COTTON — The National Weather Service in Duluth confirmed a tornado touched down Thursday, Sept. 19, near the community of Cotton.
The storm that brought the tornado had two separate tornado warnings in effect between 4:45 and 5:45 p.m.
Based on early estimations, the weather service said the tornado traveled about 5 miles along a single continuous path and left damage along the way.
Initial damage was found on the west side of Highway 53, with trees down along Three Lakes Road.
The most widespread damage occurred near Comstock Lake Road, east of Cotton. Crews were still surveying the damage as of Friday afternoon but estimated the tornado to be an EF-1.
While tornadoes are not common this late in the year, the weather service’s Storm Prediction Center reports Minnesota has averaged three in September between 1999 and 2023, more than any other Midwest state.
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Radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible in the warned area.
