Minnesota, 1997

Tornado and Hail in Minnesota, October 6, 1997

October 6, 1997 · NWS MPX · 20 events in 7 counties and zones

11 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
20

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The Sioux Falls radar (KFSD), 129 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:14 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Yellow Medicine

When
October 6, 3:15 AM CST
Where
Yellow Medicine County, Canby
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.700, -96.270

Hail damage included roof of bus garage, elementary school windows and a school vehicle.

Thunderstorm Wind, Yellow Medicine

When
October 6, 3:40 AM CST
Where
Yellow Medicine County, Clarkfield
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
44.780, -95.800

Trees blown down. Estimated windspeed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Yellow Medicine

When
October 6, 4:15 AM CST
Where
Yellow Medicine County, Hanley Falls
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
44.700, -95.630

Power lines blown down. Estimated windspeed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Yellow Medicine

When
October 6, 4:20 AM CST
Where
Yellow Medicine County, 5 mi SW of Granite Falls
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
44.770, -95.620

Power lines blown down. Estimated windspeed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Yellow Medicine

When
October 6, 4:20 AM CST
Where
Yellow Medicine County, 3 mi W of Wood Lake
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
44.650, -95.620

Barn and trees blown down. Estimated windspeed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Renville

When
October 6, 4:35 AM CST
Where
Renville County, 8 mi S of Renville
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates
44.680, -95.220

Barn blown down. Estimated windspeed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Renville

When
October 6, 4:45 AM CST
Where
Renville County, 4 mi N of Bechyn
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates
44.700, -95.080

Shed damage and broken windows.

Hail, Renville

When
October 6, 4:47 AM CST
Where
Renville County, Olivia
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.780, -94.980

Widespread pea to marble size hail that fell in areas three inches deep severely damaged crops over a large part of Renville county. Also, power lines and trees reported blown down by strong winds in area.

Hail, Renville

When
October 6, 4:50 AM CST
Where
Renville County, 5 mi S of Bird Island
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.700, -94.880

Large branches also blown down. Roof taken off out building.

Thunderstorm Wind, Renville

When
October 6, 4:55 AM CST
Where
Renville County, 6 mi SE of Bird Island
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates
44.700, -94.800

Barn collapse killed over 100 pigs.

Hail, Renville

When
October 6, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Renville County, Hector
Measured
0.88 in hail
Coordinates
44.750, -94.720

Hail covered ground. Some cars and airplanes damaged.

Tornado, McLeod

When
October 6, 5:06 AM CST
Where
McLeod County, 3 mi E of Stewart
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
30 yd
Coordinates
44.720, -94.420

Tree damage.

Hail, Sibley

When
October 6, 5:10 AM CST
Where
Sibley County, 12 mi NW of Gibbon
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.650, -94.680

Hail covered ground.

Hail, McLeod

When
October 6, 5:10 AM CST to 5:20 AM CST
Where
McLeod County, Brownton to 6 mi of Brownton
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
44.730, -94.470

Hail accumulated to a depth of 3 inches with drifts to one foot.

Hail, McLeod

When
October 6, 5:15 AM CST to 5:25 AM CST
Where
McLeod County, Brownton
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
44.730, -94.350

Thunderstorm Wind, McLeod

When
October 6, 5:30 AM CST
Where
McLeod County, Glencoe
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
44.770, -94.150

Power lines down. Estimated windspeed.

Hail, Carver

When
October 6, 5:50 AM CST
Where
Carver County, Hamburg
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.730, -93.950

Hail, Carver

When
October 6, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Carver County, Carver
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.770, -93.620

Hail accumulated to a depth of 2 inches.

Hail, Scott

When
October 6, 6:20 AM CST
Where
Scott County, Prior Lake
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.720, -93.420

Hail, Dakota

When
October 6, 6:30 AM CST to 6:40 AM CST
Where
Dakota County, Burnsville
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
44.800, -93.320

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Minnesota, 1997Warnings in Minnesota, October 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5618180, 5618181, 5618182, 5618183, 5618198, 5618185, 5618200, 5618186, 5618187, 5618199, 5618188, 5618196, 5618189, 5618190, 5618197, 5618191, 5618192, 5618193, 5618194, 5618195.