The Late-October 1996 tornado outbreak was an unusual tornadic event that affected Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota on October 26, 1996.

The favorable dynamics then shifted northward to South Dakota, where nine tornadoes touched down from 11:30 am – 12:30 pm.

Finally, 14 more tornadoes touched down in Minnesota during the middle and late afternoon hours.

[1] There were no fatalities, fifteen were injured and there was $1.4 million in damage; most of which occurred in rural areas of west-central Minnesota[2] What makes this outbreak notable is the time of year that it took place.

In Minnesota, prior to this outbreak there had been only ten tornadoes ever recorded during the month of October, so the fourteen tornadoes on this day easily eclipsed most late season outbreak records.