Excessive heat watch in effect through Sunday

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

biggest tornado outbreak in Twin Cities history.

Sixty years ago, civil defense sirens blared for the first time during severe weather in Minnesota as a tornado swarm bearing six twisters tore across the west metro.

The May 6, 1965, tornado outbreak was an Oklahoma-style outbreak in Minnesota. Four of the six violent twisters were rated F4 on the Fujita scale with estimated winds at more than 200 mph. The devastating twisters injured more than 500 and killed 13 people. 

The damage left behind by the tornadoes was a shocking first for many Twin Cities residents. Here’s some remarkable vintage footage from tornado damage after the outbreak.

Mark O’Neil and John Pratt were neighbors in Fridley when the tornadoes struck. 

“About five houses down, the house was totally off the foundation,” Pratt said. “The total devastation to the north of us and to the west, it was it was crazy. It was so bad,” said Pratt. 

“One of the teachers from the high school lives right across from our elementary school and he witnessed not only one, but two tornadoes hitting our elementary school,” said O’Neil. “Here it is, May 6, the school year is not over and we don't have a school.” 

“When you look at the pictures, oh my goodness, the devastation was incredible,” said Pratt. “[We’re] fortunate that many more did not lose their lives.”

Here's a detailed breakdown of the six tornadoes that skipped across the west metro that day from the Twin Cities National Weather Service.

If you could hook a DVD, or Netflix to my memory banks, it would play back the details May 6, 1965 today in vivid technicolor. The memory of that day is forever burned into my DNA.

I was a preschooler in 1965. I vividly remember a warm spring afternoon, playing in the backyard sunshine as big puffy white clouds billowed high into the afternoon sky. My older brothers and sister came home from school as the deep thunder started to rumble to the southwest of Deephaven.

The rains hit with ferocity, and then the sky turned an eerie, wicked shade of green. Suddenly, huge irregular-shaped chunks of hail the size of a fist came pounding out of the sky. We ran inside and grabbed my older brothers football helmets and put them on so we could collect the hail and put it in the freezer. The dull whack of huge hail smacking you on the head with a football helmet on is one sound you don’t forget.

We played like the children we were racing around to pick up the hail — and fill bowls with impressive hailstones destined for the freezer. The incredible thunder and twisted green sky color made it clear something was very, very wrong.

Suddenly the back porch door flew open. My mother screamed the words I’ll never forget.

My dad worked at City Hall in downtown Minneapolis. Radio chatter from the Minneapolis police scanners made it clear tornadoes and damage were in progress in the southwest metro, heading right for Deephaven.

We scurried into the basement after stuffing bowls of large hail in the freezer, which was conveniently right next to the basement door. I remember looking out of that classic Minnesota small rectangular basement window as the sky swirled violently overhead. What I now know was a rotating wall cloud with an attached tornado spun overhead, tearing up neighborhoods a half mile away with F4 ferocity. In the distance, strange unnatural sounds made it clear very bad things were happening.

Huge maple trees in the field next door swayed violently as if ready to snap at any moment. The wind gushed with frightening force and sound. I didn’t realize it then, but the tornado passed dangerously close to the west of our home and the rear flank downdraft winds ripped branches off trees in our neighborhood. We were the lucky ones.

In a matter of minutes the whole event was over for us. Additional tornadoes would touch down that evening, including the devastating and deadly F4 Fridley tornado.

We heard stories of widespread damage nearby, The next day we took a drive to Deephaven School and Cottagewood about half a mile away as the crow files. There was destruction everywhere.  

Minnesotans have long weather memories. For those too young to remember 1965, The Minnesota Historical Society's "

 exhibit recreates the infamous 1965 tornado outbreak for the children of today.

The Twin Cities population and suburbs have grown significantly since 1965. A similar outbreak would likely be much worse today. Here’s a map of the 1965 tornado tracks over 2020 census data.

May 6, 1965, still stands as the biggest tornado outbreak in Twin Cities history 60 years later. 

Weather and Climate News

Updraft® - Minnesota Weather News

Shows

All Things Considered

Minnesota Now with Nina Moini

On Air

Paul Huttner

Host

Matthew Alvarez

Author

The May 6, 1965, tornado outbreak was a rare Oklahoma-style weather event in Minnesota. Four of the six violent twisters were rated F4 on the Fujita scale with estimated winds at more than 200 mph. The devastating twisters killed 13 people and injured at least 500 more. MPR News Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner was a preschooler at the time, but he remembers the day vividly. 

The May 6, 1965, tornado outbreak was a rare Oklahoma-style weather event in Minnesota. Four of the six violent twisters were rated F4 on the Fujita Scale with estimated winds at more than 200 mph. The devastating twisters killed 13 people and injured at least 500 more. MPR News chief meteorologist Paul Huttner was a pre-schooler at the time, but he remembers the day vividly. 

Paul Huttner remembers living through the worst tornado outbreak in Minnesota history

Twin Cities National Weather Service

Huttner, Paul

Excelsior Historical Society 

1965 tornado tracks over 2020 census data

Paul Huttner remembers living through the worst tornado outbreak in Minnesota history

Go Deeper.

Like this?