Tornadoes This Week in 2004…

On June 11, 2004, an F3 tornado touched down just before 6PM near Riceville, IA. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) La Crosse, it stayed on the ground for 17 minutes and reached an estimated maximum width of 150 yards. The tornado tracked almost directly north along the Howard-Mitchell County line, destroying many crops and a few homes. Estimated top wind speeds were about 150 MPH.

There were also 5 other tornadoes that touched down in southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa that day. Four of them were rated an F0 and the other one was an F1.

Side Note: These tornadoes were rated using the Fajita Scale (F#) instead of the Enhanced-Fajita Scale (EF#). The EF scale was introduced in 2007.