EF1 tornado in Dodge County, Minnesota

This was the second tornado of the night to hit Dodge County. It formed over Steele County where it was rated an EF2, and then moved into Dodge County affecting rural areas of the county northeast of Blooming Prairie. Most of the damage occurred near County Roads 3 and 4 where roofs were partially torn off buildings and trees were blown down.

Severe thunderstorms developed during the evening of June 17th along a warm front that was lifting north through southern Minnesota and northeast Iowa. These severe thunderstorms produced the first tornadoes of 2010 for southeast Minnesota with three confirmed tornadoes. Two of these occurred in rural portions of Dodge County while the third moved through the northwest side of Rochester (Olmsted County). The tornadoes in Dodge County were rated EF0 and EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale while the tornado in Rochester was rated EF1. The tornado in Rochester was the first to occur within the city limits since August 1995. As the storms progressed east, they became prolific wind producers with wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph across Olmsted and Winona Counties. Numerous buildings were damaged or destroyed with most of this occurring from Rochester east through the Winona area (Winona County). Federal Disaster Declarations for public assistance were designated for Olmsted and Houston Counties in southeast Minnesota.