EF2 tornado in Olmsted County, Minnesota

This strong EF-2 tornado began on the northeast side of Stewartville resulting in damage to several homes. The tornado then moved northeast through rural areas of Olmsted County while being highly visible on MNDOT cameras and from Rochester. This tornado eventually crossed I-90, hitting a semi-trailer and injuring the occupant, before moving northwest of Simpson. A farmstead near Simpson took a direct hit from the tornado where a single-wide manufactured home was rolled and farm outbuildings were destroyed. The tornado continued northeast into a neighborhood along Marion Road where several homes were rendered uninhabitable due to a collapse of their exterior walls and roof. Numerous other residences sustained window, roof, and outbuilding damage as well. The tornado continued through this neighborhood before dissipating along Timberidge Court between Rochester and Marion. Two more individuals were also injured in this area while sheltering in their home from the tornado.

A prolific tornado outbreak occurred during the afternoon on April 17th, with 5 tornadoes occurring in southeast Minnesota. Two were EF-2 intensity, one of which was highly visible from Rochester, Minnesota as it tracked from Stewartville to Marion, Minnesota, resulting in numerous homes being damaged. Some of these homes were rendered uninhabitable. Additionally, the storms that produced these tornadoes also brought up to golf ball sized hail in the Rochester area and surrounding communities.