View source for 1968 Tracy tornado

{{Short description|1968 F5 tornado in Minnesota}}
{{Infobox weather event
| image        = 1968 Tracy tornado.jpg
| caption      = Eric Lantz took his award-winning photo of the Tracy tornado as it was leaving the town
| formed       = 7:04 p.m.<br>June 13, 1968
}}{{Infobox weather event/Tornado
| fujita-scale = F5
}}{{Infobox weather event/Effects
| fatalities   = 9
| injuries     = 125
| damages      = $68.5 million (2025 USD)
| affected     = Southwest Minnesota
}}{{Infobox weather event/Footer
| season       = [[Tornadoes of 1968]]
}}
The '''1968 Tracy tornado''' was an extremely powerful tornado that struck [[Tracy, Minnesota]] on Thursday, June 13, 1968, at around 7:00{{Nbsp}}p.m.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/climate/summaries_and_publications/tornadoes.html|title=Minnesota Tornado History and Statistics|last=|first=|date=2016|website=Minnesota Department of Natural Resources|access-date=October 26, 2016}}</ref> Rated F5 on the [[Fujita scale]], the tornado killed nine people and injured 125 others.<ref name=":0" /> The tornado tracked {{convert|9|mi|km|spell=in}} through [[Murray County, Minnesota|Murray]], [[Lyon County, Minnesota|Lyon]] and [[Redwood County, Minnesota|Redwood]] counties in southwestern [[Minnesota]]. It is one of only two official F5 tornadoes that have occurred in Minnesota, although several other tornadoes that occurred before 1950 are estimated to have been F5 strength.<ref name=noaa>{{cite web|title=F5 and EF5 Tornadoes of the United States|publisher=[[Storm Prediction Center]]|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f5torns.html|accessdate=2008-03-09}}</ref>

The tornado destroyed 111 homes, caused major damage to 76 homes, and caused minor damage to an additional 114. Five businesses were destroyed, and 15 others were damaged. Some homes in town only had their foundations left behind. A few farms outside of town were swept completely away, and extensive ground scouring occurred.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Ryan, Bob.|date=June 14, 1968|title=KSTP Coverage of 1968 Tracy tornado.|trans-title=|medium=motion picture|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sjuqiq1T2g |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/7sjuqiq1T2g |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|accessdate= September 6, 2013|time=|publisher= KSTP|location=Tracy, Minnesota|id=|isbn=|oclc=|quote=}}{{cbignore}}</ref> An elementary school and 106 automobiles were destroyed, and a heavy [[boxcar]] was thrown more than a block by the storm. Two other boxcars were thrown {{Convert|300|yd|m}}, and a steel I-beam was carried for {{Convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} on a piece of roof.<ref name="Grazulis">{{cite book | last = Grazulis | first = Thomas P | title = Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991 |date=July 1993 | publisher = The Tornado Project of Environmental Films | location = St. Johnsbury, VT | isbn = 1-879362-03-1 }}</ref> Hard rains and hail were also reported.<ref>Drew Sandholm. [https://www.ksfy.com/news/local/19750099.html "Survivor Recalls Tracy Tornado"]{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ABC News affiliate KSFY-TV. June 11, 2008.</ref> A total of five tornadoes hit Minnesota on June 13, 1968, most of which were rated F0.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/mntorn.htm#list|title=Minnesota Tornadoes 1950-2012|last=|first=|date=2015|website=Tornado Project Online|publisher=The Tornado Project|access-date=October 26, 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Climate of Minnesota]]
* [[List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks]]
* [[Tornado outbreak of June 14–18, 1992]], which included the [[1992 Chandler-Lake Wilson tornado]], to date the last E/F5 tornado to have officially occurred in Minnesota. 
* [[List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://archive.today/20130205121047/http://www.tracymnweather.com/images/tracytornado.jpg Picture of Tracy tornado]
{{F5 and EF5 tornadoes}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1968-06-13 Tracy Tornado}}
[[Category:F5, EF5 and IF5 tornadoes]]
[[Category:Tornadoes in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Tornadoes of 1968|06-13 Tracy]]
[[Category:1968 in Minnesota|Tornado, 06-13]]
[[Category:Lyon County, Minnesota|Tornado, 1968-06-13]]
[[Category:Murray County, Minnesota|Tornado, 1968-06-13]]
[[Category:Redwood County, Minnesota|Tornado, 1968-06-13]]
[[Category:June 1968 in the United States|Tornado, 13, Tracy]]