EF0 Tornado — Polk, Minnesota

2025-08-08 · near East Grand Forks, Polk, Minnesota

Event narrative

A tornado produced intermittent EF-0 and EF-1 damage in Grand Forks, ND and East Grand Forks, MN. It initially touched down near the intersection of 38th St. and 32nd Ave in Grand Forks, ND where it bent a light pole from the top of the intersection stop lights. It tracked to the northeast just south of Altru Hospital along 17th Ave S., past Lewis and Clark elementary School, and then crossed the Red River of the North at Lincoln Drive Park into Minnesota. It lifted over the southern part of East Grand Forks, MN in western Polk County around the Red Lake River near Folsom Park. Most of the damage was to trees. The maximum rating for the tornado was EF-1 in Grand Forks County ND. The rating in Polk County is EF-0 based on a max wind estimated at 80 mph winds from hardwood tree damage before it dissipated in East Grand Forks, MN.

Wider weather episode

A QLCS type mesoscale convective system brought widespread severe thunderstorm winds to northwest Minnesota during the early morning hours. A tornado associated with this MCS also tracked from Grand Forks, ND to East Grand Forks, MN.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (47.9132, -97.0175)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1282448. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.