…AUSTIN MINNESOTA TORNADO SURVEY RESULTS…

STAFF FROM THE LA CROSSE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEYED STORM DAMAGE TODAY IN MOWER COUNTY MINNESOTA…INCLUDING THE CITY OF AUSTIN. SEVERE STORMS FORMED QUICKLY WEDNESDAY EVENING AND TRACKED THROUGH SECTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA.

A TORNADO TRACK WAS FOUND ACROSS MOWER COUNTY…FROM NEAR THE DODGE AND MOWER COUNTY LINE NORTHWEST OF AUSTIN THROUGH FAR NORTH SECTIONS OF AUSTIN TO AREAS ABOUT 3 MILES EAST OF AUSTIN. THE WORST TORNADO DAMAGE WAS CONSIDERED EF2 ON THE EF-SCALE ABOUT 3 MILES NORTH OF DOWNTOWN AUSTIN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF 243RD STREET AND 4TH STREET NORTHWEST. A BULK OF THE REMAINING DAMAGE WAS CONSIDERED EF0 AND EF1. APPROXIMATE TIME OF THE TORNADO WAS 800 TO 823 PM WEDNESDAY EVENING…JUNE 17TH. THE LENGTH WAS ABOUT 10 MILES LONG WITH A MAXIMUM WIDTH OF 120 YARDS.

HERE ARE MORE DETAILS…

* MINOR TREE DAMAGE WAS NOTED NEAR 515TH AVE AND 250TH STREET NORTHWEST OF AUSTIN.

* ROTATION WAS FOUND IN HIGH GRASS ALONG 520TH AVE.

* DEBRIS WAS BLOWN INTO FENCES AND POLES WERE BENT NEAR THE
LANDFILL ALONG 243RD STREET NORTH-NORTHWEST OF AUSTIN.

* SEVERAL POWER POLES WERE SNAPPED OR BENT ALONG HIGHWAY 218 NORTH OF AUSTIN.

* SEVERAL METAL WORK BUILDINGS WERE HEAVILY DAMAGED ALONG 243RD STREET ALONG WITH NUMEROUS TREES AND SOME MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO NEARBY HOMES. LARGE DEBRIS LIKE METAL DUMPSTERS WERE TOSSED LARGE DISTANCES.

* THERE WAS STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE NOTED SOUTH OF THE TORNADO PATH SOUTH OF THIS AREA…ALONG HIGHWAY 218 AND 4TH STREET NW.

* SEVERAL HOMES HAD MINOR DAMAGE WITH NUMEROUS TREES BLOWN OVER OR SHEARED ALONG 236TH AND 237TH STREETS DIRECTLY NORTH OF AUSTIN.

* SMALL BUILDINGS AND PICNIC TABLES WERE TOSSED AT BUSINESSES
ALONG 11TH STREET NE NEAR TODD PARK ON THE NORTH SIDE OF
AUSTIN.

* THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DONE IN TODD PARK…INCLUDING
ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT DAMAGE…SMALL BUILDINGS AND HUNDREDS OF
TREES TOPPLED AND UPROOTED. THE NORTH PART OF THE PARK…
INCLUDING THE NORTHERN SOFTBALL FIELDS HAD THE MOST DAMAGE.

* SOME BUILDINGS WERE DAMAGED ALONG 21ST AVE NE SOUTH OF TODD PARK BUT THAT APPEARED TO BE STRAIGHT LINE WIND SOUTH OF THE TORNADO PATH.

* THERE WAS ALSO CONSIDERABLE TREE DAMAGE ALONG 21ST STREET NE OR 555TH AVE WHICH CONTINUED INTO THE AUSTIN COUNTRY CLUB.

* MINOR DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO FARMS ABOUT A HALF MILE EAST OF THE AUSTIN AIRPORT AND ABOUT 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE AIRPORT.