Minnesota, 1953

Tornadoes in Minnesota, May 10, 1953

May 10, 1953 · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

5 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
8
Injuries
20
Property damage
$7.8 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

5 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Pope

When
May 10, 3:55 PM CST
Where
Pope County
Rating
F2
Path length
17 mi
Path width
440 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
45.420, -95.750

Tornado, Freeborn

When
May 10, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Freeborn County
Rating
F2
Path length
6.9 mi
Path width
67 yd
Deaths
6 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
43.750, -93.200

Tornado, Fillmore

When
May 10, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Fillmore County
Rating
F4
Path length
26.2 mi
Path width
33 yd
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
43.500, -92.380

Tornado, Olmsted

When
May 10, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Olmsted County
Rating
F4
Path length
10.8 mi
Path width
33 yd
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
43.850, -92.170

Tornado, Winona

When
May 10, 6:20 PM CST
Where
Winona County
Rating
F4
Path length
17.8 mi
Path width
33 yd
Injuries
5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
44.000, -92.080

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Tornado, Fillmore1953-05-10Direct
Tornado, Olmsted1953-05-10Direct

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 1953Every state in 1953This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Minnesota, 1953

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10052068, 10052069, 10052070, 10052071, 10052072.