Five tornadoes struck southeastern Minnesota as an outbreak of severe weather affected a large part of the region on Friday April 17, 2026.
Warm and humid air surged northward up the Mississippi River on southerly winds, with dew point temperatures reaching the muggy 60s F and temperatures soaring into the 70s and 80s F in southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. With strong winds aloft blowing from the west and southwest, a very strong cold front slammed into the steamy air mass, igniting an arced band of intense thunderstorms from east-central Minnesota into south-central Iowa during the early afternoon. Some of these storms were "supercells," which are are thunderstorms that have deep, persistent rotation of the main updraft, enabling them to acquire both longevity and high intensity.
One particularly strong supercell produced five different confirmed tornadoes in the Rochester area, with two to the southwest, one to the south, one to the northeast, and one to the east. The tornadoes to the south and east of town caused the most structural damage, partially collapsing exterior walls, removing roofs, and producing other assorted heavy damage to farm houses and other residences and structures. They were also highly visible, with one of the tornadoes near Stewartville and the Rochester airport seen by highway cameras, storm spotters, and casual observers. The National Weather Service rated these two tornadoes EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita damage scale, with winds estimated to 130 and 125 mph. The same storm produced an even more damaging tornado after crossing into Wisconsin, where damage was rated EF-3 near the town of Cream.
Other strong thunderstorms produced large hail and minor wind damage across parts of southeastern and even northeastern Minnesota, with tree limbs broken near Duluth and hail reported up the north shore of Lake Superior, near Two Harbors. The tornadoes, however, were the main story, as they were part of a larger regional outbreak affecting Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. In Wisconsin, other storms produced tornadoes, including another EF-3 that left heavy damage east of Wausau. Wisconsin has had three confirmed EF-3 tornadoes already in 2026; Minnesota has not had a tornado produce that level of damage since July 8, 2020, when a deadly EF-4 struck southern Otter Tail County.
The cold front that helped generate the storms was remarkably sharp, with temperatures in the low 80s F immediately ahead of it, and the 40s F just 50 miles to the west. The colder air that blew into the region produced scattered snow showers across Minnesota over the weekend, with some observers reporting measurable snow.
Other tornadoes were observed in Minnesota on April 13, making 2026 one of just ten years since 1950 having two or more April days with confirmed tornadoes in in the state. The most recent was in 2022, and the record was 1970, when Minnesota had three different April days with confirmed tornadoes.
Posted April 21
KAB