Path of the F5 tornado in Rochester, Minnesota on August 21, 1883

The summer of 1883 can be characterized as a rough one in southeastern Minnesota. On July 21, . An F4 tornado was one of a family of tornadoes that killed 4 people near Dodge Center (15 miles west of Rochester), and an F2 tornado devastated Elgin, 10 miles northeast of Rochester. The 1883 Rochester Tornado was an F5 tornado that hit Rochester, Minnesota on August 21, 1883. Although it was one in a series of tornadoes that hit Southeast Minnesota that day,^[1] it caused at least 37 deaths and over 200 injuries, and was the impetus for the creation of the Mayo Clinic. Image File history File links Rst_tor1883. ... Image File history File links Rst_tor1883. ... Dodge Center is a city located in Dodge County, Minnesota. ... Elgin is a city located in Wabasha County, Minnesota. ... The Fujita scale (F-Scale), or Fujita-Pearson scale, rates a tornados intensity by the damage it inflicts on human-built structures and sometimes on vegetation. ... A tornado in central Oklahoma. ... Coordinates: Country United States State Minnesota County Olmsted Founded 1854 Mayor Ardell Brede Area    - City 103. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Southeast Minnesota is the area of Southeastern Minnesota which is outside of the Twin Cities Metro Area. ... Main campus in downtown Rochester, Minnesota. ...

The outbreak

According to john Leonard as written in History of Olmsted County, Minnesota,

Although meteorology in 1883 was primitive compared with modern science, Leonard's observations reveal quite a bit about the atmospheric conditions in Rochester that day. High temperatures, high humidity, strong surface winds, and vertical wind shear appear to have been present; all are key factors in the development of thunderstorms and tornadoes. The Rochester tornado was one of at least 3 violent killer tornadoes that hit southeastern Minnesota that day, but because the Rochester twister was so devastating, the other two were largely ignored by the press and relatively little is known about them. Atmosphere may refer to: a celestial body atmosphere, e. ... Fig. ... Humidity is the concentration of water vapor in the air. ... Wind is the rough horizontal movement of air (as opposed to an air current) caused by uneven heating of the Earths surface. ... Wind shear is a difference in wind speed or direction between two points in the atmosphere. ... NOAA scientists observe severe weather using a mobile doppler radar and a helicopter (in the distance) Severe weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous. ...

Damage from the storm

• The first tornado touched down at 3:30 PM just 10 miles south of Rochester near Pleasant Grove. This tornado was approximated at an F3 and killed 2 people, injuring 10.

• The second tornado was the large F5 that made a direct hit on Rochester. It touched down at 5:30 PM near Hayfield, traveling 25 miles before lifting back up after it hit Rochester. It killed 37 and injured over 200, mostly in Rochester. ^[2]

• The third tornado, also approximated at an F3, touched down at 8:30 PM just 15 miles to the east of Rochester near St. Charles. It killed 1 person and injured 19. ^[3]

Image File history File links Rochestertor. ... Image File history File links Rochestertor. ... Pleasant Grove Township is a township located in Olmsted County, Minnesota. ... Hayfield is a city located in Dodge County, Minnesota. ... St. ...

Impact

The city of Rochester did not have a place to treat the injured from this tornado, as there were only 3 hospitals in the state of Minnesota outside of the Twin Cities at that time; none were near Rochester. After the tornado struck, a dance hall (Rommel Hall) was transformed into temporary emergency room.^[4] Doctors William Mayo and his two sons, William and Charles, took charge of caring for the patients. Mother Mary Alfred Moes of the Sisters of St. Francis helped care for the patients as well. After this disaster the Mayo family and the Sisters of St. Francis realized the need of a hospital in Rochester. They banded together to form St. Mary's Hospital, which ultimately led to the creation of the Mayo Clinic. A hospital today is an institution for professional health care provided by physicians and nurses. ... Twin cities are two cities that are geographically close to each other and may seem to form a single unit, often referred to collectively. ... The emergency room is the American English term for a room, or group of rooms, within a hospital that is designed for the treatment of urgent and medical emergencies. ... Dr. W. W. Mayo William Worrall Mayo (May 31, 1819 – March 6, 1911) was an English medical doctor and chemist, best known for founding the Mayo Clinic in the late 19th century with his sons William James Mayo and Charles Horace Mayo in Rochester, Minnesota in the United States. ... Doctors Mayo stamp William James Mayo (June 29, 1861 – July 28, 1939) was a physician in the United States and a co-founder of the Mayo Clinic. ... Cover of Time Magazine (June 22, 1925) Charles Horace Mayo (July 19, 1865 – May 26, 1939) was an American medical practitioner and a co-founder of the Mayo Clinic. ... Statue of Mother Alfred near the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Mother Mary Alfred Moes (born 1828 - died December 18, 1899) was instrumental in establishing the Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester, Minnesota and in founding St. ... Assisi Heights in Rochester, Minnesota. ... Saint Marys Hospital. ... Main campus in downtown Rochester, Minnesota. ...

See also

• Climate of Minnesota
• List of F5 tornadoes

Minnesota is a state in the Upper Midwestern portion of the United States. ... // Total: 92. ...

Notes

1. ^ The Rochester, MN Tornado of 1883. NOAA. Retrieved on 2006-12-22.
2. ^ Tornadoes in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and southwest and central Wisconsin. NOAA. Retrieved on 2006-12-22.
3. ^ Winona County (MN) Tornadoes* 1850-2006. NOAA. Retrieved on 2006-12-22.
4. ^ Winds of Change: An Improvised Hospital. Mayo Clinic - Tradition and Heritage. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Retrieved on 2006-12-22.

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

References

• gendisasters.com The history of Olmstead County, Minnesota

External links

• Damage Photographs - Minnesota Digital Reflections