For the second time in a week, severe storms and tornadoes struck Minnesota. While not as many tornadoes as the July 14th outbreak, there were thousands of trees blown down due to violent winds estimated to be 80 to 100 mph with the severe thunderstorms. The most significant tree damage was 8 miles northeast of Long Prairie where hundreds of trees were snapped. Thankfully despite the damage, no injuries were reported.

Listed below is a public information statement from the Chanhassen National Weather Service about the severe weather on July 19th.

          THOUSANDS OF TREES WERE DOWNED...AND SOME SNAPPED...FROM A MAJOR WIND STORM 
          JULY 19 IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA. COUNTIES AFFECTED WERE TODD AND MORRISON. 
          LARGE HAIL ALSO DESTROYED MANY CROPS. THERE WERE ALSO THREE BRIEF TORNADOES.
          THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE DAMAGE WAS DUE TO NORTHEAST WINDS CIRCULATING AROUND 
          THE BACKSIDE OF A MASSIVE ROTATING THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX.  THEREFORE THE VAST 
          MAJORITY OF THE TREES WERE DOWNED IN A NORTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST ORIENTATION. 
          IN SOME CASES WHERE TREES WERE SNAPPED. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED TO HAVE RANGED 
          FROM 80 TO 100 MPH.

          THERE WERE THREE DISTINCT SWATHS OF WIND DAMAGE.
          ONE EXTENDED FROM STAPLES TO JUST SOUTHEAST OF LINCOLN...AND WAS ABOUT 
          10 MILES WIDE. TREE DAMAGE IN THIS AREA WAS SCATTERED...WITH ONLY ISOLATED 
          TREES HAVING BEEN SNAPPED.  

          ANOTHER SWATH EXTENDED FROM 12 MILES NORTHEAST OF BROWERVILLE...
          AND CONTINUED TO 5 MILES NORTH OF SWANVILLE.  THIS SWATH WAS ABOUT 8 MILES WIDE.  
          THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS ABOUT 8 MILES NORTHEAST OF LONG PRAIRIE...
          WHERE HUNDREDS OF TREES WERE SNAPPED. THE THIRD SWATH EXTENDED FROM ABOUT 
          8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF RANDALL TO SOBIESKI...AND WAS 
          ABOUT 5 MILES WIDE.  SCATTERED TREES WERE DOWNED AND A FEW SNAPPED.

          HAIL WAS COMMONLY DESCRIBED AS RANGING FROM GOLF BALL TO TENNIS BALL SIZE...
          WITH MANY CROPS DAMAGED OR DESTROYED FROM PHILBROOK TO BOWLUS.

          THE SURVEY ALSO REVEALED MINOR DAMAGE FROM THREE TORNADOES. 
          
          1...AN F0 TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND IN TODD COUNTY FOR ONE QUARTER MILE...
          ABOUT 12 MILES SOUTH OF STAPLES.  THIS WAS AT ABOUT 345 PM.
          
          2...AN F0 TORNADO TRACKED FOR THREE MILES FROM TODD COUNTY INTO MORRISON COUNTY.  
          THIS TORNADO TRAVELED FROM 8 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF LONG PRAIRIE...
          TO 5 MILES NORTH OF SWANVILLE...APPROXIMATELY FROM 400 PM TO 405 PM.
          
          3...AN F0 TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND IN MORRISON COUNTY FOR TWO MILES...
          FROM 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF FLENSBURG TO 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF FLENSBURG. 
          THIS OCCURRED FROM ABOUT 415 PM TO 420 PM.
          
          THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE TYPES OF STORMS WHERE THE TORNADOES CAUSED 
          RELATIVELY LITTLE DAMAGE... WHEREAS THE WIND AND HAIL PRODUCED DEVASTATING DAMAGE.
          THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS WERE INITIALLY 
          ISSUED FOLLOWED BY TORNADO WARNINGS FOR BOTH TODD AND MORRISON COUNTIES.
          

Return to Minnesota Climatology Working Group Main Page

URL: http://climate.umn.edu/doc/journal/severe030719.htm
Last modified: July 25, 2003