First December tornadoes on record confirmed; more typical winter weather ahead
Storm spawns the first two tornadoes ever recorded in December in Minnesota
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
It’s official.
The first tornadoes ever recorded in Minnesota in December (and meteorological winter) touched down and caused damage Wednesday night.
The Twin Cities National Weather Service office field survey team confirms tornado damage in Hartland, Minn., about 13 miles northwest of Albert Lea.
A second tornado is confirmed near Lewiston near Winona by the La Crosse National Weather Service office. This tornado is part of a string of eight tornadoes touching down from northeast Iowa into Wisconsin.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
The previous record for the latest tornado in Minnesota was Nov. 16. The earliest tornado ever recorded in Minnesota in spring is March 6.
Historic storm event
The bigger picture of this unprecedented December severe weather event makes it one of the strongest storms on record in the U.S. It has produced more 75 mph wind gusts than any U.S. storm since 2004. It’s the first such storm to do so in winter. It even surpassed the Iowa derecho from August 2020.
More typical December forecast ahead
The next week looks much more like December on the weather maps. Highs in the 20s will be common over the next week in the south, with teens up north. Light snow will fall across much of central and northern Minnesota late Friday and Friday night. Most of the accumulation will be north of the Twin Cities.
I think we can all use a respite from our wild record “December” weather.