Strong Thunderstorms and a Weak Tornado: August 3, 2018

Path of Tornado on August 3, 2018
Path of Weak Tornado on August 3, 2018
Courtesy: Chanhassen National Weather Service

Strong thunderstorms bring gusty winds, heavy rains and a weak tornado on August 3, 2018.

In an otherwise quiet severe weather season in Minnesota, a weak tornado touched down in central Minnesota on August 3, 2018. A line of severe thunderstorms developed across western Minnesota and moved to the east during the evening hours. A weak, EF0 tornado touched down at 6:34pm just north of Atwater in and was on the ground for 11.2 miles. The track began in Kandiyohi County and the tornado moved to the east, dissipating northwest of Litchfield in Meeker County. There have been very few tornadoes this season in Minnesota, all have been weak so far.

The thunderstorms weakened a bit as they moved into the Twin Cities between 8-9pm There were still some gusty winds, including a gust of 55mph at the St. Paul Airport. There was also some welcome rain for the dry lawns in the Twin Cities. There was more rain in the St. Cloud area with two to four inches of rain just north of St. Cloud. A CoCoRaHS observer in Foley reported 3.80 inches. Sartell saw 3.45 inches. A location west of St. Cloud saw 2.43 inches and there were reports of flooded roads. The Twin Cities International Airport saw 1.02 inches of precipitation.

Below are Storm Reports and Public Information Statements from the National Weather Service.

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Twin Cities/Chanhassen MN
350 PM CDT Sat Aug 4 2018
...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 8/3/2018 TORNADO EVENT...
.OVERVIEW...A line of severe thunderstorms developed over western
Minnesota and continued east across central Minnesota during the
evening hours. A surge of wind in a section of the line resulted
in a tornado that developed just west of Atwater and continued
eastward along Highway 12 to northwest of Litchfield. Pockets of
tree damage, an overturned trailer, and some other minor
structural damage to sheds and pole barns resulted. Straight line
wind damage, mostly to trees, was found south of the tornado
track and Highway 12.
.ATWATER/GROVE CITY, MN TORNADO...
Rating:                 EF0
Estimated peak wind:    80 mph
Path length /Statute/:  11.2 miles
Path width /Maximum/:   300 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0
Start date:             8/3/2018
Start time:             634 PM CDT
Start location:         1 WNW Atwater, MN
Start Lat/Lon:          45.1407 / -94.7912
End date:               8/3/2018
End time:               645 PM CDT
End location:           3 NW Litchfield, MN
End lat/lon:            45.1527 / -94.5634
EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the
following categories.
EF0...Weak......65 to 85 mph
EF1...Weak......86 to 110 mph
EF2...Strong....111 to 135 mph
EF3...Strong....136 to 165 mph
EF4...Violent...166 To 200 mph
EF5...Violent...>200 mph
NOTE:
The information in this statement is PRELIMINARY and subject to
change pending final review of the event and publication in NWS
Storm Data.
TDK/BORGHOFF

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
845 PM CDT FRI AUG 3 2018
..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0640 PM     TSTM WND DMG     GROVE CITY              45.15N 94.68W
08/03/2018                   MEEKER             MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT
SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS ROOF DAMAGE AT
HIGHWAY 12 AND 560TH. TIME ESTIMATED.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
845 PM CDT FRI AUG 3 2018
..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0640 PM     TSTM WND DMG     GROVE CITY              45.15N 94.68W
08/03/2018                   MEEKER             MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT
SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS ROOF DAMAGE AT
HIGHWAY 12 AND 560TH. TIME ESTIMATED.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
935 PM CDT FRI AUG 3 2018
..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0911 PM     TSTM WND GST     ST. PAUL DWTN AP        44.93N 93.06W
08/03/2018  M55 MPH          RAMSEY             MN   ASOS
ASOS STATION STP, ST. PAUL DWTN AP.
0852 PM     TSTM WND GST     MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL AP 44.88N 93.23W
08/03/2018  M48 MPH          HENNEPIN           MN   ASOS
ASOS STATION MSP, MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL AP.
0829 PM     TSTM WND GST     CRYSTAL AP              45.06N 93.35W
08/03/2018  M44 MPH          HENNEPIN           MN   ASOS
ASOS STATION MIC, CRYSTAL AP.

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1026 PM CDT FRI AUG 3 2018
..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1013 PM     FLASH FLOOD      1 WSW ST. CLOUD         45.55N 94.19W
08/03/2018                   STEARNS            MN   EMERGENCY MNGR
MULTIPLE REPORTS OF FLOODED ROADWAYS WITH
STALLED OUT VEHICLES IN ST. CLOUD. THE
INTERSECTION OF 2ND STREET SOUTH AND 29TH
AVE SOUTH IS ONE EXAMPLE.

Last modified: July 3, 2018

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