Environment | Page 47

Chandler–Lake Wilson Tornado, 1992

On June 16, 1992, an F5 tornado devastated the towns of Chandler and Lake Wilson in Murray County. It was the most powerful tornado recorded in the US that year and the eighth F5 to touch down in Minnesota, reaching wind speeds in excess of 260 miles per hour and causing over $50 million in property damage. It was one of 170 twisters that hit the Northern Great Plains during the June 1992 tornado outbreak, one of the largest such outbreaks in US history.

Tubing debris

Tubing debris wrapped around a tree in the aftermath of the Chandler–Lake Wilson Tornado, June 1992.

Tin debris

Tin debris caught in tree branches and in vegetation in the aftermath of the Chandler–Lake Wilson Tornado, June 1992.

Destroyed school buses

The remains of two school buses in a field after Chandler–Lake Wilson Tornado, June 1992.

Lake Wilson

The town of Lake Wilson in the aftermath of the Chandler–Lake Wilson Tornado, June 1992.

Damaged property in Lake Wilson

Damaged property in the town of Lake Wilson in the aftermath of the Chandler–Lake Wilson Tornado, June 1992.

Lake Wilson survivors and property damage

Survivors of the Chandler–Lake Wilson Tornado inspect damaged property in the aftermath of the storm, June 1992.

Farm damage

A farm as it appeared in the aftermath of the Chandler–Lake Wilson Tornado, June 1992.

Tornado debris

Tornado debris in a ditch in the aftermath of the Chandler–Lake Wilson Tornado, June 1992.

Chandler-Lake Wilson High School

The exterior of Chandler-Lake Wilson High School as it appeared in June 1992, after the Chandler–Lake Wilson Tornado.

Gale Family Library