1967 Iowa–Minnesota tornado outbreak
A home leveled to its foundation in Waseca, Minnesota | |
Type | Tornado outbreak |
---|---|
Duration | April 30, 1967 |
Tornadoes confirmed | 21 |
Max rating1 | F4 tornado |
Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 2 hours, 5 minutes |
Damage | $9 million dollars |
Casualties | 13 deaths, ≥80 injuries |
Areas affected | Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota |
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado |
The 1967 Iowa–Minnesota tornado outbreak was a tornado outbreak that affected portions of Iowa and southern Minnesota on Sunday, April 30, 1967. The outbreak spawned a total of 21 tornadoes, resulting in 13 deaths and 80 injuries. Local area residents refer to the day as "Black Sunday."
Meteorological synopsis
By mid-afternoon on April 30, a surface low pressure area was centered in Pierre, South Dakota. Several fronts stretched from the low pressure area with a stationary front located from north of Sioux Falls, South Dakota to near LaCrosse, Wisconsin. A warm front extended from south of Sioux Falls to near Des Moines, Iowa and St. Louis, Missouri. Between the two fronts, air temperatures had warmed into the 60s and low 70s and dew points in the 60s. Winds were quite strong in the area, with speeds from 15 to 25 mph from the east-southeast. By early evening, the warm front had moved to near the Minnesota-Iowa border. By 6:00 pm CDT, tornadoes began to develop along and just north of the warm front as it moved northward through northern Iowa and into southern Minnesota.
The towns of Albert Lea and Waseca were hardest hit.
Tornado table
F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 21 |
F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
South Dakota | ||||||
F1 | NW of De Smet | Kingsbury | 2115 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
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Iowa | ||||||
F2 | W of Eagle Grove | Webster | 2150 | 6.8 miles (10.9 km) |
||
F2 | E of Estherville | Emmet | 2200 | 8.2 miles (13.1 km) |
||
F2 | Emmetsburg to W of Ringsted | Palo Alto, Emmet | 2210 | 14 miles (22.4 km) |
Struck the community of Halfa, tearing the roofs off of several homes. Barns were destroyed as well.[1] | |
F2 | Crystal Lake | Hancock, Winnebago | 2230 | 4.3 miles (6.9 km) |
Buildings were damaged or destroyed on 8 farms. 3 farms lost every building besides the house.[1] | |
F2 | NE of Gruver | Emmet | 2233 | 1 miles (1.6 km) |
One barn was destroyed and several others were damaged.[1] | |
F3 | Clear Lake area | Cerro Gordo | 2305 | 7.7 miles (12.3 km) |
One house was torn apart. Farm machinery and barns were destroyed as well.[1] | |
F2 | Fort Madison area | Lee | 2320 | 2.3 miles (3.7 km) |
||
F4 | NE of Manly to NE of Carpenter | Worth | 2328 | 13.3 miles (21.3 km) |
||
F3 | S of Kensett, IA to N of London, MN | Worth, IA, Freeborn, MN | 2330 | 17.2 miles (27.5 km) |
About a half dozen farms were extensively damaged, with at least two farm homes destroyed. | |
F4 | E of Northwood, IA to E of Myrtle, MN | Worth, IA Freeborn, MN | 0020 | 7.6 miles (12.2 km) |
This tornado destroyed about 10 farms, leveling at least three of them in near-F5 fashion. Ten other farms, mostly in Iowa, were extensively damaged. | |
F1 | NW of Littleton | Buchanan | 0100 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
||
F1 | NW of Montezuma | Poweshiek | 0100 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) |
||
F2 | SE of Epworth | Dubuque | 0300 | 2 miles (3.2 km) |
||
Minnesota | ||||||
F2 | E of Waseca | Waseca | 0000 | 9.2 miles (14.7 km) |
Destroyed barns were noted west of Lemond and Meriden. | |
F3 | NW of Alden | Freeborn and Waseca | 0005 | 14 miles (22.4 km) |
2 deaths - Farm damage was near-F4 in the first part of the path. Homes and barns were destroyed. | |
F1 | E of Ellendale | Steele | 0005 | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) |
||
F4 | N of Twin Lakes to Owatonna | Freeborn and Steele | 0023 | 38.7 miles (61.9 km) |
5 deaths - Farms were leveled at a half dozen locations along the path. There was $2,000,000 damage in Albert Lea, where 26 homes were destroyed and 64 were badly damaged. | |
F4 | W of Hartland to NE of Waseca | Freeborn and Waseca | 0052 | 20.1 miles (32.2 km) |
6 deaths - This tornado followed Hwy-67 into Waseca, destroying or damaging farm buildings on both sides of the road. It cut a four-block-wide swath in town, destroying 16 homes, six of which were leveled, and 25 more were heavily damaged. | |
F2 | SE of Austin | Mower | 0115 | 3.8 miles (6.1 km) |
At least two barns and one home were unroofed and torn apart. | |
F2 | E of Marion | Olmsted | 0210 | 6.8 miles (10.9 km) |
A trailer and a barn were destroyed. | |
Source: Tornado History Project - April 30, 1967 Storm Data | ||||||
See also
References
- "Introduction to Black Sunday". National Weather Service-Chanhassen, Minnesota. Retrieved 2007-03-23.