Lake County storm included 1st tornado since 1992

The National Weather Service says a weekend storm included the first tornado in Lake County in nearly 20 years.

The weather agency says a tornado was spotted Saturday afternoon about 16 miles west of Silver Bay. An eyewitness reported seeing a rotating wall cloud with some small funnels. The tornado touched down for about three minutes.

A Duluth News-Tribune report says peak winds were estimated between 70 mph and 80 mph.

That area is sparsely populated and is mostly forest land. The storm uprooted trees and snapped tree limbs along a nearly two-mile path in Superior National Forest.

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The last tornado recorded in Lake County was in September 1992.

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Information from: The Duluth News-Tribune

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)