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Minn. Meteorologist Weighs In On Midwest Storms

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Clean up is underway in parts of the Midwest after violent and deadly storms killed nearly 40 people in five states, including a toddler that was thrown into a field.

The National Weather Service says there were reports of nearly 100 tornado touchdowns. The damage and the deaths prompt the question: Could that number of tornadoes touchdown in Minnesota?

"It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility," said Chris Franks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office of the Twin Cities.

NewsRadio 830 WCCO's Susie Jones Reports

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While it is possible for Minnesota to see a large number of tornadoes in a single storm, the moisture in the atmosphere of southern states makes for bigger storms, Franks said.

"Typically, down south they have just more moisture to work with, and just the total number of storms tend to be more than up here," he said.

Back in 2010, however, Minnesota suffered an outbreak where nearly 50 tornadoes formed, Franks said.

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