Chronological order from oldest on record to present
North Woods Tornado Outbreak, August 6, 1969
On August 6, 1969 a major tornado outbreak that left 15 dead and 106 injured occurred in Northern Minnesota. The first tornado touched down in Cass County, west of Pine Rive and traveled to near Backus. At 3:48 pm the largest tornado of the outbreak set down near Stewart Lake in the far northwestern corner of Crow Wing County and traveled northeast, passing north of Outing and then lifted south of Hill City in Aitkin County. Eleven deaths occurred on the shore of Roosevelt Lake near Outing in Cass County and one person died at Reservoir Lake, between Outing and Hill City. Forty children staying at a camp on Roosevelt Lake were injured. Many farms and cabins were destroyed by this massive F4 tornado. It was on the ground for 33 miles and was 800 yards wide.
From 4:25 pm through 5:50 pm more tornadoes moved across Aitkin, St. Louis, and Lake counties. One person was killed near Jacobson in Aitkin County and 2 deaths occurred as a tornado moved from near Boulder Lake in St. Louis County to near Two Harbors. There were 23 injuries in St. Louis County. The twisters caused a total damage of $4.8 million, with $3 million of that damage in St. Louis County.
Tornado St. Louis County August 25, 1974
The tornado went through Forbes, Markham, and Brimson of St. Louis County. The Forbes taconite processing plant was severely damaged. There was extensive damage to buildings and timber. Three cabins were destroyed and 2 were damaged at Long Lake. The tornado moved from west to east with touchdowns at Forbes at 8:00 pm, Long Lake at 8:35 pm, and at Brimson at 9:15 pm. Damage amount was up to $500,000.
Also that evening, winds were clocked at 98 mph at the Duluth Coast Guard Station. Houses in Proctor received extensive damage up to $50,000.
Thunderstorm wind August 9, 1975
Around Lake Vermilion winds over 100 mph uprooted trees causing damage to utility poles and lines. Power was out for 27 hours. Property damage totaled up to $50,000
Tornado August 24, 1975
A tornado touched down in Itasca County and demolished a mobile home, injuring one man. Power lines were down at Bowstring, Bigfork, and Effie areas. Property damage totaled up to $50,000
Tornado April 14, 1976
A tornado touched down on the southern edge of Big Moose Lake. It had a northeastward path for 10 miles through southern Lapond Lake, south-central Big Lake to Angle worm Lake where the tornado lifted. It touched down again for 800 feet just west of Horse Lake, then lifted again, touching down one last time on the shore of Basswood Lake. Numerous trees were downed. Damage was estimated up to $50,000.
Windstorm January 26-29, 1977
Winds gusting over 60 mph caused major blowing and drifting snow, closing most roads in Minnesota. The winds combined with subzero temperatures created wind chills of -30 to -70. Many schools were closed.
Northern St. Louis County Tornado , August 14, 1978
A tornado skipped southwest to northeast along a path from Burntside Lake to north-central jackfish Bay on Basswood Lake. Considerable damage was done to rees, docks, boats, and resort housing. Heavy damage to trees and cars along Cloquet Line. USFS ranges rescued 5 women at Basswood Lake. Two of the women were injured. In White Iron Lake area wind damaged cabins, uprooted dozens of trees, and flipped a float plane 200 yards. At Virginia and Elephant Lake many trees were blown down by strong winds. Property damage estimated up to $500,000
High winds October 7, 1985
Strong winds and high Lake Superior water levels combined to inundate Park Point of Duluth. Sky Harbor Airport was under water, basements were flooded, and erosion occurred along the shore. A peak wind gust of 53 mph was recorded at the Duluth Airport.
High Winds November 18, 1985
Strong winds and heavy seas beached the Greek freighter, Socrates, on Minnesota Point in Duluth. The freighter began to drag anchor between 2000CST and 2200CST on the lake side of the point and was subsequently grounded. Waves also broke down a cement barrier and caused heavy damage to a home along the Lake Superior shore in Duluth. A ship approaching the western tip of the lake that evening reported a 69 mph wind. Property damaged was estimated up to $500,000.
