A tornado struck just north of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota on Monday July 6, 2026, causing heavy damage near Floyd Lake along with one direct and one indirect injury.
The tornado formed within a complex of of strong to severe thunderstorms pushing eastward and southeastward across northwestern and western Minnesota during the late afternoon and evening. One cell in particular isolated itself and intensified, which are signs of a storm becoming a "supercell,"--the most likely class of thunderstorms to produce a tornado.
The tornado developed to the northwest of Wheeler Lake at 747 PM and moved almost due-south briefly, before turning east-southeastward and proceeding across Floyd Lake, where it ballooned to a half-mile wide and caused its heaviest damage. The tornado demolished some garages and outbuildings; tore roofs off of homes and garages; flipped or hurled a few vehicles and a trailer; and snapped or uprooted many trees. The tornado tracked a total of just under seven miles, and lasted a total of about 10 minutes. The National Weather Service office in Grand Forks rated the tornado EF 2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, with winds estimated to 115 mph.
The storms produced two other less damaging tornadoes, as well as separate reports of 55-70 mph winds and hail up to the size of ping pong balls.
Aug 14, 2026
KAB