The tornado outbreak of August 9, 1993 was a small tornado outbreak that occurred over the Upper Midwest of the United States from the pre-dawn hours until dusk on August 9th. An F0 tornado near Littlefork, Minnesota lifted and moved a mobile home, killing its two occupants. It is Minnesota's most recent single tornado to cause multiple deaths. Other minor tornadoes occurred in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin, causing limited damage.
Meteorological synopsis At about 6:00 PM CST (23:00 UTC) a sea-level cyclone and occluded front were located over North Dakota. Observations from International Falls showed the tropopause was at , while observations from Bismarck recorded it at . Lifted Indices (LI) at the time CDT were also low, and thunderstorms were starting to develop in the Eastern Dakotas. In response to the storms, the National Severe Storms Forecast Center (NSSFC) issued a tornado watch for the eastern Dakotas. At 11:55 PM CST (0440 UTC) the outbreak's first confirmed tornado was reported near Gully, Minnesota. As a result of the tornado a Tornado Warning was issued for Clearwater County; the storm's next location. Ten minutes later at 12:05 PM CST (0450 UTC) another tornado, rated an F0, was reported near Roseau, Minnesota. After the two August 8th tornadoes, most local warnings were allowed to expire, as local radar did not determine any of the storms to be severe. During the early morning hours of August 9 Duluth radar indicated multicellular convection near the Littlefork, Minnesota area that was associated with an outflow boundary from the earlier Dakota storms. At 1:35 AM CST (0735 UTC) a deadly F0 tornado touched down unexpectedly near Littlefork, in association with the multicellular thunderstorm. Unstable air from the day before persisted over much of the upper Midwest, and allowed storms to form over much of the area. On the night of August 9th the strongest tornado of the outbreak, an F2, occurred near New Hampton injuring 2 people. Another cluster of thunderstorms occurred over Wisconsin, producing 3 relatively minor tornadoes.
Confirmed tornadoes
August 9 event + List of confirmed tornadoes – Monday, August 9, 1993F#LocationCounty / ParishStateStart Coord.Time (UTC)Path lengthMax width F0S of GullyPolkMN05:40This brief tornado damaged several farm buildings and uprooted trees. F0N of RoseauRoseauMN05:50A warehouse was damaged. F0E of LittleforkKoochichingMN07:352 deaths – A mobile home was swept off its concrete slab and tossed a quarter of a mile. A farm home was also damaged. F2N of Ionia to W of New HamptonChickasawIA22:40–22:52Multiple farm buildings were destroyed. Two people were injured when their car was slammed with debris. F0SE of FifieldPriceWI01:15A few trees were damaged. F1NNE of DoverPriceWI02:00This tornado ripped the roof off of a barn and downed several trees. F0N of TripoliOneidaWI02:15Minor damage occurred.
See also List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks Tornadoes of 1993 Tornado outbreak of August 6, 1969 – A much stronger outbreak that occurred in the same region at the same time of year
Notes
References
External links NWS Duluth Summary