Tornadoes · United States · Minnesota · 2021
EF0 tornado, Rolsberg to Dumont, Minnesota, October 13, 2021
From Rolsberg to Dumont, this EF0 tornado ran 0.4 miles across Traverse County on October 13, 2021, touching down at 4:20 PM CDT and reaching 10 yards wide. It killed nobody.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
The record
- Rating
- EF0
- Date
- October 13, 2021
- Touchdown
- 4:20 PM CDT (21:20 UTC)
- Lifted
- 4:24 PM CDT (21:24 UTC)
- On the ground
- 4 minutes
- Path length
- 0.4 miles (0.7 km)
- Path width
- 10 yards (9 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Traverse County
- Touchdown point
- 45.802, -96.293
- Lift-off point
- 45.808, -96.289
- Record number
- 2110131520-01
What the Weather Service recorded
A line of October thunderstorms along a front produced rare tornadoes in west central Minnesota during the afternoon hours resulting in damage.
The first evidence of damage by the tornado was found on the south side of a cornfield at the intersection of Traverse County Highway 9 and 740th St. The tornado tracked almost due north, damaging a farmstead south of the 750th St. A quarter of the roof of a metal pole barn was ripped from the steel rafters and tossed to the west-northwest, damaging a power line. Another pole barn was completely destroyed. The southwest side of the barn had poles lifted entirely out of the ground while the east side walls remained intact. Evidence of the tornado continued a mile north, where downed tree branches and tree debris were noted crossing 760th street. The last signs of the tornado damage were just south of 770th street, where a grain auger and hay trailer were flipped over. The total length was shy of three miles from beginning to end.
An eyewitness observed a tornado touch down in a corn stubble field east of MN Highway 27 and 760th Ave. The tornado tracked north across MN Highway 27, damaging a farmstead. A tree was uprooted and fell toward the house, damaging the deck. Minor shingle damage occurred to both houses on the property. Several farm implements were slid or moved several feet from their original locations. A large machine shed lost a quarter of the roof. Debris from the roof was tossed to the north, northwest about 80 yards. Damage was also evident in a corn crop field north of the farm, ending roughly a half-mile-long path.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Aberdeen, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Oct 13, 2:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 33 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Oct 13, 2:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 33 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
247 PM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021
.SHORT TERM...(This Evening through Thursday Night)
Issued at 247 PM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021
A strong area of low pressure currently over central South Dakota
will track north-northeast through the afternoon into the evening
hours. The main area of showers have pushed into North Dakota,
leaving behind some clearing/breaks in the clouds over a good
portion of the CWA. A frontal boundary lifting northward has become
the focal point for convection, from near KPIR, arcing east-
northeast to north of Faulkton, into southern Brown County. A narrow
corridor of SBCAPE of 500 J/kg, along with excellent shear will
allow weak, brief tornadoes over the next few hours as the front
lifts northward into ND. Have already received reports of funnel
clouds near the Onida area. Would not be surprised to hear
additional funnel, or brief tornado reports. Timing on the front
suggest it will push into ND between 21-23Z. Most of the
convection/showers should exit to the north before 3Z with dry
conditions for the rest of the short term.
Strong west-northwest winds are increasing over southwest into south
central South Dakota where gusts of 50 knots have been reported.
Based on buffer soundings, along with current obs, and expected
pressure rises, will issues a high wind warning for the four
counties in our southwest CWA through this evening. The current
winds advisory may need to be expanded further east into the James
River, and perhaps the higher terrain areas of the Sisseton hills
later this evening.
While low temperatures tonight will dip into the lower 30s, the
gusty winds will keep frost from forming. Breezy, cool conditions
will continue on Thursday with highs in the upper 40s, to the low
50s. Patchy to areas of frost will be possible Thursday night into
Friday morning with lows in the lower 30s.
.LONG TERM...(Friday through Wednesday)
Issued at 247 PM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021
During the day Friday, any remaining upper level troughiness is
propagating east of the CWA, leaving steering flow winds out of the
northwest. These northwesterly winds aloft will persist for much of
the period while an upper level ridge pumps up across the western
CONUS. Eventually, by the end of the period, models are hinting at
an upper level rex-block pattern (or some derivation thereof)
setting up across the nation's mid-section. But, most of the
deterministic and ensemble progs are showcasing quite a bit of
spread on timing/placement of the upper low that will be tucked
under the mid/upper level ridge. The forecast is PoP-less for what
is referred to as "measurable" precipitation, or at least, it should
be for now.
As for temperatures, it looks like (seasonably) cool conditions to
start off the forecast period on Friday, with a gradual warm up
through Monday. Then the next installment of cold fropa/low level
CAA shows up for Tuesday/Wednesday of next week signaling a return
back to cooler conditions for the middle of next week.
