CLARKS GROVE — The National Weather Service has confirmed that damage in the Clarks Grove and Geneva areas Monday evening was caused by a tornado.

Classified as an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, the tornado reached wind speeds of 100 to 110 mph and was on the ground for 12.3 miles, according to the Weather Service.

It began southwest of Clarks Grove at 5:38 p.m. and traveled through the western part of the city before moving northeast through portions of Geneva and through northern Freeborn County. It lifted in Steele County at 5:51 p.m.

At its max, the tornado was 300 yards wide, the Weather Service stated.

The findings came after a team from the agency surveyed damage in the community Tuesday. The tornado was one of two reported in the state.

Rare to take place in the state in March, they are now the earliest recorded tornadoes to ever strike the state. With the Clarks Grove tornado being the first, the second was an EF1 tornado near Zimmerman that began at 5:39 p.m.

The storm caused damage to multiple businesses and residences in Clarks Grove — most in the central and western part of the town — as well as heavy rain and hail in neighboring communities.

No injuries have been reported.

The Clarks Grove City Council and the Freeborn County Board of Commissioners earlier Tuesday morning declared the county to be in a state of emergency.

In Clarks Grove, major damage was reported at Hardware Hank, the Central Farm Service facility, the fire station and storage sheds, among other locations.

Freeborn County Sheriff Kurt Freitag said numerous homes suffered roof damage or damaged soffits, and trees and power lines were down in several places throughout the community. Officials were slated to assess the city’s water tower for possible damage.

Freeborn County Emergency Management Director Rich Hall said 10 families were displaced Monday night during the storm, and crews were out assessing damage.

“Our hearts go out to the community of Clarks Grove and the surrounding area who have suffered from this serious storm,” said Chuck Wagner, senior vice president of agronomy with CFS, in a news release.

The CFS facility will remain closed until Thursday with only CFS personnel on site to continue damage assessments and cleanup. All utilities and services to the facility were being secured and efforts were underway to restore power.

The company has identified damage to the grain and fertilizer structures. Other CFS locations will handle customers needs until the facility is operational.

Clarks Grove Mayor Bruce Hansen said the city has been working on assisting residents and businesses with cleanup and have put out dumpsters in town for debris.

The Fire Department is moving into another building because of damage to the fire hall.

Hansen said he has not seen this kind of damage in town before.

“Normally we’ve always been lucky, and it went somewhere else,” he said.