This Day In History: Minnesota's deadliest tornado outbreak of May 6th, 1965 leaves path of destruction

On this Monday, May 6th, we are remembering an historic day in Minnesota's history, one of the worst weather events the state has ever seen.

This date in 1965, at least six significant tornadoes killed 13 people and injured well over 500 with the worst damage happening in the north metro around Fridley.

Rob Brown worked at the station at the time and remembers it well.
"The sky was kind of green," says Brown about that classic, tornado-ready sky.

The tornado outbreak lasted three hours and caused $51 million in damage. There were four F-4s, one F-3, and one F-2. Two of the F-4s crossed paths, causing even more damage. Minnesota has not seen a day since then with that many F4 or EF-4 tornadoes.

That night, WCCO announcers Dick Chapman and Charlie Boone did something that had never been done before. They put listeners on the air to give storm reports.

"I think we better just keep you two gentleman on the line," Chapman told listeners who provided immediate, eye-witness reports. "Thank you immensely, as we'll try to keep this baby in sight. Who knows how many people we might be able to warn out of the way."

With no radar to work from, Chappy worked off a paper map, and his knowledge and instincts, to predict the direction of tornado.

Due to a lack of technology we have now, with Doppler radar and cell phones to warm people of danger, there's still debate about the path of the storms. At least 600 homes were destroyed and 1,700 people rendered homeless following the storms.

The US Weather Bureau (now the National Weather Service ) personnel had anticipated the storms and were able to corroborate the tornadic cells on radar with reports coming in from the public and the media.

The National Weather Service also credited WCCO Radio broadcasts for having saved thousands of lives, which helped get those people to save places.

"I don't know how these guys did it," says current WCCO Meteorologist Paul Douglas . "They were literally flying blind. Had it not been for listener reports, I shudder to think what the death toll, what the injury report would have been."

Douglas says the technology advances since that time are staggering.

"Now we kind of take Doppler for granted," Douglas explains. "Yes, Doppler has been a huge tool. It's saved countless, probably thousands of lives since it came online in the early-90s, this National Weather Service network, 160 Dopplers. By the way, each one costs $10 million dollars."

Although the storms are best known for their devastating tornadoes, the evening actually had nearly six hours of severe thunderstorm activity, which records indicate led to one of the most widespread, damaging, and longest-lasting hail events in Minnesota history. Golf ball to baseball-sized hail was reported periodically from 6:00 p.m. until almost midnight, affecting all but the southeastern suburbs.

"There were four F-4s with winds up around, estimated, 170, 180 mph," Douglas told the WCCO Morning News . "Fridley was hit twice. Minnetonka was hit, it's just staggering to me and a reminder that we can get big tornadoes, even here in the metro. They're rare, thankfully, but they do occur."

You can listen to a portion of WCCO's coverage from that historic night below.