July 14, 2009: Swift Falls and Spicer Area Tornadoes

Event Synopsis | Tornadoes | Photos | All Storm Reports

Event Synopsis

Low pressure had organized during July 14th northwest of Minnesota with a secondary low near Sioux Falls. Strong moisture return ahead of this elongated weather system set the stage for afternoon thunderstorm development. Some places actually experienced a 24 hour dew point change of as much as 30 degrees from the prior afternoon, which is quite rare in the summer months for this part of the country. Surface winds were gusty from the south southeast through the day, while winds 15 to 20 thousand feet aloft were from the west southwest at around 70 mph, leading to a favorable wind profile for supercell thunderstorms. Such thunderstorms developed during the mid-afternoon and moved east northeast. Two tornadoes were produced, which tracked through the communities of Swift Falls and Spicer respectively. Flash flooding also occurred in central Minnesota that late afternoon into early evening as the storms evolved into training heavy rain producers. More can be found on the heavy rain here.

July 14, 2009: 4 pm Surface Weather Map

July 14, 2009: 4:24 pm Radar Image

NWS Chanhassen Doppler Radar reflectivity image of the storm which had a tornado near Swift Falls at the time. To the southeast, one will note the more disorganized storm which 20 minutes later rapidly evolved into the tornado producer near Spicer.

Tornadoes

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
513 PM CDT THU JUL 16 2009

...DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS FROM THE JULY 14TH TORNADOES...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PERSONNEL FROM THE CHANHASSEN FORECAST
OFFICE CONDUCTED A DAMAGE ASSESSMENT IN THE SWIFT FALLS AND SPICER
MINNESOTA AREAS ON WEDNESDAY.

...SWIFT FALLS AREA TORNADO...

THE MAXIMUM INTENSITY TORNADO DAMAGE IN THE SWIFT FALLS AREA WAS
FOUND TO BE EF-2 WITH ESTIMATED WINDS BETWEEN 110 AND 119 MPH. THERE
WERE NO REPORTED FATALITIES OR INJURIES WITH THIS TORNADO. THE
ENTIRE PATH LENGTH WAS APPROXIMATELY NINE MILES...WITH A MAXIMUM
WIDTH OF 350 YARDS. THE TWISTER BEGAN ABOUT THREE MILES SOUTHWEST OF
SWIFT FALLS IN FAR NORTHERN SWIFT COUNTY...TRACKED NORTHEAST THROUGH
SWIFT FALLS...AND ENDED ON THE SHORE OR POSSIBLY OVER SCANDINAVIAN
LAKE IN FAR SOUTHERN POPE COUNTY. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS
ALONG THE FIRST ONE MILE OF THE TORNADO PATH...WHERE TWO LARGE
TURKEY BARNS WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THE NEXT FIVE MILES OF THE
TRACK WERE HIGHLIGHTED BY EF-1 DAMAGE WITH WINDS BETWEEN 85 AND
100 MPH...WHICH INCLUDED SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE IN SWIFT FALLS.
THE TORNADO PRODUCED EF-1 DAMAGE TO TWO RESIDENCES...DESTROYING
TWO GARAGES AND OTHER OUTBUILDINGS WITH MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO THEIR
HOMES. THE TORNADO PRODUCED MAINLY MINOR CROP AND TREE DAMAGE OVER
THE LAST FOUR MILES OF ITS PATH. TOUCHDOWN TIME APPEARED TO BE
4:21 PM WITH AN END TIME AROUND 4:37 PM...FOR AN AVERAGE MOVEMENT
OF AROUND 34 MPH.




...SPICER AREA TORNADO AND WIND DAMAGE...

THE TORNADO THAT STRUCK SPICER IN CENTRAL KANDIYOHI COUNTY HAD A
MAXIMUM INTENSITY OF EF-1 DAMAGE WITH WINDS ESTIMATED BETWEEN 100
AND 109 MPH. THERE WERE NO REPORTED FATALITIES OR INJURIES WITH
THIS TORNADO. THE TRACK WAS APPROXIMATELY SIX AND A HALF
MILES...WITH A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 250 YARDS. THE BEGINNING OF THE
PATH WAS TWO MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPICER. IT TRACKED NORTHEAST
THROUGH SPICER...INCLUDING ALONG THE SOUTHERN SHORE OF GREEN
LAKE...EMERGED OVER THE LAKE...AND FADED SOON AFTER MOVING BACK
OVER LAND ABOUT THREE-QUARTERS OF A MILE SOUTH OF THE INLET FROM
CALHOUN LAKE. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS ROUGHLY ONE TO TWO
MILES INTO THE TORNADO PATH...OR JUST SOUTHWEST OF SPICER...WHERE
A PORTION OF A HOME WAS DAMAGED ALONG WITH SIGNIFICANT TREE
DAMAGE. WITHIN SPICER...THE TORNADO CONTINUED TO PRODUCE EF-1
DAMAGE BREAKING WINDOWS IN DOZENS OF VEHICLES ACROSS THE GREEN
LAKE MALL PARKING LOT AND UPLIFTING A LARGE PART OF A HOUSE AND
GARAGE ROOF. THE FINAL FOUR MILES OF THE TORNADO TRACK HAD MINOR
EF-0 TREE AND SHINGLE DAMAGE. TOUCHDOWN TIME APPEARED TO BE
4:41 PM WITH AN END TIME OF 4:53 PM...FOR AN AVERAGE MOVEMENT OF
AROUND 33 MPH.

APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF MILE SOUTH OF THE SPICER TORNADO WAS
LOCALIZED BUT EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE. THE NATURE...LOCATION...AND
TIMING OF THIS DAMAGE WAS DETERMINED TO BE STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS
FROM THE REAR FLANK DOWNDRAFT OF THIS TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM. THE
DAMAGE OCCURRED ROUGHLY AT THE SAME TIME THE TORNADO WAS
DISSIPATING. ESTIMATED WINDS WERE BETWEEN 90 AND 100 MPH. SUCH A
PHENOMENA CAN OCCUR WITH STRONGLY ROTATING THUNDERSTORMS AND CAN
OFTEN HAPPEN IN THE LATTER PERIOD OF THE TORNADO LIFE CYCLE.

FOR A LINK TO THE TORNADO RATING SCALE...OR ENHANCED FUJITA
SCALE...VISIT HTTP://WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/EFSCALE

$$

FRIEDLEIN/GRIESINGER/KRAUSE

Photos

Swift Falls Area Tornado Damage


Garage destroyed southwest of Swift Falls.	Outbuilding heavily damaged southwest of Swift Falls.	Numerous large trees uprooted and in a convergent damage path within Swift Falls.


Tree damage northeast of swift Falls	Property and tree damage, including outbuilding destruction, northeast of Swift Falls.

Spicer Area Tornado and Wind Damage


Garage walls collapsed southwest of Spicer.	House partially destroyed southwest of Spicer.	Baseball outfield billboard damaged in Spicer.


House roof heavily damaged in Spicer.	Large tree uprooted near Green Lake.	Straight-line tree damage a few miles east of downtown Spicer.

Storm Reports

Local Area	Nationwide


Map does not include brief tornado which touched down in Stearns County. (see below)

The map above and the below listing are of severe weather reports received during or soon after the event by the National Weather Service from local government officials or trained storm spotters. These reports should be considered preliminary and are open to further quality controlling by NWS officials. For reports from across the country, click here.

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0415 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     4 NE BENSON             45.36N 95.55W
07/14/2009                   SWIFT              MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

0421 PM     TORNADO          3 SW SWIFT FALLS        45.37N 95.39W
07/14/2009                   SWIFT              MN   NWS STORM SURVEY

            AN NWS STORM SURVEY AND VISUAL REPORTS CONFIRM A TORNADO
            FROM 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SWIFT FALLS TO 6 MILES
            NORTHWEST OF SWIFT FALLS. MAXIMUM DAMAGE WAS EF-2 WITH
            ESTIMATED WINDS 110-119 MPH. TORNADO DAMAGE INCLUDED
            DESTRUCTION OF TWO TURKEY BARNS AND SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS
            ALONG WITH EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE IN SWIFT FALLS.

0441 PM     TORNADO          2 SW SPICER             45.21N 94.97W
07/14/2009                   KANDIYOHI          MN   NWS STORM SURVEY

            AN NWS STORM SURVEY...VISUAL REPORTS...AND VIDEO
            CONFIRMED A TORNADO FROM TWO MILES SOUTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN
            SPICER TO APPROXIMATELY FOUR MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF
            DOWNTOWN SPICER. MAXIMUM DAMAGE WAS EF-1 WITH ESTIMATED
            WINDS 100 TO 109 MPH. DAMAGE INCLUDED PARTIAL DESTRUCTION
            TO THE UPPER LEVEL OF ONE HOUSE...PARTIAL ROOF UPLIFT ON
            MULTIPLE HOUSES...MAJOR DAMAGE TO A FEW
            OUTBUILDINGS...AND DOZENS OF CAR WINDOWS BROKEN IN THE
            GREEN MALL PARKING LOT.

0453 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 E SPICER              45.23N 94.86W
07/14/2009                   KANDIYOHI          MN   NWS STORM SURVEY

            AN NWS STORM SURVEY FOUND STRAIGHT-LINE THUNDERSTORM WIND
            DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE REAR-FLANK DOWNDRAFT OF THE
            TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH WENT THROUGH SPICER.
            LOCALIZED EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE WAS FOUND. ESTIMATED
            WINDS WERE BETWEEN 90 AND 100 MPH.

0507 PM     TORNADO          1 NW ELROSA             45.96N 95.75W
07/14/2009                   STEARNS            MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

0508 PM     HAIL             5 SW EVANSVILLE         45.96N 95.75W
07/14/2009  M0.88 INCH       DOUGLAS            MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

0545 PM     FLASH FLOOD      STAPLES                 46.36N 94.80W
07/14/2009                   TODD               MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            EVACUATIONS FOR HOMES ON 5TH ST. POWER SHUT OFF TO
            STAPLES HIGH RISE APTS ON 4TH ST.

0552 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     2 E RICHMOND            45.45N 94.48W
07/14/2009                   STEARNS            MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

0625 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     2 N ST CLOUD            45.58N 94.17W
07/14/2009                   STEARNS            MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            HAVE RECEIVED MULTIPLE REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS IN THE ST
            CLOUD AREA.

0630 PM     FLOOD            ST CLOUD                45.55N 94.17W
07/14/2009                   STEARNS            MN   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            CO SHERIFF REPORTED LOCALIZED FLOODING PROBLEMS MAINLY
            URBAN AREAS IN STREETS

0635 PM     FUNNEL CLOUD     4 WNW DUELM             45.58N 94.01W
07/14/2009                   BENTON             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SPOTTERS WERE NORTH OF DUELM LOOKING WEST.

0715 PM     HEAVY RAIN       ST JOSEPH               45.57N 94.32W
07/14/2009  M2.80 INCH       STEARNS            MN   CO-OP OBSERVER

            RECIEVED 2.8 INCHES OF RAIN FROM AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS.

0731 PM     HEAVY RAIN       3 N ST CLOUD            45.60N 94.18W
07/14/2009  M3.00 INCH       BENTON             MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

$$

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office