© Jed CarlsonPeople work to clean up debris Saturday afternoon at a home off Ramel Road in Solon Springs. The mobile home had been moved off its foundation and many trees and items outside where uprooted and overturned in the storm on Friday evening.
According to a preliminary survey report, the most significant damage observed by the Weather Service survey team was EF2 on the 0-5 Enhanced Fujita scale, with peak winds estimated at 120 to 130 mph.
The path of the tornado was estimated at 2.9 miles, with a width of 300 yards, stretching from 3.6 miles southwest of Solon Springs to 1.3 miles west of Solon Springs. The tornado was on the ground for about three minutes, from 7:51 p.m. to 7:54 p.m. There were a few injuries from the tornado, but no fatalities.
The Weather Service reported that the tornado shifted a manufactured home off its foundation and rotated it about 30 degrees from its original orientation, and then destroyed a wood-frame home along Ramel Road. Some debris from the second home was found 1/3 of a mile away.
A tornado warning had been issued for southern Douglas County at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
The Weather Service reported that Friday's tornado is the first to hit Douglas County since a weak tornado briefly touched down near Maple on Aug. 23, 1998. It's the first strong tornado - EF2 or higher - in Douglas County since one touched down on Sept. 3, 1980, in the northern part of the county.
Damage at the Solon Springs airport was not associated with the tornado, the Weather Service said.
To the south and west, widespread damage across parts of Douglas and Burnett counties Friday night was caused by straight-line winds.
UPDATE: The National Weather Service in Duluth confirmed late Saturday that a tornado touched down near Solon Springs during the severe storms that moved across the region Friday night. It's the first strong tornado to hit the county in more than 30 years.
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