Multiple tornadoes confirmed in Minnesota, western Wisconsin
MINNEAPOLIS — Officials confirmed that multiple tornadoes touched down in southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin on Tuesday evening.
The National Weather Service says an EF1 tornado impacted the Rollingstone area in Winona County shortly after 6 p.m. with winds peaking at 105 mph. Officials report the tornado traveled a little more than 18 miles, crossing briefly into western Wisconsin.
Another tornado was reported just over the Minnesota-Wisconsin border in Buffalo County at 6:13 p.m. Weather officials estimate the wind peaked around 90 mph and the tornado's path was just under four miles.
Damage was reported to power lines, trees, barns and outbuildings. The National Weather Service says the tornadoes mainly affected rural areas.
Multiple tornado watches were issued Tuesday for southeastern Minnesota and extending into Iowa. As many as 24,000 Minnesotans were without electricity due to the storms. In Wisconsin, around 59,000 were without power on Wednesday morning, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for 15 counties after severe storms tore through the state, with one tornado killing several people in a small town southwest of Des Moines.
The Twin Cities managed to avoid the worst of the storms but saw more than 2 inches of rain. The rainfall total recorded at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport made Tuesday the wettest day since June 29, 2020.