Minnesota Tornado History and Statistics

photo of tornado - Elbow Lake, MN - September 5, 1969

Elbow Lake Tornado - September 5, 1969

Tornadoes are among the most devastating and awesome local storms that occur on Earth. The United States has the dubious distinction of having the greatest frequency and the most severe tornadoes. Tornadoes have the power to lift railroad cars and sail them many yards through the air. The power of their winds can make deadly missiles of loose objects, including broken glass. Even pieces of straw have been found embedded in trees and boards after a tornado.

During the winter months (December through February) tornado activity is concentrated in the southeast U.S. and along the Gulf Coast. As spring (March/May) progresses, tornado occurrence moves north and west across the central Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys. By summer (June/August) the potential threat of tornadoes has spread across the continental United States and Southern Canada. During autumn (September/November), tornadic activity gradually retreats to the south and southeast sections of the country and is often associated with hurricanes.

This seasonal drift is principally caused by the increase of warm, Gulf moisture into the central part of the country during spring and summer, decreasing during the fall and winter. The mixing which occurs when the moist Gulf air clashes with contrasting colder, drier air from the north and northwest contributes to the triggering of tornadoes.

Minnesota lies along the north edge of the region of maximum tornado occurrence in the United States. often referred to as Tornado Alley.

In Minnesota, tornadoes have occurred in every month from March through November. The earliest reported tornadoes in Minnesota were the three tornadoes that touched down on March 6, 2017. The next earliest verified tornado in Minnesota occurred on March 18, 1968, north of Truman in Martin County. The latest reported tornadoes in Minnesota were on December 15, 2021. The previous latest confirmed tornado was on November 16, 1931, east of Maple Plain. Historically and statistically, June is the month of greatest frequency with July not far behind. May has the third greatest frequency, followed closely by August. Nearly three-quarters of all tornadoes in Minnesota have occurred during the three months of May (15%), June (37%), and July (25%).

The most probable danger period in Minnesota, therefore, is late spring and early summer, between 2:00 PM and 9:00 PM. However, tornadoes can and do occur at any time of the day or night.

Many of the deadly and damaging tornadoes occur in groups of outbreaks that often last from 3 to 12 hours. One of the worst such outbreaks in Minnesota occurred on June 17, 2010, when  48 tornadoes affected 22 counties in northwestern, west-central, central, east-central, south-central, and southeastern Minnesota over a period of six hours. Other noteworthy large-area outbreaks occurred June 16, 1992 (which included the state's most recent F5 tornado, in Chandler); June 28, 1979, when 16 tornadoes slashed across the state from northwest to southeast; August 6, 1969, when powerful and massive tornadoes devastated parts of northern Minnesota; and the April 30, 1967 "Black Sunday" outbreak in southern and southeastern Minnesota.

Minnesota Tornado Statistics

 

Minnesota Tornado Statistics
1950 - 2020TotalsAnnual Average
Tornadoes205229 (1950 to 2020)
Tornado Deaths (last death was 2020)100 
Tornado Injuries1985 

 

Tornado Totals and Averages by Month (1950 - 2020)
 MarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovTotal
Totals24813076795242821222852052
Average0.331.134.39.77.33.91.70.390.0729
Percent1.23.915.033.125.513.75.91.40.2100

 

Greatest Number of Tornadoes in Minnesota (1950-2020)
One Year113 in 2010
One Month71 in June 2010
One Day48 on June 17, 2010

Memorable Minnesota Tornadoes

LocationDateTimeDeathsInjuries
Ft. Snelling
First tornado reported in Minnesota.
4/19/182011:00 PM (est.)00
Rochester
Large factor in the subsequent development of the Mayo Clinic.
8/21/18836:36 PM37200
St. Cloud/Sauk Rapids
Deadliest tornado in Minnesota history. 11 members of a wedding party were killed including the groom. The bride eventually remarried.
4/14/18864:00 PM72213
Lake Gervias (Ramsey County)
Widely visible throughout St. Paul.
7/13/18905:30 PM630
Minneapolis/St. Paul
Could have been straight-line winds or microburst.
8/21/19047:30 PM14unknown
Tyler8/21/19189:20 PM36225
Fergus Falls
Second deadliest killer tornado in Minnesota history.
6/22/19194:45 PM57200
Austin
Tornado hit northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. Five deaths were in Austin
8/20/19284:10 PM660
Anoka/Champlin6/18/19392:00 PM9222
Mankato/North Mankato
About an hour apart, tornadoes slashed through the cities of Mankato and North Mankato.
8/17/19465:40 PM11100
Wells8/17/19466:50 PM030
Southeast Minnesota
Family of tornadoes.
5/10/19534:00-5:00 PM719
Fargo/Moorhead6/20/19576:40 PM10103
Western and Northern Twin Cities
NWS Page for the May 6, 1965 Tornadoes
Family of tornadoes. Most expensive tornado disaster in Minnesota history (50 million dollars without inflation adjustment).
5/6/19656:00-9:00 PM13683
South Central Minnesota
Eight tornadoes struck, including three that were rated F4. A four block wide swath was cut in the town of Waseca.
4/30/19676:00-8:00 PM1365
Tracy6/13/19687:02 PM9125
Outing8/6/19694:02 PM1270
Gary7/5/19781:56 AM (CST)438
Lake Harriet/Har Mar
Tornado tore across the Twin Cities from Edina to Roseville.
6/14/19813:49-4:15 PM183
St. Anthony-Apache Plaza4/26/19848:33-8:41 PM152
Brooklyn Park
Viewed live on TV. See the KARE-11 Newscast part 1 part 2
7/18/1986approx: 3:47-4:27PM00
Chandler
Last F5 tornado in Minnesota.
6/16/19924:00 PM135
Littlefork
Last multiple deaths due to single tornado.
8/9/19931:35 AM20
Comfrey/St. Peter
The greatest March tornado outbreak in Minnesota history. Family of 13 tornadoes stuck St. Peter and Comfrey especially hard.
3/29/19984:30 PM116
Granite Falls7/25/20004:57 PM115
Kasota8/24/20065:30-6:25PM137
Rogers9/16/20069:58 PM10
Hugo
NWS Tornado Page for Hugo
5/25/20084:55 PM19
Wadena and many Minnesota locations
NWS Page for June 17, 2010 Tornadoes
Major tornado outbreak. 48 tornadoes were reported, with three of these tornadoes reaching EF4 (166-200 mph) on the Enhanced Fujita Intensity Scale. Three fatalities were attributed to the tornadoes at widely dispersed locations; Mentor in Polk County, near Almora in Otter Tail County, and near Albert Lea in Freeborn County. A large number of homes in Wadena of Wadena County were damaged or destroyed.
6/17/2010various345
Minneapolis5/22/20112:13 PM148
South Central and Southeast MN9/20/2018various01
Grant & Otter Tail County (west-central MN)
Photogenic, widely-filmed but also destructive and deadly tornado. First EF-4 tornado in Minnesota since August of 2010.
7/8/20205:08 PM12
South central and southeast Minnesota)
The latest tornadoes so late in a season in Minnesota. At least sixteen tornadoes were reported.
12/15/2021between 7-8:30 PM0unknown

More Tornado Information

Last modified: June 6, 2022.
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