In Minnesota, tornadoes
have occurred in every month from March through November. The
earliest verified tornado in Minnesota occurred on March 18,
1968, north of Truman, and the latest in any year on November
16, 1931, east of Maple Plain. Historically and statistically,
June is the month of greatest frequency with July not far behind.
May has the third greatest frequency, followed closely by August.
Nearly 3/4 of all tornadoes in Minnesota have occurred during
the three months of May (17%), June (34%), and July (25%).
The most probable danger period in Minnesota, therefore, is
late spring and early summer, between 2PM and 9PM. However,
tornadoes can and do occur at any time of the day or night.
On the University of Minnesota campus, the tornado warning
siren is tested the first Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m.
Chemistry's Front Office, 139 Smith,
contains a weather radio which alerts Front Office personnel
should a tornado watch or warning be declared for the Twin
Cities or surrounding area. If this should occur, an e-mail
would be sent to the "allusers" alias
giving the details of the watch or warning. You should make
sure that personnel on your floor, and especially in your immediate
area, are aware of the alert so they may turn their radios
on and be ready to move to a "safe" area if necessary.
Safe areas include:
- Kolthoff Hall: Basement level and north corridor on the
first floor.
- Smith Hall: Sub-basement level, basement level,
and first floor corridors.
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