1881 Minnesota tornado outbreak
Encyclopedia
The 1881 Minnesota tornado outbreak was a deadly tornado outbreak
that struck southern Minnesota
on July 15, 1881. At least six tornado
es touched down between 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm CST, killing 24 people and injuring 123.
strength passed through the town of New Ulm
at 3:30 pm. The town was hard hit; six people were killed and 247 buildings were damaged or destroyed.
, Brown
, Faribault
, Renville
, Sibley
, and Watonwan
. At least one of these tornadoes was also estimated at F4 strength, and at least 12 people were killed on farms.
Tornado outbreak
While there is no single agreed upon definition, generally at least 6-10 tornadoes produced by the same synoptic scale weather system is considered a tornado outbreak. The tornadoes usually occur within the same day, or continue into the early morning hours of the succeeding day, and within the...
that struck southern Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
on July 15, 1881. At least six tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
es touched down between 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm CST, killing 24 people and injuring 123.
New Ulm
A tornado estimated at F4Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
strength passed through the town of New Ulm
New Ulm, Minnesota
New Ulm is a city in Brown County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,522 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brown County....
at 3:30 pm. The town was hard hit; six people were killed and 247 buildings were damaged or destroyed.
Other tornadoes
In addition to the New Ulm tornado, five other tornades were recorded across the southern Minnesota counties of Blue EarthBlue Earth County, Minnesota
Blue Earth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 64,013. Its county seat is Mankato.Blue Earth County is part of the Mankato–North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Brown
Brown County, Minnesota
Brown County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 25,893. Its county seat is New Ulm.-Geography:...
, Faribault
Faribault County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,181 people, 6,652 households, and 4,476 families residing in the county. The population density was 23 people per square mile . There were 7,247 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
, Renville
Renville County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,154 people, 6,779 households, and 4,623 families residing in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile . There were 7,413 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
, Sibley
Sibley County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,356 people, 5,772 households, and 4,086 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 6,024 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
, and Watonwan
Watonwan County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,876 people, 4,627 households, and 3,141 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 5,036 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
. At least one of these tornadoes was also estimated at F4 strength, and at least 12 people were killed on farms.