Southern Minnesota tornadoes of June 15, 1892
On Wednesday, June 15, 1892, a violent, deadly tornado family swept portions of southern Minnesota, striking several communities, killing a dozen people, and injuring 76. It generated three intense tornadoes—retroactively rated F3 or stronger on the Fujita scale—including a powerful F5 that claimed nine lives. According to tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis, the twisters were part of a "complex" severe weather event.
Confirmed tornadoes
Prior to 1990, there is a likely undercount of tornadoes, particularly E/F0–1, with reports of weaker tornadoes becoming more common as population increased. A sharp increase in the annual average E/F0–1 count by approximately 200 tornadoes was noted upon the implementation of NEXRAD Doppler weather radar in 1990–1991. 1974 marked the first year where significant tornado counts became homogenous with contemporary values, attributed to the consistent implementation of Fujita scale assessments. Numerous discrepancies on the details of tornadoes in this outbreak exist between sources. The total count of tornadoes and ratings differs from various agencies accordingly. The list below documents information from the most contemporary official sources alongside assessments from tornado historian Thomas P. Grazulis.