Minnesota, 1977

Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, August 26, 1977

August 26, 1977 · 8 events in 6 counties and zones

6 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 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
0
Injuries
21
Property damage
$5.5 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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

6 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Otter Tail

When
August 26, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Otter Tail County
Rating
F2
Path length
50 mi
Path width
880 yd
Injuries
8 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
46.300, -96.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Wilkin

When
August 26, 6:20 PM CST
Where
Wilkin County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
46.100, -96.400

Tornado, Cass

When
August 26, 6:35 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Rating
F3
Path length
8.9 mi
Path width
400 yd
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
46.350, -94.500

Tornado, Wadena

When
August 26, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Wadena County
Rating
F2
Path length
19 mi
Path width
33 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
46.430, -95.170

Tornado, Crow Wing

When
August 26, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Crow Wing County
Rating
F3
Path length
17.4 mi
Path width
33 yd
Injuries
11 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
46.400, -94.320

Tornado, Cass

When
August 26, 7:15 PM CST
Where
Cass County
Rating
F2
Path length
21.5 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
46.470, -94.770

Tornado, Crow Wing

When
August 26, 8:15 PM CST
Where
Crow Wing County
Rating
F2
Path length
19.9 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
46.520, -94.320

Hail, Stearns

When
August 26, 9:20 PM CST
Where
Stearns County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
45.380, -94.730

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.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 1977Every state in 1977This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Minnesota, 1977

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: 10053051, 10053052, 10053053, 10053054, 10053055, 10053056, 10053057, 10053058.