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EF0 tornado in Nelson County, North Dakota

Tornado June 7, 2020 · Nelson County, North Dakota

EF0
Rating
0.1 mi
Path length
50 yd
Path width
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

NOAA recorded where this tornado touched down but not where it lifted, so it appears as a point. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF0 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF0 is light damage: shingles and siding peeled, gutters torn, branches broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 65–85 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

A brief, non-damaging, touchdown was reported in an open field near highway 1. Peak winds were estimated at 70 mph.

The wider storm

On June 7th, 500mb ridging had set up over eastern Minnesota into Wisconsin, with southwest flow over the Dakotas into northwest Minnesota. At the surface, by mid afternoon, a cold front had moved into central North Dakota, with a stationary boundary just to the east of the Red River Valley. It was hot and windy over eastern North Dakota into the Valley, with temperatures peaking in the upper 80s to upper 90s (Fargo set a record high of 99 degrees), and dew points in the 60s to low 70s. South winds were strong all day, gusting into the 45 mph range consistently. East of the Red River Valley, in northwest Minnesota, temperatures were cooler with lower wind speeds. By mid afternoon, thunderstorms flared up over northwest Minnesota. Through the rest of the late afternoon and evening, numerous severe storms occurred over eastern North Dakota into the Red River Valley, producing large hail, damaging winds, and even a tornado.

Began near Lakota Muni Arpt (47.9700, -98.3500).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 896740. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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