On this day: the Rochester tornado of 1883

Minnesota was hit by a series of tornadoes in the summer of 1883, but the F5 tornado that hit Rochester was the worst.

It hit at 5:30pm on the 21st of August, and killed thirty-seven. Some two-hundred were injured.

The lack of hospital facilities in the area at the time resulted in the founding of the Mayo Clinic in 1889.

Damage from the Rochester, Minnesota tornado of 1883.

Advertisement