A tornado was spotted near Rochester, Minnesota, on Friday, with videos capturing the twister on the ground. Authorities issued alerts for nearby areas, including Marion and Stewartville, urging residents to take precautions. As per storm chasers, the tornado is currently near Rochester International Airport.
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Tornado Warning Issued for Southeastern Minnesota
The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Warning for portions of southeastern Minnesota, effective immediately.
Areas Affected
Southwestern Olmsted County
North central Mower County
Southeastern Dodge County
NWS alert confirmed, “At 1:52 PM CDT, weather spotters confirmed a tornado located 7 miles east of Hayfield (or 12 miles southeast of Dodge Center). The storm is moving east at 30 mph.”
The alert added, “Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely.”
Locations in the Path
The tornado is forecast to be near: Rochester and Stewartville around 2:05 PM CDT
Other impacted areas include:
Chester
Highway 30 and County 15
Oslo
Pleasant Grove
Predmore
County Roads 3 and 108
Apache Mall
Interstate 90 in Minnesota is also affected between mile markers 205 and 220.
Rochester Public Schools
Rochester Public Schools shared an update on Facebook at 2:06 p.m. local time, stating that tornado sirens were sounding across Rochester, Minnesota and that all students had been moved to designated safety areas. Officials added that students would remain there until an all-clear is issued by the National Weather Service, and dismissal would likely be delayed.
In a follow-up update at 2:23 p.m., the district wrote, “Students are in their designated shelter spaces. For staff and student safety, please hold off on picking up students until after the tornado warning expires. We will send an all-clear message when we receive it from the National Weather Service.”