Government to audit NWS over Rogers tornado

Tornado damage in Rogers
National Weather Service officials have said there was no time to issue a tornado warning before a twister struck in Rogers. The twister left a 10-year-old girl dead.
MPR Photo/Annie Baxter

(AP) - The Commerce Department's inspector general plans to audit the National Weather Service's response to a deadly twister that struck Rogers last week.

The decision by inspector general Johnnie Frazier comes in response to a request made by U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton, DFL-Minn. The National Weather Service is part of the Commerce Department.

National Weather Service officials at the Chanhassen office have said there was no time to issue a tornado warning because the twister struck before it showed up on radar. The tornado left a 10-year-old girl dead.

The Weather Service is also conducting its own review and assessment of its response to the storm.

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