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3 tornadoes confirmed in Freeborn County, National Weather Service finds

At least nine tornadoes hit southern Minnesota on Dec. 15, according to NWS damage surveys.

FREEBORN COUNTY, Minn. — Editor's Note: The video above originally aired on Dec. 16.

The National Weather Service (NWS) found that three separate tornadoes touched down in Freeborn County after it conducted a tornado damage survey in there.

The NWS made the announcement after Wednesday's rare winter tornado outbreak, which made history after Minnesota recorded its first-ever tornado during the month of December.

According to preliminary tornado damage surveys, the NWS found that an EF-2 tornado made landfall southwest of Hartland at about 7:10 p.m. and went two miles into town. The tornado traveled a total of 2.17 miles with wind speeds reaching 115 miles per hour.

The NWS said the tornado damaged buildings, trees and utility poles.

In Alden, two EF-1 tornados touched down Wednesday, damaging power lines, trees and a building. The NWS found that the first tornado formed at 6:56 p.m. and traveled 3.62 miles before ending just south of Interstate 90. 

The second tornado formed at 7:03 p.m., just minutes after the first one dissipated, and traveled 1.64 miles with wind speeds up to 100 miles per hour. The NWS found that this tornado formed to the east of Alden, traveled northeast before it died down about a mile southwest of the town.

A total of nine tornadoes struck Minnesota on Wednesday. On Thursday, the NWS LaCrosse office confirmed a tornado had touched down in southern Winona County. On Friday, officials confirmed another tornado, an EF-1, touched down near Plainview. Three more were confirmed on Monday.

Tornado warnings were issued on Wednesday in several counties in southeastern Minnesota, including Faribault, Freeborn, Fillmore, Houston, Olmsted, Wabasha and Winona.

The NWS added that the information from their preliminary survey may change after a final review of their findings.

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