EF1 tornado in Otter Tail County, Minnesota

This tornado began about 2 miles west southwest of Battle Lake, MN and tracked to the north until 7:34 pm where it lifted 2 miles north northeast of Battle Lake, MN. One single-wide trailer was flipped. Numerous spruce, poplar, and ash trees were snapped or uprooted. Metal roofing was blown off of storage near the airport. Peak winds were estimated at 100 mph, giving this tornado an EF1 rating, with a path length of 3.5 miles. A couple of power poles were also damaged along the path.

A strong cold front and upper low traversed the area during the afternoon and evening of May 12th. During the afternoon, a larger scale Derecho moved from northeastern Nebraska, through eastern South Dakota and into portions of far southeastern North Dakota and west-central Minnesota. Widespread strong to severe thunderstorms were observed, with large hail, tornadoes, and damaging wind gusts all being reported during this time.