Aug 24, 2006 Chase Reports MN

Josh Richardson · #1 08-25-2006, 03:36 AM

Decided to change the target area after getting to Blue Earth and headed for Mankato while heading there my chase partner(Jayson Prentice) and I decided to move a little further west towards some CU building near Madelia south of the New Ulm area. After getting gas the towers shot up extremely fast and within about ten minutes it went TOR warned and had a very nice meso on it. We shot up to HWY 68 west of Judson where we could see a great looking wall cloud rotating and moving NE across the river there as we continued west towards we got a glimpse of the tornado touchdown across the river near Nicolette and then rope out again after dealing with more trees due to the river valley we again seen the tornado in a stovepipe form and looking rather large near Nicolette at this point we then had to head north towards it across the river and lost sight again due to all the trees. After getting to Nicolette we witnessed plenty of downed power lines and structural damage especially on the north east side of town and outside of town to the east. While trying to maneuver a horrible road network and damage and police all over the place we continued to stay behind the tornado which appeared to be rain wrapped at this time continously running across more damage. Meso still looked great from behind the entire way to St. Peter but were unsure if tornado was on the ground the entire time as it seemed to be lifting and dropping quite frequently. In St. Peter we cam across more structural damage and downed power lines in the road on the SE side of town. We had to have only still been a couple of minutes behind it at that point as there were no cops there yet and everyone had to drive around the power poles and over the lines. After that we ran into more and more bad road networks and zig-zagged SE for a long while and didnt really get any more great structure. All in all though I think I covered everything but Im sure Jayson can note something if I forgot. At least now Im not shutout for the year!! Will try to get vid stills up on here this weekend although never had a chance to pullover to get anything good as we were constantly on the move to find a better road system or to avoid power lines and other debris. So Im not sure how well the contrast was on the stovepipe vid grab will have to check it out later.

dean · #2 08-25-2006, 04:56 AM

lots of reports of tornadoes around the St. Peter-Mankato area, i think they were all from the same storm too but i'm not sure. Anyways, congrats to you Josh and Jayson for bagging an amazing tornado and maybe the biggest outbreak of powerful tornadoes in MN for quite some years. Oooo, if only i didn't have to work.* :-* BRING IT ON 2007!!

Josh Richardson · #3 08-25-2006, 12:56 PM

Quote:

lots of reports of tornadoes around the St. Peter-Mankato area, i think they were all from the same storm too but i'm not sure. Anyways, congrats to you Josh and Jayson for bagging an amazing tornado and maybe the biggest outbreak of powerful tornadoes in MN for quite some years. Oooo, if only i didn't have to work.* :-* BRING IT ON 2007!![/b]

Yep, they were all from the same storm as this thing stayed tornadic for a very long ways causing damage all the way through Nicolette to St.Peter.* One of the more exciting chases Ive ever been on.* 2006 appears to have finally paid off for me!!!* My only regret is not being able to stop even once to get good video as with the river valley and then all the damage in our way after that we were constantly trying to keep up.* I may have one good vid still of the wedge but I was taping from inside the car and trying to look out Jaysons window and about 2 miles north so contrast wasnt good but I will see what we can do with it.* Anyway as I said before simply an amazing storm with lots of different stages and a lot going on at all times.* We even had to drive over power lines at one point!!!* I dont ever remember doing that before!!

dean · #4 08-25-2006, 06:29 PM

congrats! i bet you were happy this wasn't a real long chase either! i know a lot of people from around my area who chased that storm last night and got home before i got off work at 9!

Josh Richardson · #5 08-26-2006, 03:13 PM

Well the damage assessment team did not have enough time yet to survey into Nicollet county but for Le Seur county they are rating it an F3.* Later report will be issued for Nicollet county this weekend...

NOUS43 KMPX 260447
PNSMPX
MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028-261800-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1145 PM CDT FRI AUG 25 2006

...DAMAGE SURVEY FROM LE SUEUR AND NICOLLET COUNTIES...

THE DAMAGE SURVEY WILL CONTINUE THIS WEEKEND...AS DAYLIGHT RAN OUT
ON THE SURVEY TEAM FRIDAY.* MUCH OF THE TIME FRIDAY WAS SPENT
CLOSELY EXAMINING THE DAMAGE IN LE SUEUR COUNTY...IN ATTEMPT TO
LOCATE ANY POSSIBLE F4 DAMAGE.*

AFTER LOOKING AT ALL THE DEVASTATED AREAS OF LE SUEUR COUNTY... IT
WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TORNADO PRODUCED NO MORE THAN F3 DAMAGE.
FOUR HOMES WERE LEVELED...BUT NONE APPEARED TO HAVE HAD A STRONG
FOUNDATION. SEVERAL VEHICLES WERE ROLLED BUT NONE WERE SENT
AIRBORNE.* THERE WERE PLENTY OF SEVERELY BROKEN TREES... BUT THOSE
INDICATED NOTHING MORE THAN F3.* THEREFORE THE LE SUEUR COUNTY
PORTION OF THE TORNADO WAS AN F3.* THE TORNADO DISSIPATED FIVE MILES
NORTHWEST OF WATERVILLE.

