Tornadoes in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and southwest and central Wisconsin
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Background Information
Statistics (1850-Present)
Records (1850-Present)

Dodge County (MN) Tornadoes*
1850-2006

Date Time Location Other 
Counties 

Affected
Length
(miles)
Width
(yards)
Deaths** Injuries** F-Scale
Month Day Year
8 9 1999 1939-1948 CST Havana 2 NE to Claremont 3N None 2.5 70 0 0 F0
  A tornado touched down near Rice Lake but damage was limited to fields and a few trees.
7 20 1997 1845-1847 CST Dodge Center 2SW None 0.2 50 0 0 F0
  A small, thin tornado ("landspout") touched down briefly in an open field.
7 20 1997 1733-1735 CST Byron 8W None 0.2 50 0 0 F0
  A small, thin tornado ("landspout") touched down briefly in an open field.
7 2 1992 0400 CST Hayfield None 0.1 20 0 0 F0
  A tornado touched down briefly and destroyed a three season porch and damaged the local high school. The concrete portion of a scoreboard was pulled from the ground and a flag pole was bent over. Trees were blown down over most of the town.
5 17 1982 1615 CST Mantorville 1W None 0.1 20 0 0 F0
  A tornado touched down briefly in an open field west of Mantorville.
6 5 1980 2025 CST ? None ? ? 0 0 F0
10 9 1973 1730 CST ? None ? ? 0 0 F0
5 31 1969 1545 CST ? None ? ? 0 0 F0
5 15 1968 1700 CST ? None ? ? 0 0 F1
5 15 1968 1607 CST ? None ? ? 0 0 F1
8 1 1967 1530 CST ? None ? ? 0 0 F0
6 10 1961 1400 CST ? None ? ? 0 0 F1
5 14 1957 1000 CST ? None ? ? 0 0 F1
6 13 1930 1545 CST Austin 5N to Oslo Mower 10 800 0 0 F4
  This very large tornado destroyed 6 farms, sweeping away all buildings from three of them, as it crossed parts of Mower and Dodge Counties. The Oslo (None Co.) town hall was destroyed. Damage was estimated at $75,000.
6 13 1925 1545 CST Blooming Prairie 3N to Grand Meadow 5E Steele
Mower
30 100 0 3 F2
  Starting near the Dodge-Steele County line, this tornado skipped southeast hitting southeast of Hayfield. Barns were destroyed near the starting and ending points. Damage in the southeast part of Hayfield totalled $75,000 as at least a dozen homes were unroofed and many smaller buildings were destroyed. Losses outside Hayfield totalled $8,000.
8 21 1883 1730 CST Hayfield 4NW to Rochester Olmsted 25 1500 37 200 F5
  The tornado moved east northeast from 4 miles northwest of Hayfield passing through and devastating Rochester.  At least 10 of the 40 farms hits in Dodge County were leveled and at least 5 people were killed.  The enormous roar was said to have warned most Rochester residents as the massive tornado cut through the north side of town.  Over 135 homes were destroyed and another 200 damaged.  Many of the injuries were very serious and other deaths probably occurred, but are not listed in the total.  The tornado derailed a train causing many injuries.  At least one crew member was killed.  This tornado was a large factor in the subsequent development of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.  Total damage was estimated ay $700,000.
7 21 1883 1130 CST Dodge Center 4SE to Douglas Olmsted 16 800 4 30 F4
  It moved east northeast from 4 miles southeast of Dodge Center to just south of Kasson and passing 1 mile north of Byron.  The tornado turned to the north and dissipated after passing southeast of Douglas.  About 20 homes, 30 barns, and three schools were damaged or destroyed.  Three people were killed as two of  "the finest homes in the county" were leveled in Dodge County.  A half dozen farms "not a wall left standing."  The damage may have been from two parallel tracks.  This event was either a family of tornadoes on parallel tracks eight miles apart.  Resolving the time and position conflicts is probably not possible.
8 26 1880 1500 CST Dodge Center to Kalmar Township Olmsted 10 100 0 2 F2
  The tornado moved east northeast from the east edge of Dodge Center, 2 miles south of Mantorville to Kalmar Township.  Twenty buildings were destroyed on nine farms.
7 3 1860 ? Wasioja 2W None ? ? ? ? ?
  A home was unroofed by what the owner called a "waterspout" a few miles west of Wasioja.
* The data in this table came from Storm Data and Significant Tornadoes--1680-1991 by Thomas P. Grazulis.
**  Injuries and Deaths are for the entire tornado track.

Last Updated Sunday, January 22, 2006 - Jeff Boyne


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