Tornadoes · United States · Minnesota · 2022

EF2 tornado, Rochert to Midway, Minnesota, June 24, 2022

From Rochert to Midway, this EF2 tornado ran 30.9 miles across Becker County on June 24, 2022, touching down at 9:58 PM CDT and reaching 600 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.

  1. EF065 to 85 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mphthis tornado

    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.

  4. 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.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. 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.

  7. 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
EF2
Date
June 24, 2022
Touchdown
9:58 PM CDT (02:58 UTC)
Lifted
10:35 PM CDT (03:35 UTC)
On the ground
37 minutes
Path length
30.9 miles (49.7 km)
Path width
600 yards (549 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Becker County
Touchdown point
46.860, -95.690
Lift-off point
46.728, -95.066
Record number
2206242058-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Two rounds of severe thunderstorms produced large hail and gusty winds across the northern Red River Valley and into northwest Minnesota. Hail up to 2.75 inches was reported.

This tornado was likely wrapped in downburst winds for portions of its nearly 31 mile path through Little Toad Lake, Toad Lake, and Wolf Lake, ending around 2 se of Menagha by 1035 pm cdt. Numerous pine, oak, and poplar trees were violently snapped or uprooted along with several wooden power poles. Farm outbuilding roofs were ripped off. A modern hog barn, an older style barn, and several smaller outbuildings were blown down at various farmsteads. Max winds to 115 mph, with a max width of 600 yards.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

3 minutes of warning. NWS FGF issued a tornado warning for this county at 02:55 UTC, 3 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 03:45 UTC.

The county was under a severe thunderstorm watch, issued at 00:19 UTC and running to 05:45 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
00:19 UTC05:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WatchFGF
01:36 UTC02:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGF
02:24 UTC03:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGF
02:55 UTC03:45 UTCTornado WarningFGF
03:03 UTC03:48 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGF
03:29 UTC03:45 UTCTornado WarningFGF
04:30 UTC05:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGF

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Enhanced Risk, with a 0.02 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 01:06 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

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.

International Fa, MN (KINL), 00:00Z

3.0 hours before the tornado, 251 km from the path. June 25, 2022.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, International Fa, MN at 00:00Z on 2022-06-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1341 joules per kilogram, CIN -84, lifted condensation level 1379 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, International Fa, MN at 00:00Z on 2022-06-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 7 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 19 knots.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1341 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-84 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2735 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1379 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
3 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
7 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
33 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1
0-3 km lapse rate
6.9 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

