9 Years Ago Today: Earliest Tornadoes in Minnesota History Strike the State
Published: March 6th, 2026 |
Photo from NWS Twin Cities
MINNESOTA: Nine years ago today, unusual and out-of-season weather grabbed headlines across Minnesota when not one, not two, but three tornadoes touched down on March 6, 2017 — setting a new record for the earliest tornadoes ever recorded in the state.
The tornadoes broke the previous record by 12 days. Before 2017, the earliest tornado on record in Minnesota occurred on March 18, 1968, near Truman, about 20 miles southwest of Mankato.
All three tornadoes occurred within the same hour during a rare early-season severe weather outbreak.
The first tornado tracked 9.6 miles through Faribault County, beginning near Bricelyn and moving toward a campground on Rice Lake before crossing Interstate 90 and dissipating.
About 30 minutes later, another tornado formed to the north and east, carving a 12.3-mile path through the towns of Clarks Grove and Geneva.
At roughly the same time, a third tornado developed northwest of the Twin Cities in Sherburne County, traveling 8.9 miles from northwest of Zimmerman to just south of Princeton.
The National Weather Service rated all three tornadoes EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
The tornadoes were part of a larger regional severe weather outbreak that affected much of the central United States that day. Tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail were reported from eastern Oklahoma north through Minnesota and east into Wisconsin and Illinois.
Minnesota also saw numerous reports of large hail and strong winds during the storms. Live news coverage throughout the evening showed wind-driven hail, and many reports indicated hailstones larger than one inch in diameter.
While tornado season in Minnesota typically peaks between May and July, the March 6, 2017 outbreak remains a reminder that severe weather can occasionally arrive far earlier than expected in the Upper Midwest.
Photo’s from NWS Twin Cities
