1883 Rochester Tornado
Encyclopedia
The 1883 Rochester tornado was an F5
(estimated) tornado
that hit Rochester
, Minnesota
on August 21, 1883. It was one in a series of tornadoes that hit Southeast Minnesota
that day, causing at least 37 deaths and over 200 injuries, and was the impetus for the creation of the Mayo Clinic
. On July 21, two other tornadoes struck the area. An F4 tornado was one of a family of tornadoes that killed 4 people near Dodge Center
(15 miles west of Rochester), and an F2 tornado devastated Elgin
, 10 miles (16.1 km) northeast of Rochester.
According to Joseph Leonard as written in History of Olmsted County, Minnesota,
Although meteorology in 1883 was primitive compared with modern science, Leonard's observations reveal quite a bit about the atmospheric conditions in Rochester that day. High temperature
s, high humidity
, strong surface wind
s, and vertical wind shear
appear to have been present; all are key factors in the development
of thunderstorms
and tornadoes. The Rochester tornado was one of at least 3 violent tornadoes that hit southeastern Minnesota that day, but because the Rochester twister was so devastating, the other two were largely ignored by the press and relatively little is known about them.
and his two sons, William
and Charles
, took charge of caring for the patients. Mother Mary Alfred Moes
of the Sisters of St. Francis
helped care for the patients as well. After this disaster the Mayo family and the Sisters of St. Francis realized the need of a hospital in Rochester. They banded together to form St. Mary's Hospital
, which ultimately led to the creation of the Mayo Clinic
and the Tornado Guild, a group dedicated to protecting all Minnesotans from the ravages of the swirling winds.
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
(estimated) tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
that hit Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
on August 21, 1883. It was one in a series of tornadoes that hit Southeast Minnesota
Southeast Minnesota
Southeast Minnesota is the corner of Minnesota south of the Twin Cities metropolitan area extending east, and part of the multi-state area known as the Driftless Area. Rochester is the largest city in the area; other major cities include Winona, Owatonna, Faribault, Northfield, Austin, and Red...
that day, causing at least 37 deaths and over 200 injuries, and was the impetus for the creation of the Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
. On July 21, two other tornadoes struck the area. An F4 tornado was one of a family of tornadoes that killed 4 people near Dodge Center
Dodge Center, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,226 people, 824 households, and 588 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,173.8 people per square mile . There were 859 housing units at an average density of 452.9 per square mile...
(15 miles west of Rochester), and an F2 tornado devastated Elgin
Elgin, Minnesota
Elgin is a city in Wabasha County, Minnesota, United States on Minnesota State Highway 42. The population was 1,089 at the 2010 census. Its annual festival is Elgin Cheese Days.-Geography:...
, 10 miles (16.1 km) northeast of Rochester.
The outbreak
Although meteorology in 1883 was primitive compared with modern science, Leonard's observations reveal quite a bit about the atmospheric conditions in Rochester that day. High temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
s, high humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
, strong surface wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
s, and vertical wind shear
Wind shear
Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
appear to have been present; all are key factors in the development
Tornadogenesis
Tornadogenesis is the process by which a tornado forms. There are many types of tornadoes, and each type of tornado can have several different methods of formation. Scientific study is ongoing, as some aspects of tornado formation remain a mystery....
of thunderstorms
Severe weather
Severe weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous to human life and property.- Examples Include :Severe weather can occur under a variety of situations, but three characteristics are generally needed: a temperature or moisture boundary, moisture, and , instability in the...
and tornadoes. The Rochester tornado was one of at least 3 violent tornadoes that hit southeastern Minnesota that day, but because the Rochester twister was so devastating, the other two were largely ignored by the press and relatively little is known about them.
- The first tornado touched down at 3:30 PM just 10 miles (16.1 km) south of Rochester near Pleasant GrovePleasant Grove Township, MinnesotaPleasant Grove Township is a township in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 787 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 35.7 square miles , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000,...
. This tornado was approximated at an F3 and killed 2 people, injuring 10.
- The second tornado was the large F5 that made a direct hit on Rochester. It touched down at 5:30 PM near HayfieldHayfield, MinnesotaHayfield is a city in Dodge County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,340 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Transportation:...
, traveling 25 miles (40.2 km) before lifting back up after it hit Rochester. It killed 37 and injured over 200, mostly in Rochester. Forty farms were hit with at least 10 leveled.The northern third of Rochester was devastated with 135 homes destroyed and 200 damaged. - The third tornado, also approximated at an F2, touched down at 8:30 PM just 15 miles (24.1 km) to the east of Rochester near St. CharlesSt. Charles, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 3,295 people, 1,238 households, and 870 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,005.3 people per square mile . There were 1,276 housing units at an average density of 389.3 per square mile...
. It killed 1 person and injured 19.
Impact
The city of Rochester did not have a place to treat the injured from this tornado, as there were only 3 hospitals in the state of Minnesota outside of the Twin Cities at that time; none were near Rochester. After the tornado struck, a dance hall (Rommel Hall) was transformed into temporary emergency room. Doctors William MayoWilliam Worrall Mayo
William Worrall Mayo was a British medical doctor and chemist, best known for establishing the private medical practice that later evolved into the Mayo Clinic. He was a descendant of a famous English chemist, John Mayow. His sons, William James Mayo and Charles Horace Mayo, joined the private...
and his two sons, William
William James Mayo
William James Mayo, M.D. was a physician in the United States and one of the seven founders of the Mayo Clinic. He and his brother, Charles Horace Mayo, both joined their father's private medical practice in Rochester, Minnesota, USA, after graduating from medical school in the 1880s...
and Charles
Charles Horace Mayo
-External links:*...
, took charge of caring for the patients. Mother Mary Alfred Moes
Alfred Moes
Mother Mary Alfred Moes, O.S.F., was instrumental in establishing first, the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate in Joliet, Illinois, as well as the Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester, Minnesota. She was also the founder of St...
of the Sisters of St. Francis
Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester, Minnesota
The Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester, Minnesota is a Roman Catholic religious congregation for women. The congregation was founded in 1877 by Mother Mary Alfred Moes in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona...
helped care for the patients as well. After this disaster the Mayo family and the Sisters of St. Francis realized the need of a hospital in Rochester. They banded together to form St. Mary's Hospital
Saint Marys Hospital (Rochester)
Saint Marys Hospital is one of two hospitals in Rochester, Minnesota operated by the Mayo Clinic, the other being Rochester Methodist Hospital. St Marys has a 61-bed emergency department but no obstetrics department, while Rochester Methodist lacks an emergency department but contains an obstetrics...
, which ultimately led to the creation of the Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
and the Tornado Guild, a group dedicated to protecting all Minnesotans from the ravages of the swirling winds.
See also
- Climate of MinnesotaClimate of MinnesotaThe climate of Minnesota is typical of a continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers. Minnesota's location in the Upper Midwest allows it to experience some of the widest variety of weather in the United States, with each of the four seasons having its own distinct characteristics...
- List of F5 tornadoes
- List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
External links
- gendisasters.com The history of Olmstead County, Minnesota
- Damage Photographs - Minnesota Digital Reflections