International Fa, MN (KINL), 12:00Z

9.0 hours after it, 251 km from the path. June 25, 2022.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, International Fa, MN at 12:00Z on 2022-06-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 47 joules per kilogram, CIN -9, lifted condensation level 532 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, International Fa, MN at 12:00Z on 2022-06-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 197 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 44 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
47 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Surface CAPE
19 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
532 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
30 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
197 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
218 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
5.0 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 168 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:59 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.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
02:01 UTCTSTM WND GST 594 Sse MahnomenMahnomen, MNPEAK WIND MEASURED AT THE MNDOT RWIS ON HIGHWAY 59.
02:01 UTCTSTM WND GST 594 Sse MahnomenMahnomen, MNPEAK WIND MEASURED AT THE MNDOT RWIS ON HIGHWAY 59.
02:16 UTCTORNADO 13 Wsw NaytahwaushMahnomen, MNTHIS TORNADO WAS LIKELY WRAPPED IN DOWNBURST WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN AS IS TRACKED EAST NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS NORTH TWIN LAKE AND THE COMMUNITY OF NAYTAHWAUSH, ENDING AROUND 1 ENE OF TOWN BY 923 PM CDT. THE TORNADO SNAPPED O
02:16 UTCTORNADO 13 Wsw NaytahwaushMahnomen, MNTHIS TORNADO WAS LIKELY WRAPPED IN DOWNBURST WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN AS IS TRACKED EAST NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS NORTH TWIN LAKE AND THE COMMUNITY OF NAYTAHWAUSH, ENDING AROUND 1 ENE OF TOWN BY 923 PM CDT. THE TORNADO SNAPPED O
02:45 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 S ZerkelClearwater, MNSEVERAL PINE AND POPLAR TREES BLOWN DOWN ALONG MN200. TIME ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR.
02:53 UTCTSTM WND DMG6 E RichwoodBecker, MNPHOTO RELAYED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA OF A LARGE PINE TREE ON THE ROOF OF THE DISCOVERY CENTER AT TAMARAC NWR. TIME ESTIMATED.
02:53 UTCTSTM WND DMGRochertBecker, MNBECKER COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTED WIDESPREAD DAMAGE NEAR THE COTTON LAKE AND ROCHERT AREA. DAMAGE INCLUDED NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN, LARGE TREE FELL INTO KITCHEN OF HOME, NUMEROUS TREES BLOCKING ROADS. TI
02:55 UTCTSTM WND GST 542 Wnw Detroit LakesBecker, MNPEAK WIND MEASURED AT THE DETROIT LAKES AIRPORT /KDTL?.
02:55 UTCTSTM WND GST 542 Wnw Detroit LakesBecker, MNPEAK WIND MEASURED AT THE DETROIT LAKES AIRPORT /KDTL?.
02:58 UTCTORNADO 2RochertBecker, MNTHIS TORNADO WAS LIKELY WRAPPED IN DOWNBURST WINDS FOR PORTIONS OF ITS NEARLY 31 MILE PATH,THROUGH LITTLE TOAD LAKE, TOAD LAKE, AND WOLF LAKE, ENDING AROUND 2 SE OF MENAHGA BY 1035 PM CDT. NUMEROUS PINE, OAK, AND POPLAR
02:58 UTCTORNADO 2RochertBecker, MNTHIS TORNADO WAS LIKELY WRAPPED IN DOWNBURST WINDS FOR PORTIONS OF ITS NEARLY 31 MILE PATH,THROUGH LITTLE TOAD LAKE, TOAD LAKE, AND WOLF LAKE, ENDING AROUND 2 SE OF MENAHGA BY 1035 PM CDT. NUMEROUS PINE, OAK, AND POPLAR
02:58 UTCTORNADO 2RochertBecker, MNTHIS TORNADO WAS LIKELY WRAPPED IN DOWNBURST WINDS FOR PORTIONS OF ITSNEARLY 31 MILE PATH,THROUGH LITTLE TOAD LAKE,TOAD LAKE, WOLF LAKE, ENDING AROUND 2 SE OF MENAGHA BY 1035 PM CDT. NUMEROUS PINE, OAK, AND POPLAR TREES
02:59 UTCTSTM WND GST 722 N Detroit LakesBecker, MNPEAK WIND MEASURED AT A RAWS STATION. TIME ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR AND OTHER NEARBY WIND SENSOR REPORTS.
02:59 UTCTSTM WND GST 722 N Detroit LakesBecker, MNPEAK WIND MEASURED AT A RAWS STATION. TIME ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR AND OTHER NEARBY WIND SENSOR REPORTS.
03:01 UTCHAIL 11 S New York MillsOtter Tail, MN
