE of Sunburg | Kandiyohi | 2115 | 7 miles (11.2 km) |
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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.[5] | |
F1 | NE of Garfield | Douglas | 2125 | 8 miles (12.8 km) |
Lake homes, cabins, and trailers were damaged at Lake Miltona.[6] | |
F2 | NE of Henning | Otter Tail | 2210 | 17 miles (27.2 km) |
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F1 | NW of Clearwater | Stearns | 2214 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
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F2 | SW of Albany | Stearns | 2217 | 5 miles (8 km) |
Major damage near Albany, with several unanchored homes destroyed.[7] | |
F2 | SW of Sebeka | Wadena | 2230 | 4 miles (6.4 km) |
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F1 | Stanchfield area | Isanti | 2312 | 12 miles (18.4 km) |
Trees were damaged.[8] | |
F0 | N of Dorset | Hubbard | 2314 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
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F2 | NE of Wolford | Crow Wing | 0000 | 0.7 miles (1.1 km) |
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Source: Tornado History Project - October 26, 1996 Storm Data | ||||||
See also
References
- ↑ "26 October 1996 Minnesota Low-Topped Supercells". National Severe Storms Lab. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
- ↑ "Storm Events". National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
- ↑ "The October 26, 1996 Minnesota Tornado Outbreak". National Weather Service. 2006-10-25. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
- ↑ "The October 26, 1996 Minnesota Tornado Outbreak". NWS Twin Cities. NOAA. October 10, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ↑ "The October 26, 1996 Minnesota Tornado Outbreak". NWS Twin Cities. NOAA. October 10, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ↑ "The October 26, 1996 Minnesota Tornado Outbreak". NWS Twin Cities. NOAA. October 10, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ↑ "The October 26, 1996 Minnesota Tornado Outbreak". NWS Twin Cities. NOAA. October 10, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
- ↑ "The October 26, 1996 Minnesota Tornado Outbreak". NWS Twin Cities. NOAA. October 10, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2014.