1969 Minnesota tornado outbreak
 Damage to cabins near the current Lake Roosevelt Resort just north of Outing, MN, from the F4 tornado. Damage in the photo is not indicative of maximum intensity. | |
| Type | Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Duration | August 6, 1969 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 13 |
| Max rating1 | F4 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 7 1/2 hours |
| Damage | $88.4 million (2006 USD) |
| Casualties | 15 deaths, 109 injuries |
| Areas affected | Minnesota, Nebraska |
|
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
The 1969 Minnesota tornado outbreak was a tornado outbreak that affected portions of north central Minnesota on August 6, 1969. There were 13 confirmed tornadoes from the outbreak, 15 people were killed and 109 were injured.
Meteorological synopsis
Very warm, humid, summertime air had pushed into central on southern Minnesota on August 6, 1969. Minneapolis saw a high temperature of 93 °F (34 °C) with dew points near 70 °F (21 °C).[1] Meanwhile, strong upper-level winds over northern Minnesota and an approaching cold front from the west added the needed ingredient for the strong storms.[2]
Outbreak description
Thirteen tornadoes touched down that day, killing 15 and injuring 109. The first tornado of the day, an F0, touched down at 12:15 pm CDT in Beltrami County.[3] The main tornado event started about three hours later in Cass County when an F3 tornado touched down southwest of Backus, injuring four people.[4]
| State | Total | County | County total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 15 | Aitkin | 1 |
| Cass | 12 | ||
| St. Louis | 2 | ||
| Totals | 15 | ||
| All deaths were tornado-related | |||
The most damaging tornado of the outbreak touched down at 3:48 pm in Crow Wing County. It achieved F4 strength, traveling 38 miles (61 km) through Crow Wing, Cass and Aitkin counties. The area around Outing was especially hard hit by this tornado, where 11 deaths and 40 injuries occurred on the shores of Roosevelt Lake.[5]
Several more strong tornadoes touched down over the next two hours, killing one person near Jacobson and two people near Two Harbors.[5] Damage and casualties were limited however because most of the twisters struck rural areas.
Confirmed tornadoes
- Table of confirmed tornadoes – after surveys by local weather service offices[6]
| F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | ||||||
| F0 | Bemidji | Beltrami | 1815 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
No Damage Reported. | |
| F3 | Backus area | Cass | 2120 | 17.3 miles (27.7 km) |
$2.5 Million in damages, 4 injuries. 5 miles NE of Nimrod to 4 mi ENE of Backus. 11 homes were destroyed, and 13 farms were destroyed or heavily damaged. One trailer was destroyed as well.[7] | |
| F4 | Outing area | Crow Wing, Cass, Aitkin | 2148 | 32.3 miles (51.7 km) |
12 deaths occurred with 70 injuries, $7.5 Million in damages. Large F4 wedge tornado hit the town of Outing at 1702 hrs CDT resulting in heavy damage. Thousands of trees, many cabins, and farms were leveled by the tornado.[7] | |
| F3 | NE of Chisholm | St. Louis | 2225 | 10 miles (16 km) |
$2.5 million in damage. Homes, cabins, and utilities were destroyed. Many trees were downed and nine people were injured.[7] | |
| F3 | S of Jacobson | Aitkin | 2250 | 12.5 miles (20 km) |
1 death 3 injured, $250k in damage. Two farm homes, seven outbuildings, and a cabin were destroyed.[7] | |
| F2 | S of Tower (1st tornado) | St. Louis | 2300 | 2 miles (3.2 km) |
Homes and barns were damaged and destroyed. Hundreds of trees were downed as well. Caused $25k in damage.[7] | |
| F2 | S of Tower (2nd tornado) | St. Louis | 2300 | 1 mile (1.6 km) |
Cottages were destroyed and trees were downed. Caused $25k in damage.[7] | |
| F3 | E of Tower | St. Louis | 2300 | 7.2 miles (11.5 km) |
Caused $250k in damage. | |
| F3 | Floodwood area | St. Louis | 2300 | 18.4 miles (29.4 km) |
$2.5 million in damage. Barns and cabins were destroyed and homes were badly damaged. Hundreds of trees were downed as well. 20 people were injured and 39 head of livestock were killed.[7] | |
| F3 | E of Soudan | St. Louis | 2315 | 3.8 miles (6.1 km) |
$250k in damage | |
| F2 | S of Ely | St. Louis | 2335 | 1.9 miles (3 km) |
$25k in damage | |
| F3 | N of Duluth to Two Harbors | St. Louis, Lake | 2350 | 17.2 miles (27.5 km) |
2 deaths - $250k in damage in St. Louis County. $2.5 k in damage in Lake County. A cabin was destroyed, resulting in two fatalities. Hundreds of trees were snapped and three people were injured.[7] | |
| Nebraska | ||||||
| F0 | NE of Monroe | Platte | 0140 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
||
| Source: Tornado History Project – August 6, 1969 Storm Data | ||||||
See also
References
- ↑ "Daily Weather Records for the Twin Cities: 1960's". NOAA. Retrieved December 26, 2006.
- ↑ "Daily Weather Maps" (DJVU). U.S. Weather Bureau. August 10, 1969. Retrieved December 26, 2006.
- ↑ "Event Record Details – Beltrami County F2". National Climatic Data Center. August 6, 1969. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- ↑ "Event Record Details – Cass County F3". National Climatic Data Center. August 6, 1969. Retrieved March 2, 2008.
- 1 2 "Memorable Northland Storms". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. September 14, 2005. Retrieved December 26, 2006.
- ↑ "Storm Events". National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved December 26, 2006.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Grazulis, Thomas P (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. St. Johnsbury, VT: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.