Preliminary damage estimates by the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North Dakota rate the nearly mile wide tornado that hit Northwood, ND at either a strong EF3 or weak EF4 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

Extensive damage in Northwood resulted from the 8/10 of a mile wide tornado that killed one man and at least 18 others were injured. Virtually everything in the town was damaged including two trailer parks that were destroyed. The man killed was in his trailer home when the tornado hit.

"This town is a mess. This town is a disaster," said Kevin Dean, a spokesman for an emergency operations center that responders set up in the city fire hall. "There's virtually nothing ... that hasn't been damaged."

With streets impassible and power lines down across the area, power was shut off to Northwood as a precaution. The tornado hit just before 9 p.m. on Sunday. Northwood is a community of about 950 people, about 30 miles southwest of  Grand Forks.

The National Weather Service is also investigating some other reports of tornadoes in their area. I will update this story once the NWS has completed their survey.