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Tornadoes rip through North Dakota, killing 3
Tornadoes ripped through North Dakota, killing three. The storms also reached northern Minnesota, causing severe damage. FOX 9's Leon Purvis has more.
ENDERLIN, N.D. (FOX 9) - A deadly tornado in Enderlin, North Dakota, on June 20 has been upgraded to an EF5, marking the first EF5 tornado in the United States in 12 years.
Enderlin tornado upgraded
What we know:
National Weather Service meteorologists in Grand Forks on Monday upgraded the tornado to an EF5, estimating the tornado had winds stronger than 210 mph. An EF5 tornado is one with winds greater than 200 mph. Initial damage surveys gave the tornado a preliminary rating of EF3.
The tornado killed three people and caused significant damage across the region. The tornado was part of a powerful derecho that brought tornadoes and 100-plus mph wind gusts across North Dakota and western Minnesota.
Enderlin, North Dakota, tornado upgraded to EF5.
The storm was so strong, it flipped train cars in Enderlin and tossed one car about 475 feet away. It also uprooted trees and swept a farmstead off its foundation.
The tornado was upgraded after the National Weather Service conducted additional surveys and worked with wind damage experts to further investigate the tornado.
What they're saying:
"In the last kind of 12 years, there's been several strong tornadoes that have come close, but there haven't been known damage indicators at that time to support the EF5 rating," Melinda Beerends, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, told The Associated Press. "It's hard sometimes to get tornadoes to hit something."
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Tornado swirls in North Dakota
Video shows tornadoes swirling in North Dakota. Three people, two men and a woman, died following storms in an area near the town of Enderlin.