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Mid-June 2010 tornado outbreak

Mid-June 2010 tornado outbreak
June 17, 2010 Northern Plains tornado outbreak tracks.PNG
Tracks of the 74 tornadoes that touched down across the Northern Plains on June 17
Type Tornado outbreak
Duration June 16 – 18, 2010
Tornadoes confirmed 93 confirmed
Max rating1 EF4 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak2 56 hours, 52 minutes
Damage $117.7 million

1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale

2Time from first tornado to last tornado

1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale

The June 2010 Northern Plains tornado outbreak was one of the most prolific summer tornado outbreaks in the Northern Great Plains of the United States on record. The outbreak began on June 16 with a several tornadoes in South Dakota and Montana. The most intense storms took place the following day across much of eastern North Dakota and much of Minnesota and North Dakota. The system produced 93 tornadoes reported across four states while killing three people in Minnesota. Four of the tornadoes were rated as EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, the most violent tornadoes in a 24-hour period since there were five within 15 hours on February 5–6, 2008. This was the region's first major tornado outbreak of the year and one of the largest on record in the region, comparable to a similar outbreak in June 1992. The 48 tornadoes that touched down in Minnesota on June 17 marked the most active single day in the state's history. June 17 was the second largest tornado day on record in the meteorological summer, behind the most prolific day of the 2003 South Dakota tornado outbreak on June 24, 2003.

On June 16, 2010, an upper-level area of low pressure and associated trough moved southeastward across the Rocky Mountains into the Great Plains. Along the base of the trough, the presence of a strong mid-level jet stream provided significant instability; however, warm-air aloft was expected to limit the extent of convective development. Moderate to strong deep layer wind shear along with steep lapse rates would allow for the development of supercell thunderstorms with large hail (greater than 2 in (5.1 cm) in diameter). In light of this, the Storm Prediction Center issued a slight-risk of severe weather for portions of Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.


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