It hit Fergus Falls at approximately 4:46 pm, and according to witness accounts was a "blank funnel shaped twisting cloud, or possibly several of them".

[2] Though the Fujita scale did not exist at that time, it is estimated to have been an F5 based on descriptions and photographs of the damage.

[3] The tornado tore through the northern part of town, leveling 44 city blocks (including the business district), destroying 159 homes and damaging 250 more, some of which were swept completely away.

Small trees in town were debarked, and railroad tracks were reportedly pulled from the ground at one location, indicative of high intensity.

At Lake Alice, several summer homes were swept into the water along with their occupants, resulting in several fatalities there.