Tornado outbreak of August 9, 1993

Tornado outbreak of August 9, 1993
TypeTornado outbreak
DurationAugust 9, 1993
Tornadoes
confirmed		7
Max. rating1F2 tornado
Duration of
tornado outbreak2		~ 1 day, 20 hours
Fatalities2 (2 others injured)
Damage~$1.22 million (tornadic damages only)
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

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.[1] Observations from International Falls showed the tropopause was at 39,800 feet (12,100 m), while observations from Bismarck recorded it at 39,000 feet (12,000 m).[1] Lifted Indices (LI) at the time CDT were also low, and thunderstorms were starting to develop in the Eastern Dakotas.[1] In response to the storms, the National Severe Storms Forecast Center (NSSFC) issued a tornado watch for the eastern Dakotas.[1] 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.[1][2] Ten minutes later at 12:05 PM CST (0450 UTC) another tornado, rated an F0, was reported near Roseau, Minnesota.[1][3] 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.[1] 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.[1] At 1:35 AM CST (0735 UTC) a deadly F0 tornado touched down unexpectedly near Littlefork, in association with the multicellular thunderstorm.[4] 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.[5] Another cluster of thunderstorms occurred over Wisconsin, producing 3 relatively minor tornadoes.[6]

Confirmed tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 5 1 1 0 0 0 7

August 9 event

List of confirmed tornadoes – Monday, August 9, 1993[a]
F# Location County / Parish State Start Coord. Time (UTC) Path length Max width
F0 S of Gully Polk MN 47°44′N 95°38′W / 47.73°N 95.63°W / 47.73; -95.63 (Gully (Aug. 9, F0)) 05:40 0.1 mi (0.16 km) 10 yd (9.1 m)
This brief tornado damaged several farm buildings and uprooted trees.[7]
F0 N of Roseau Roseau MN 48°52′N 95°45′W / 48.87°N 95.75°W / 48.87; -95.75 (Roseau (Aug. 9, F0)) 05:50 0.1 mi (0.16 km) 10 yd (9.1 m)
A warehouse was damaged.[8]
F0 E of Littlefork Koochiching MN 48°24′N 93°28′W / 48.40°N 93.47°W / 48.40; -93.47 (Littlefork (Aug. 9, F0)) 07:35 1.25 mi (2.01 km) 200 yd (180 m)
2 deaths – A mobile home was swept off its concrete slab and tossed a quarter of a mile. A farm home was also damaged.[9][10]
F2 N of Ionia to W of New Hampton Chickasaw IA 43°04′N 92°27′W / 43.07°N 92.45°W / 43.07; -92.45 (Ionia (Aug. 9, F2)) 22:40–22:52 5 mi (8.0 km) 55 yd (50 m)
Multiple farm buildings were destroyed. Two people were injured when their car was slammed with debris.[11][12]
F0 SE of Fifield Price WI 45°49′N 90°19′W / 45.82°N 90.32°W / 45.82; -90.32 (Fifield (Aug. 9, F0)) 01:15 0.3 mi (0.48 km) 50 yd (46 m)
A few trees were damaged.[13]
F1 NNE of Dover Price WI 45°41′N 90°11′W / 45.68°N 90.18°W / 45.68; -90.18 (Dover (Aug. 9, F0)) 02:00 0.5 mi (0.80 km) 75 yd (69 m)
This tornado ripped the roof off of a barn and downed several trees.[14]
F0 N of Tripoli Oneida WI 45°34′N 90°00′W / 45.57°N 90.00°W / 45.57; -90.00 (Tripoli (Aug. 9, F0)) 02:15 0.3 mi (0.48 km) 50 yd (46 m)
Minor damage occurred.[15]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time for consistency.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Packingham, Dean. "The Littlefork Tornado: A Post-Event Analysis". National Weather Service Office Duluth. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  2. ^ "Event Record Details". National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  3. ^ "Event Record Details". National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  4. ^ "Event Record Details". National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  5. ^ "Event Record Details". National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  6. ^ "Event Record Details". National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
  7. ^ National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North Dakota (1993). Minnesota Event Report: F0 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  8. ^ National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North Dakota (1993). Minnesota Event Report: F0 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  9. ^ National Weather Service in Duluth, Minnesota (1993). Minnesota Event Report: F0 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  10. ^ Grazulis, Thomas P. (2023). Significant Tornadoes 1974–2022. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project. p. 213. ISBN 978-1-879362-01-7.
  11. ^ National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wisconsin (1993). Iowa Event Report: F2 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  12. ^ Grazulis 2023, p. 213.
  13. ^ National Weather Service in Duluth, Minnesota (1993). Wisconsin Event Report: F0 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  14. ^ National Weather Service in Duluth, Minnesota (1993). Wisconsin Event Report: F1 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  15. ^ National Weather Service in Green Bay, Wisconsin (1993). Wisconsin Event Report: F0 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
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