THE TEAM ONLY HAD ENOUGH TIME TO EXAMINE THE TORNADO TRACK AS FAR
WEST AS KASOTA.* THERE WAS OBVIOUS DAMAGE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE
MINNESOTA RIVER AT KASOTA...AND SO THE TORNADO THAT DEVASTATED LE
SUEUR COUNTY DID ORIGINATE IN NICOLLET COUNTY.* BUT DUE TO THE LOSS
OF DAYLIGHT...WE WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE HOW FAR WEST IT WENT INTO
NICOLLET COUNTY.* IT IS POSSIBLE IT STARTED IN OR NEAR THE CITY OF
NICOLLET...BUT THERE IS NO WAY TO KNOW FOR SURE...YET.* THAT
INFORMATION WILL BE DETERMINED THIS WEEKEND.

IT IS ALSO UNCERTAIN HOW MANY TORNADOES DEVELOPED ACROSS SOUTHERN
MINNESOTA ON THURSDAY. THERE ARE NUMEROUS CREDIBLE REPORTS OF
TORNADOES TOUCHING DOWN BRIEFLY SOUTH AND WEST OF NICOLLET... AS
WELL AS SOUTH OF COURTLAND.* THIS IS WHERE VIDEO WILL PLAY AN
IMPORTANT ROLE...AS WELL AS SPOTTER REPORTS AND 911 LOGS.* THERE
WERE ALSO SOME REPORTS OF TOUCHDOWNS IN EXTREME EASTERN LE SUEUR
COUNTY INTO RICE COUNTY...IN AREAS OUTSIDE KILKENNY... WATERVILLE
AND MORRISTOWN.* THESE WILL ALSO BE RESEARCHED.* MORE INFORMATION
WILL BE PROVIDED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Josh Richardson · #6 08-26-2006, 10:31 PM

Also just noticed after more review that the damage that I had posted for St. Peter was actually on the NE edge of Kasota which is small town pretty much connected to St. Peter.* The damage I am referring to was where we had downed power lines and had to drive over them and a heavily damaged house was on our right.

#7 08-27-2006, 07:32 PM

why was this system so violent this late in the season?

kman4life05 · #8 08-27-2006, 07:44 PM

Speaking of violent there was a violent thunderstorm which rowed though a few days ago. Many trees are down around the region, 60 mph winds, frequent CG lighting.

Josh Richardson · #9 08-27-2006, 11:00 PM

Quote:

why was this system so violent this late in the season?[/b]

Just had everything come together for a great setup that day.* Anything that formed near the boundary would get rooted in that become one heck of a supercell.* Shear was extremely plentiful, cant remember the numbers off hand.* Environment along the boundary where convergence was best was right where this one SC formed which happened to be the only one of the day in that area so lucky us.* Anyway such a rich environment that this thing went from just some towers to TOR on the ground in about 20 minutes and then, as you should already know, a deadly F3 1/2 mile wide twister that stayed on the ground for 30 miles.

Josh Richardson · #10 08-28-2006, 10:59 PM

NOUS43 KMPX 280159
PNSMPX
MNZ041>045-047>070-073>078-082>085-091>093-WIZ014>016-023>028-281800-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
900 PM CDT SUN AUG 27 2006

...CONFIRMED F3 TORNADO IN NICOLLET AND LE SUEUR COUNTIES...

AFTER VIEWING SOME OF THE DAMAGE JUST SOUTHWEST OF ST PETER
YESTERDAY... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROUGHT IN A NATIONAL
EXPERT TODAY FOR THE PURPOSE OF VERIFYING THE STRENGTH OF THE
TORNADO.* TODAYS SURVEY CONCLUDED THAT F3 DAMAGE OCCURRED IN BOTH
NICOLLET AND LE SUEUR COUNTIES.

THE LONG TRACK TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FROM THREE MILES WEST OF
NICOLLET...THROUGH THE CITY OF NICOLLET...THEN TO THE SOUTHERN
OUTSKIRTS OF ST PETER... THEN ACROSS THE NORTHERN PART OF
KASOTA...THEN TO LAKE EMILY...AND FINALLY DISSIPATING FIVE MILES
NORTHWEST OF WATERVILLE.

THE TRACK WAS 30 MILES LONG.* AT FIRST...THE TORNADO WAS NO MORE
THAN A FEW DOZEN FEET WIDE...THEN EVENTUALLY GREW TO ONE HALF MILE
WIDE.* AS IT NEARED DISSIPATION...IT WAS BACK TO A COUPLE HUNDRED
FEET WIDE.* THE TORNADO WAS DISTINCTLY MULTIPLE VORTEX.* IT
OCCASIONALLY VEERED EAST-NORTHEAST AND EAST-SOUTHEAST.

IT IS STILL UNCERTAIN HOW MANY TORNADOES DEVELOPED ACROSS SOUTHERN
MINNESOTA ON THURSDAY. THERE ARE NUMEROUS CREDIBLE REPORTS OF ONE OR
MAYBE TWO TORNADOES SOUTHWEST OF COURTLAND.* THERE WERE ALSO SOME
REPORTS OF TOUCHDOWNS IN EXTREME EASTERN LE SUEUR COUNTY INTO RICE
COUNTY...IN AREAS OUTSIDE KILKENNY... WATERVILLE AND MORRISTOWN.

THESE AREAS WHERE ADDITIONAL TORNADOES MAYE HAVE TOUCHED DOWN WILL
ALSO BE RESEARCHED....BY VIDEO...SPOTTER REPORTS... 911 LOGS...AND
ON MONDAY...AN AERIAL SURVEY TO BE PERFORMED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.* SOME OF THE TORNADO TRACK DATA MAY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED
DEPENDING ON RESULTS OF THE AERIAL SURVEY.

UPDATED INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.