&&
.AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Thursday Afternoon)
Issued at 1258 PM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021
Terminals KABR,KATY,KPIR,KMBG
A strong area of low pressure will bring a mix of flying
conditions over the next 12-18 hours. Southerly winds will
eventually shift to the west, northwest later this evening into
tonight. Wind gusts of 30 to 40 knots will be possible for the
terminal of KPIR this evening. Gusts of 20 to 30 knots possible
elsewhere. Thunderstorms could impact all terminals through 22-23Z
today, with pcpn exiting to the north by 1Z. A mix of IFR to VFR
cigs can be expected for all terminals, with prevailing IFR/MVFR
cigs overnight into the morning hours on Thursday.
&&
.ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
SD...Wind Advisory until 10 PM CDT /9 PM MDT/ this evening for SDZ003-
004-009-015-016-034-036-037-051.
High Wind Warning until 10 PM CDT /9 PM MDT/ this evening for
SDZ033-035-045-048.
MN...None.
&&
SHORT TERM...SD
LONG TERM...Dorn
AVIATION...SDHazardous weather outlook, Oct 13, 10:52 AM CDT, 5 hours 28 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Aberdeen SD 1052 AM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021 MNZ039-046-SDZ005>008-010-011-017>023-141600- Traverse-Big Stone-McPherson-Brown-Marshall-Roberts-Edmunds-Day- Faulk-Spink-Clark-Codington-Grant-Hamlin-Deuel- 1052 AM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for west central Minnesota, north central South Dakota and northeast South Dakota. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Gusty east-southeast winds can be expected this morning into the early afternoon hours. Wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph will be possible at times. The winds should diminish through this afternoon. Severe storms could develop this afternoon, mainly between 2 pm and 4 pm. The storm threats should be damaging winds and weak tornadoes. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be requested. Weather spotters are encouraged to submit reports to the National Weather Service in Aberdeen. The public can submit reports on our web page, Facebook page, or our Twitter feed. SDZ033>037-045-048-051-141600- Stanley-Sully-Hughes-Hyde-Hand-Jones-Lyman-Buffalo- 1052 AM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021 /952 AM MDT Wed Oct 13 2021/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for central South Dakota. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Increasing west to northwest winds can be expected this afternoon into the evening hours. Wind gusts of 45 to 55 mph can be expected. Can not rule out an occasional higher gust of 60 mph. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be requested. Weather spotters are encouraged to submit reports to the National Weather Service in Aberdeen. The public can submit reports on our web page, Facebook page, or our Twitter feed. SDZ003-004-009-015-016-141600- Corson-Campbell-Walworth-Dewey-Potter- 1052 AM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021 /952 AM MDT Wed Oct 13 2021/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north central South Dakota. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Northeast winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. A lull in the wind will occur this morning before they become strong from the west-northwest this afternoon into the evening hours. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. SD
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Oct 13, 1:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 45 minutes before
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Aberdeen SD 135 PM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021 SDZ004>006-009>011-016>023-034-132015- Campbell-McPherson-Brown-Walworth-Edmunds-Day-Potter-Faulk-Spink- Clark-Codington-Grant-Hamlin-Deuel-Sully- Including the cities of Herreid, Eureka, Aberdeen, Mobridge, Ipswich, Webster, Gettysburg, Faulkton, Redfield, Clark, Watertown, Milbank, Hayti, Clear Lake, and Onida 135 PM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021 Sunshine this afternoon is heating things up enough to support the development of thunderstorms across portions of central, north central and northeast South Dakota. There is a low probability that a couple of these thunderstorms may produce weak, brief small tornadoes. Keep one eye on the sky if you see a storm approaching your area this afternoon, and report any funnel clouds or tornadoes to your local law enforcement agency. They can relay your report to the National Weather Service. Dorn
Special weather statement, Oct 13, 2:03 PM CDT, 2 hours 17 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
203 PM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021
SDZ016-034-131930-
Sully SD-Potter SD-
203 PM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of north central Sully
and south central Potter Counties through 230 PM CDT...
At 157 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a couple of strong
thunderstorms capable of producing a landspout tornado one over
Agar, or 10 miles south of Gettysburg, another 5 miles south
of Gettysburg. Both storms are moving west at 5 mph.
HAZARD...Landspout tornadoes, winds in excess of 30 mph, and pea
size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Gusty winds
could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured
objects.
This strong thunderstorm will be near...
Gorman around 210 PM CDT.
Other locations in the path of this storm include Agar.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Conditions are favorable for the development of weak, brief funnel
clouds or weak landspout tornadoes with wind gusts over 50 mph. If a
funnel cloud or landspout tornado is spotted move indoors and report
your sighting to the National Weather Service.