Thunderstorm Winds June 18, 1988
Damaging thunderstorms moved from northern Itasca County into central St. Louis County. Numerous trees were knocked down and power outages were widespread. Thousands of trees were downed in northern Itasca County alone, including trees in the Bigfork, Jessie Lake, and Bowstring areas. Downed trees and power outages were reported as far east as Babbitt and Ely. A man was seriously injured when a tree fell on his tent near Island Lake in extreme northwest Itasca County. Winds gusted to 80 mph at Blackduck. Property damage was estimated up to $50,000.
Thunderstorm winds July 5, 1989
Strong thunderstorms with damaging winds and hail moved east along the Canadian border and the Iron Range. A barn was destroyed just east of
Grygla. Wind gusted to 2 mph at International Falls. Winds damaged outbuildings around Gemmell and flipped over vehicles near Orr. Highway 24 from Cook to Vermilion Lake was covered with downed trees. Tree damage and power outages were extensive especially in the vicinity of Pelican Lake, Vermilion Lake, and Virginia. Damage was estimated near $1 million.
Thunderstorm Winds, July 12-14, 1995
On July 13th several trees were blown down. For the second morning in a row, a large complex of severe thunderstorms formed over the western Dakotas in the evening and moved into northeast Minnesota early the following morning. Again, this was primarily a wind event, with no reports of large hail or tornadoes. One man was killed when lightning struck the tree he was standing under. Thunderstorm wind gusts as high as 70 kts (80 mph) were observed as the squall line moved through the region. Many trees and power lines were blown down, causing extensive and widespread power and cable TV outages. Wind damage to boats, vehicles, buildings, and antennas also occurred, either directly or by falling trees. The hardest hit area extended from around Brainerd in Crow Wing County to near Grand Rapids in Itasca County, then northeast across the Iron Range of central St. Louis County, including the cities of Hibbing, Virginia, and Aurora. In some communities, trucks with plows were needed to clear roads made impassable by fallen trees. Thousands of electric customers were without power for at least 24 hours following the storm. The general manager for the Hibbing Public Utilities said it was the worst windstorm in at least 10 years. Other damage in Hibbing included construction signs and portable toilets that were tipped over. A fabric storage building was lifted by the wind, and an awning was ripped off the Pella Windows store. Trees touching power lines caused a few small fires. Other nearby communities suffering large numbers of downed trees and power outages were Kelly Lake, Chisholm, Nashwauk, Keewatin, and Leetonia. In Grand Rapids, power to half the city was out for hours and hundreds of power lines were down. Highway 169 south of the city was completely blocked by fallen trees. In Virginia, the Boyer True Value Hardware and Lumber store lost the roof from one of its buildings.
On July 14th numerous large trees were uprooted and blown on to houses and garages. A mobile home was overturned, and the roof was blown off a barn. For the third morning in a row, a large complex of severe thunderstorms formed over the western Dakotas in the evening and moved into northeast Minnesota early the following morning. This time, the path of the squall line was a little farther south than the previous day. Brainerd received three-quarters inch diameter hail, otherwise, damaging winds were again the primary feature of this system. Some structural damage occurred, due either directly to the wind or to falling trees. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources estimated nearly 200,000 acres of timber were destroyed by the storms of July 13 and 14. The estimate was based partly on aerial photography. The area of downed trees extended from west of Itasca State Park in Clearwater County, through Hubbard, Cass, and Itasca Counties, across the south half of St. Louis County. The DNR estimated that 6.5 million trees more than 35 feet high were tipped over, broken off, or knocked flat. The value of the timber lost or damaged was estimated at $22.5 million.
Big Blow down July 4, 1999
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down by estimated 80 mph winds. A widespread convective windstorm called a "derecho" swept across the Arrowhead region of northeastern Minnesota on July 4th. Strong, straight-line winds in excess of 80 mph devastated a large area of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). This area is very sparsely populated, but thousands of trees in an area approximately 30 miles long by 12 miles wide, or about a quarter million acres, were leveled. The timber loss was estimated at .5 to .75 million cords and valued at between $12 and $18 million. Because much of the timber was torn and splintered, the salvage value was estimated to be only about $5 million. The hardest hit area was from Moose Lake in the BWCAW to near ELY to the Gunflint Trail, where hardly a tree was left standing. Twenty people, injured by falling trees, had to be airlifted to area hospitals. A man was crushed under a tree for four hours, and a woman was pinned under a tree with both legs broken. The state of Minnesota estimated the cost of other damage and debris clearance for Lake and Cook counties at nearly $5 million.
This summary was researched and created by Carol and Andy
9/14/05
