20 for 20: Wadena Tornado (2010)

To celebrate our 20th anniversary of Lakeland News, we’re taking a look back at some of the memorable local stories we’ve covered over the years. We’re calling it 20 For 20 – twenty stories in all, one for each of the twenty years we’ve been on the air with Lakeland News.

2010 will be remembered as the year of the Wadena tornado. A massive EF-4 tornado cut a quarter mile path of destruction through the city. Fortunately, no one was killed by the storm, but more than 30 people were treated for injuries. The tornado was over one mile wide at its peak and carried winds of up to 170 miles per hour. It was on the ground for about 10 miles and severely damaged the high school and more than 200 homes. The tornado that struck Wadena was one of a cluster of tornadoes in Minnesota that day, with 48 tornadoes in all recorded – the most in state history.

Reporters Josh Christensen and Jenny Day provided a team coverage look at the devastation. Christensen is now the assistant sports director at KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Day is now working as a main weekday anchor in Yuma, Arizona.