03:02 UTCHAIL 1.75RochertBecker, MNBECKER COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE RELAYED REPORT OF GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL NEAR ROCHERT. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
03:10 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Wnw Toad LakeBecker, MNREPORT OF TRESS DOWN ON CAMPER TRAILERS AT LITTLE TOAD LAKE. POWER LINES DOWN. TIME ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR AND NEARBY WIND SENSOR REPORTS.
03:10 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Wnw Toad LakeBecker, MNREPORT OF TRESS DOWN ON CAMPER TRAILERS AT LITTLE TOAD LAKE. POWER LINES DOWN. TIME ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR AND NEARBY WIND SENSOR REPORTS.
03:10 UTCTSTM WND DMGToad LakeBecker, MNREPORT OF TRESS DOWN ON CAMPER TRAILERS. POWER LINES DOWN. TIME ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR AND NEARBY WIND SENSOR REPORTS.
03:20 UTCTSTM WND GST 67OsageBecker, MNPEAK WIND MESURED AT THE RWIS STATION IN OSAGE ON HIGHWAY 34.
03:26 UTCTORNADO2 Wsw MenahgaWadena, MNLAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTS SPOTTER NEAR SEBEKA VIEWING ONGOING TORNADO. LOCATION ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR AND REPORTING.
03:30 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Se Lake GeorgeHubbard, MNSEVERAL PINE TREES BLOWN DOWN ALONG THE EAST END OF LAKE GEORGE. TIME ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR.
03:30 UTCTSTM WND DMGPhelpsOtter Tail, MNPHOTOS RELAYED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA OF A LARGE BRANCH DOWN. BRANCH MEASURED TO BE 10 INCHES IN DIAMETER. TIME ESTIMATED.
03:37 UTCTSTM WND GST 612 Ssw Park RapidsHubbard, MNPEAK WIND MEASURED AT THE PARK RAPIDS AIRPORT /KPKD/.
03:37 UTCTSTM WND GST 612 Ssw Park RapidsHubbard, MNPEAK WIND MEASURED AT THE PARK RAPIDS AIRPORT /KPKD/.
03:40 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Ene EmmavilleHubbard, MNPOWER OUTAGE REPORTED AT CAMP WILDERNESS ON MANTRAP LAKE.
03:40 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Ene EmmavilleHubbard, MNPOWER OUTAGE REPORTED AT CAMP WILDERNESS ON MANTRAP LAKE.
03:42 UTCTSTM WND GST 592 Ssw Park RapidsHubbard, MNSECOND PEAK WIND MEASURED AT THE PARK RAPIDS AIRPORT /KPKD/.
03:42 UTCTSTM WND GST 592 Ssw Park RapidsHubbard, MNSECOND PEAK WIND MEASURED AT THE PARK RAPIDS AIRPORT /KPKD/.
03:42 UTCTSTM WND GST 611 Ssw Park RapidsHubbard, MNASOS STATION KPKD PARK RAPIDS AP MN.
03:55 UTCTSTM WND DMGWalkerCass, MNMN POWER REPORTED AT LEAST 30 TREES DOWNED AROUND THE WALKER AREA ALONG WITH SOME BROKEN POWERLINES. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
03:57 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 S WalkerCass, MNCORRECTS TIME ON PREVIOUS TSTM WND DMG REPORT FROM 2 S WALKER. AREA OF TREE DAMAGE WITH MULTIPLE TREES SNAPPED OFF, DOWNING POWER LINES AND BLOCKING THE ROAD. REPORT FROM SOCIAL MEDIA. TIME ESTIMATED OFF RADAR.
03:57 UTCTSTM WND GST 552 W WadenaOtter Tail, MNPEAK WIND MEASURED AT THE WADENA AIRPORT /KADC/.
03:57 UTCTSTM WND GST 552 W WadenaOtter Tail, MNPEAK WIND MEASURED AT THE WADENA AIRPORT /KADC/.
04:01 UTCHAIL 11 S New York MillsOtter Tail, MNCORRECTED TIME FROM PREVIOUS REPORT.
04:01 UTCHAIL 11 S New York MillsOtter Tail, MNCORRECTED TIME FROM PREVIOUS REPORT.
04:05 UTCTSTM WND GST 572 Wnw VerndaleWadena, MNPEAK WIND MEASURED AT THE MNDOT RWIS ON HIGHWAY 10.
04:05 UTCTSTM WND GST 572 Wnw VerndaleWadena, MNPEAK WIND MEASURED AT THE MNDOT RWIS ON HIGHWAY 10.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2022 tornado in MinnesotaEvery tornado in Minnesota since 1950Warnings in force in Minnesota nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 24, 2022

10 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 242:56 PM CDTEF0Cavalier, ND2.010
June 243:27 PM CDTEF1Walsh, ND2.2100
June 243:42 PM CDTUnratedWells, ND0.325
June 244:52 PM CDTEF0Nelson, ND0.7100
June 245:01 PM CDTEF0Nelson, ND0.4100
June 245:15 PM CDTEF0Nelson, ND1.0100
June 245:34 PM CDTEF0Grand Forks, ND2.9100
June 247:40 PM MDTUnratedDundy, NE2.150
June 249:16 PM CDTEF0Pennington, MN0.140
June 249:16 PM CDTEF1Mahnomen, MN3.8400

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.