How Has Minnesota Fared the Last 20 Years with Tornadoes

A lot of people in Central Minnesota are beginning to celebrate the transition into warmer weather. Even though the winter wasn’t as frigid as it normally is around here, people seem ready to spend time outdoors and enjoy the beauty of the state. 

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There is somewhat of a downside to the warmer weather though, and that’s Tornado Season. Here in the Mid-West, we’re prime targets for Mother Nature's wrath.  

Last month I wrote about 3 of the strongest tornados to hit our area, here’s the link to the story.  

Recently there were nine tornados in Ohio, including an EF-3 that killed 3 people in Logan County. There was another EF-3 in Winchester Indiana that left forty people injured among the damages.  

And in Kentucky, an EF-2 destroyed nearly 100 buildings there. Over the last ten years, every state in America has experienced tornados and the damage tally has been above fourteen billion dollars.  

Outside of the monetary aspect, the emotional damage that these storms leave behind is something that a lot of victims still live with. I’ve seen stories where victims who were injured or lost property pay a lot more attention to storms and the weather in general because of it.  

The website Captain Experiences, which was started to help fisherman and hunters book “guides” around the world, published a study about tornadoes.  

Here’s what they found in studying tornadoes in the Minneapolis/St. Paul /Bloomington metro from 2004 until November of last year.  

There were seven what are considered high-intensity storms during that time period. The good news is that it’s twelve storms less than the previous twenty-year span.  

Overall, in the area, five people were killed and 101 suffered injuries because of those tornadoes. The economic impact was placed a $19,224,324. That figure is adjusted for inflation.  

So, knowing that it’s the prime time of the year for storms to escalate quickly, it is a good time to remind people about developing a plan with your family where they need to go to in the event of a tornado.  

Remember, storms can come quickly, sometimes with little warning. Having that plan in place can help save your life.