Prior to the 1887 Grand Forks/East Grand Forks tornado, there was a strong tornado in southern Cass County, North Dakota, and three devastating tornadoes in southern Minnesota. The three southern Minnesota tornadoes were included in Professor H. A. Hazen’s 1890 list of the most destructive tornadoes in the United States since 1872. The first tornado hit New Ulm, Minnesota, on July 15, 1881. According to Hazen, this tornado killed 6 people, wounded 53, and damaged or destroyed nearly 300 buildings. The magnitude of damage from this storm caught the public eye. Just over two years later, on August 21, 1883, another powerful tornado hit Rochester, Minnesota. From Hazen’s compilations, 26 people were killed and 135 houses were demolished. Since these two tornadoes occurred nearly back-to-back, they generated much more interest from the press. The third tornado caught many people off guard, since it occurred so early in the year. This tornado struck Saint Cloud and Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, on April 14, 1886. Hazen tabulated 74 deaths, 136 injuries, and 138 buildings flattened. Hazen also tried to estimate the amount of damage in dollar amounts. He figured $174,677 at New Ulm, $200,000 at Rochester, and a whopping $400,000 for Saint Cloud/Sauk Rapids (in 1890 dollars). Looking at the various statistics from these three tornadoes, one could argue that each got progressively more deadly. Therefore, public interest after the Saint Cloud/Sauk Rapids tornado surged. The realization of three killer tornadoes over a period of five years was hard to comprehend. One had to wonder, what lurked in the future?
Southern Cass County, North Dakota, Tornado of August 18, 1880
- Minneapolis Tribune Accounts
- Saint Paul Daily Globe Account
- Freaks of the Storm
- Estimated Tornado Track Map
New Ulm, Minnesota Tornado of Friday, July 15, 1881
- Saint Paul Daily Globe Account
- Monthly Weather Review Account
- Local Interest
- Freaks of the Storm
- New Ulm Tornado Pictures
- Signal Service Maps
Official Responses:
Rochester, Minnesota Tornado of Tuesday, August 21, 1883
- Saint Paul Daily Globe Account
- Monthly Weather Review Account
- Local Interest
- Freaks of the Storm
- Rochester Tornado Pictures
- Rochester Anvil Cloud Account
- Signal Service Maps
Official Responses:
Saint Cloud, Minnesota Tornado of Wednesday, April 14, 1886
- Grand Forks Daily Herald Account
- Saint Paul Daily Globe Account
- Monthly Weather Review Account
- Local Interest
- Freaks of the Storm
- Saint Cloud/Sauk Rapids Tornado Pictures
- Saint Cloud/Sauk Rapids Tornado Sketches
- Signal Service Maps
Official Responses:
- Saint Paul Mayor Response
- Saint Paul Signal Service Response
- John P. Finley Signal Service Response
- Saint Paul Daily Globe Response
- University of Minnesota Response
- Washington Signal Service Response