Severe weather impacted northwestern Iowa on Friday night with all modes of impact, including hail, winds, and tornadoes, primarily with one cell that tracked from Nobles county in Minnesota to Buena Vista and Cherokee counties. The cell re-cycled through several times causing several tornadoes. The first pair were near the Rushmore, MN area, rated an EF-1, the third near Bigelow, Minnesota area, also rated an EF-1, and finally near the Melvin, Iowa area, which was the highest out of the bunch at an EF-2.

The tornado started west of Highway 59 between 200th and 210th streets at 8:07 p.m. before eventually veering onto the highway and near the Melvin city limits, lifting at 8:27 p.m., on the ground for 20 minutes. It had an estimated peak wind of 125 MPH, total path length of six miles, and a maximum width of 250 yards. Thankfully, there were no injuries or deaths, but significant damage was reported to several homesteads, large trees, and crops.

The following photos below are courtesy of the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls and Dickinson County EMA.