Remember When The Tornado Hit Rochester 13 Years Ago?

13 Years Ago, A Tornado Ripped Through Rochester, Minnesota

Do you remember the storm that hit Rochester, Minnesota 13 years ago? I was out of the country when I first saw the photos of the destruction pop up on my Facebook feed of neighborhoods not too far from my own house.

Rochester tornado June 2010 - Jessica Williams TSM Rochester

My heart sank and fear set in as I started to see the photos pop up and waited for our neighbors to let us know if our home was safe.

June 17th, 2010 - Another tornado struck northwest Rochester, MN around 9:00 p.m. CDT as the thunderstorms transitioned into a line of damaging wind. The tornado, rated an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, produced intermittent damage starting near 50th Ave NW and traveled northeast behind the Wal-Mart shopping center near 55th Street NW. It tracked across Highway 52 and hit a Menards building before continuing northeast and dissipating a few minutes later. The path length of the tornado was around 2 miles long with a maximum width of 150 yards. This was the first tornado to hit the city of Rochester since 1995.- www.weather.gov

My house - the red circle. Path or tornado - the red line. www.weather.gov

Cleanup already started once we were home but we saw the power of Mother Nature as we walked and drove around the neighborhoods that were hit. Roofs were gone on homes, garages were destroyed, and the roof on the old Menards building on Hwy 52 was not in good shape.

The Glitch That Happened When the Tornado Hit Rochester, Minnesota 13 Years Ago

So thankful that no one was badly hurt in Rochester, especially since I heard that there was a bit of a glitch that happened with our sirens.

We didn't realize all the damage until a neighbor knocked on our door to see if we were ok. We scrambled to the basement when we heard a series of loud booms. Very lucky. I didn't realize the sirens didn't go off because of a computer glitch. Scary!!! - Resident in the neighborhood that was hit.

I don't have many photos from that day but here are a few links with some memories and photos:

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11 of the Most Devastating Weather Disasters in Minnesota Throughout The Years

We might be full of lakes and "nice" but Minnesota has had its fair share of horrible and nasty weather. Throughout the years we've had floods, fires, storms that have crushed stadium roofs flat, and tornadoes that have destroyed lives.

Source: Remember When The Tornado Hit Rochester, Minnesota 13 Years Ago?

Filed Under: Minnesota, Rochester, Minnesota, tornado

Categories: Lifestyle