Tornado of March 31, 2014

Map of Tornado Touchdown Location
Courtesy: National Weather Service

Tornado season got off to an early start in 2014 with the first confirmed tornado sighting in St. Leo. A weak tornado was confirmed on Monday March 31. A few farmsteads sustained damage. There were no injuries or fatalities.

The tornado spawned ahead of an intense low pressure centered over extreme southeastern South Dakota.  A strong, narrow line of storms formed quickly over the Minnesota/South Dakota border around the 3 p.m. hour and moved north-northeast.  The tornado itself spawned around the 4 o'clock hour.

Tornadoes have occurred in March in the past, but are rare.  Below is some interesting tornado statistics for March.

• Before today, only 20 March tornadoes have occurred in Minnesota during the modern era (since 1950).
• The earliest known March tornado in Minnesota was March 18, 1968 about 10 miles southeast of St. James in Watonwan County. It was an F2.
• 14 of the 20 Minnesota March tornadoes were on March 29, 1998.  Comfrey, St. Peter, Le Center, and Lonsdale were all hit in addition to nearby rural areas. A terrible day with two deaths.
• The most recent march tornado in MN before today was March 19, 2012 near Elysian.  Rated EF-0.  On ground 6.5 in Waseca and Le Sueur Counties.
• At the time the tornado warning was released, the same county was also under a blizzard warning.

Here is a video of the tornado taken between the towns of Minneota and St. Leo, courtesy of the Lyon County Office of Emergency Management.

Here is a video of the damage surveyed.

Tornado reports courtesy of the Storm Prediction Center: