Frigid temperatures this weekend prompt cold weather advisories

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

We’re still tallying up the storm reports and damage 

from Wednesday's unprecedented December storms

. The storms produced a near-continuous swath of severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings across Iowa and southeast Minnesota.

The NWS in La Crosse, Wis., confirmed a tornado near Lewiston, Minn., Wednesday night. It’s the first 

 tornado in Minnesota in December and during meteorological winter. 

However, if the survey underway in Hartland in southern Minnesota confirms tornado damage there, that will be the first actual December tornado since it occurred before the Lewiston touchdown. 

Wind damage is widespread across southern Minnesota. Here are the highest recorded wind gusts from the Twin Cities NWS office from the high wind warning event over Wednesday night:

Here are some recorded wind gusts from the La Crosse NWS office for southeast Minnesota. These include gusts from both severe storms and high wind warnings.

The bigger picture of this event is astounding. Wednesday’s storm delivered the most 75+ mph wind gusts of any severe weather event in the U.S. since 2004. All of the other events occurred in the summer months. 

Our forecast looks much quieter as we roll into a more typical December weekend. 

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Paul Huttner

Author

First confirmed December tornado near Lewiston. Twin Cities NWS surveying additional damage in Hartland, Minn.

Storm reports: Tallying damage from Wednesday's severe weather

Go Deeper.

Like this?