NWS Confirms Tornado in Western Stearns Co. Thursday

SPRING HILL (WJON News) -- The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities has confirmed there was a tornado touchdown in western Stearns County on Thursday afternoon.

The EF0 Tornado was on the ground from 2:43 p.m. until 2:48 p.m.

It had peak winds of 75 miles an hour and was on the ground for 2.9 miles.  It was 50 yards wide.

There were no injuries or deaths from this tornado.  Stearns County Emergency Management Director Erin Hughes earlier told WJON News there were no reports of significant damage from the storm.

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The National Weather Service says they made their determination based on a virtual survey from storm chaser videos.

The storms peaked in intensity as they tracked into western Wisconsin, resulting in at least one EF2 tornado in St Croix County and hail up to 4 inches in diameter in Eau Claire County.

Additionally, there was significant straight line wind damage in Dunn, Barron, Chippewa, and Rusk Counties in Wisconsin with wind speeds estimated up near 100 mph based on damage in the Ladysmith area.

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