These storms may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio
stations and available television stations for additional
information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.
To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement
agency. They will relay your report to the National Weather Service
office in Aberdeen.
&&
LAT...LON 4501 9984 4483 9993 4476 10013 4500 10013
TIME...MOT...LOC 1857Z 075DEG 5KT 4486 10003
LANDSPOUT...POSSIBLE
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH
DornSpecial weather statement, Oct 13, 2:10 PM CDT, 2 hours 10 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Aberdeen SD
210 PM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021
SDZ015-016-034-131930-
Dewey SD-Sully SD-Potter SD-
210 PM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of north central Sully,
southwestern Potter and southeastern Dewey Counties through 230 PM
CDT/130 PM MDT/...
At 205 PM CDT/105 PM MDT/, Doppler radar was tracking a couple of
strong thunderstorms capable of producing a landspout tornado, one
near Sutton Bay Rec Area, or 18 miles west of Gettysburg, another 22
miles southwest of Gettysburg. Both storms are moving east at 10 mph.
HAZARD...Landspout tornadoes, winds in excess of 30 mph, and pea
size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible. Gusty winds
could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured
objects.
Locations impacted include...
Whitlocks Bay Rec Area.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Conditions are favorable for the development of weak, brief funnel
clouds or weak landspout tornadoes with wind gusts over 50 mph. If a
funnel cloud or landspout tornado is spotted move indoors and report
your sighting to the National Weather Service.
To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement
agency. They will relay your report to the National Weather Service
office in Aberdeen.
&&
LAT...LON 4482 10053 4500 10044 4504 10022 4475 10031
TIME...MOT...LOC 1905Z 267DEG 8KT 4497 10034
LANDSPOUT...POSSIBLE
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH
DornSpecial weather statement, Oct 13, 3:00 PM CDT, 1 hour 20 minutes before
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Aberdeen SD 300 PM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021 MNZ039-046-SDZ004>010-016-021-132215- Traverse-Big Stone-Campbell-McPherson-Brown-Marshall-Roberts- Walworth-Edmunds-Potter-Grant- Including the cities of Wheaton, Ortonville, Herreid, Eureka, Aberdeen, Britton, Sisseton, Mobridge, Ipswich, Gettysburg, and Milbank 300 PM CDT Wed Oct 13 2021 Sunshine this afternoon is heating things up enough to support the development of thunderstorms across portions of north central and northeast South Dakota and western Minnesota. There is a low probability that a couple of these thunderstorms may produce funnel clouds or weak, brief small tornadoes. Keep one eye on the sky if you see a storm approaching your area this afternoon, and report any funnel clouds or tornadoes to your local law enforcement agency. They can relay your report to the National Weather Service. Dorn
Local storm report, Oct 13, 3:48 PM CDT, 32 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>Local storm report, Oct 13, 4:10 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<title>Service Notice</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
<main class="wrap">
<section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
<div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
<p id="message1">
The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
</p>
<p id="message2">
Please try again in a few minutes.
</p>
<p class="small" id="detail">
If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
</p>
</section>
</main>
<script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>The air that afternoon
The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.
Aberdeen, SD (KABR), 12:00Z
9.3 hours before the tornado, 193 km from the path. October 13, 2021.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -55268 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 913 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 62 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 31 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 252 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 334 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 4.5 K/km
The surface observations
Wheaton Ndb (ETH), 20 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 UTC |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 169 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:18 UTC.
Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track
Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2021 tornado in MinnesotaEvery tornado in Minnesota since 1950Warnings in force in Minnesota nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of October 13, 2021
12 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 13 | 4:59 AM CDT | EF1 | Canadian, OK | 6.4 | 150 | $50,000 | ||
| October 13 | 5:15 AM CDT | EF1 | Oklahoma, OK | 3.3 | 75 | $20,000 | ||
| October 13 | 5:22 AM CDT | EF0 | Oklahoma, OK | 4.2 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| October 13 | 1:15 PM CDT | EF0 | Sully, SD | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| October 13 | 3:03 PM CDT | EF0 | Roberts, SD | 2.4 | 10 | |||
| October 13 | 3:25 PM CDT | EF0 | Roberts, SD | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| October 13 | 3:30 PM CDT | EF0 | Roberts, SD | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| October 13 | 3:33 PM CDT | EF0 | Big Stone, MN | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| October 13 | 3:42 PM CDT | EF0 | Big Stone, MN | 0.3 | 10 | |||
| October 13 | 3:46 PM CDT | EF0 | Big Stone, MN | 0.0 | 10 | |||
| October 13 | 4:04 PM CDT | EF0 | Sargent, ND | 5.4 | 25 | |||
| October 13 | 4:18 PM CDT | EF1 | Traverse, MN | 2.8 | 20 |
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.