Looking back at the December 15th derecho

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – December 15th, 2021 is a day that many people across SE Minnesota and NE Iowa may never forget. Temperatures warmed into the middle 60s setting daytime records all across the region. A long line of strong storms, which would later be classified as a derecho, raced across the upper Midwest.

The NWS confirmed 30+ tornadoes across our area with 8 reports of wind gusts reaching over 80 mph. Locally, it was the largest tornado outbreak ever. For the entire state of Minnesota, it was the 4th largest tornado outbreak.

There were 18 reports of wind speeds exceeding 70 mph and 8 reports of winds over 80 mph across our region. Winds at RST topped at 77 mph, which was the 2nd highest wind gust ever recorded.