OTTER TAIL COUNTY — The National Weather Service out of Grand Forks, North Dakota, received two reports of tornado cells near Perham on Monday, June 16. Lead meteorologist Daniel Robinson said reports indicate a tornado "briefly" touched down south of Perham near the intersection of state highways 108 and 78, and a waterspout, which is a tornado over the water, occurred around the same time on nearby Marion Lake.

Robinson said they had not been informed of any damage a few hours after the incidents were reported. However, should damage reports come in, he said they would send out a survey crew who would determine the scale of the tornado.

Ethan Lehman of New York Mills was in the midst of installing mini split units at cabins when the storm hit. While walking from one cabin to the other, he saw the waterspout and began recording the anomaly.

“I’ve seen videos online of other people catching waterspouts, but this was the first time I’ve ever personally seen one,” he said. “It was cool to see one that up close and in person.”

Sheila Brauer, a resident of Little Marion Lake, also saw the jarring sight. She had just let her dogs out and noticed they'd run toward the shoreline.

“I went to see what the problem was,” she said. After doing a double-take, she took out her phone and then took a photograph of the water being funneled into the air.

“It kept growing, then lessened a little bit, then grew again,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Brauer estimated the waterspout extended 100 feet in the air and was a bit wider than 50 feet.

“I could hear it across the lake,” she said, noting the sound she heard was a howling wind. However, where she stood, it wasn't that windy. As the storm blew by several minutes later, she estimated the winds picked up to between 30 and 40 mph.

Contributed / Sheila Brauer

"I'm glad it was on the water," she said.

Tammy Knettel and Randy Norgren witnessed a tornado moving over a farm field. The two had just turned off Highway 78 onto 108, heading toward Dent, when they saw the funnel cloud.

"He kept driving and I kept snapping pictures on my phone," Knettel said.

Contributed / Tammy Knettel

While being so close to a tornado was a first for Knettel, Norgren said he is a bit of a storm chaser. However, he was hauling a horse trailer and decided to high-tail it out of there.

"It (the tornado) was about 6 to 8 feet across and coming across a field," Norgren said. "There was no debris, though, and the wind wasn't blowing hard. It was weird."

Norgren said a mile down the road, the skies opened up and a downpour followed, then the sun came out. The Fergus Falls residents were able to make it home safely.

People can sign up for weather alerts and other emergency notifications via Smart911. Alerts can be delivered by phone, text or email. To sign up, go to the Otter Tail County website, ottertailcounty.gov , click the magnifying glass and search for Smart911.

Barbie Porter is a reporter for the Detroit Lakes Tribune and the Perham Focus. Email story ideas to Barbie at [email protected].