March 29, 1998 a unique, destructive occurrence
Rural Hanska resident Roy Janni captured this image of the March 29, 1998 tornado with a video camera from his deck.
The March 29, 1998, storms that struck Comfrey, St. Peter LeCenter and points in between were unique, say meteorologists with the National Weather Service.
For one, the sheer number of strong and violent tornadoes that occurred — 14 in all — in an area that typically sees its tornado peak two to three months later — is quite remarkable.
Secondly, the Comfrey tornado followed an extraordinarily long continuous path — 67 miles.
In the ten years since the storm, the National Weather Service has had time to study exactly what happened.
———
The area’s first tornado touched down near the Murray/Cottonwood county line at about 3:50 p.m., according to National Weather Service meteorologist Karen Trammell in a phone conversation.
It remained on the ground for 67 miles, striking Comfrey at about 4:30 p.m. That tornado lifted after crossing the Minnesota River between Blue Earth and Nicollet counties.
Comfrey emerged to face massive damage, but was determined to rebuild, ‘rise again’
COMFREY — Linda Wallin, who was mayor of Comfrey at the time, remembers the day when the largest tornado at the time to hit southern Minnesota came roaring through town. “I recall Sunday, March 29, 1998, as being an exceptional day for late winter.
» Full StoryTornado reached F4 as it neared Hanska
HANSKA — Yvonne Bloomquist helped people in need for 31 consecutive days after the Sunday, March 29, 1998 F4 tornado tore a path of devastation across south central Minnesota, especially in the Hanska and Searles area.
» Full StoryFrom dairy to hogs
RURAL HANSKA — March 29, 1998 was a memorable day for the Dean & Lori Schneider family. Their dairy farm, Four Seasons Dairy was completely destroyed.
» Full StoryA lucky escape
The tornado of 1998 is something I will never forget. The love of all the people who helped us could be summed up in one word — Awesome.
Something that scares me yet today is what could have happened to me.
Friends of Brown County Ag organized volunteers for farm field cleanup
NEW ULM — To Frank Stuckey and Bill Koeckeritz, the massive farm field cleanup they organized in the aftermath of the 1998 tornado doesn’t seem like it happened 10 years ago, but the tenth anniversary of their response effort is here.
» Full Story
Fairmont @ NUHS Softball
SESM @ MVL BB
GFW @ CHS SB
CHS/SESM/MVL Girls Golf
CHS @ MVL BB
MVL @ CHS SB
Marshall @ NUHS SB
Tomahawk Golf Meet