Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, July 5, 1978

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, July 5, 1978
Start: 1978-07-05T00:01
End: 1978-07-05T18:51
Location: Minnesota

July 5, 1978 · NWS S · 11 events in 8 counties and zones

6 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 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: 4
Injuries: 44
Property damage: $25 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Douglas

When: July 5, 12:01 AM CST
Where: Douglas County
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates: 45.870, -95.400

Tornado, Norman

When: July 5, 1:45 AM CST
Where: Norman County
Rating: F2
Path length: 15.2 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Deaths: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 35 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 47.330, -96.350

Tornado, Mahnomen

When: July 5, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Mahnomen County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3.8 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Coordinates: 47.450, -96.070

Tornado, Polk

When: July 5, 2:05 AM CST
Where: Polk County
Rating: F2
Path length: 21.3 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 9 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 47.500, -96.000

Tornado, Clearwater

When: July 5, 2:45 AM CST
Where: Clearwater County
Rating: F2
Path length: 17.2 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Coordinates: 47.630, -95.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Clearwater

When: July 5, 2:45 AM CST
Where: Clearwater County
Coordinates: 47.520, -95.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Koochiching

When: July 5, 4:25 AM CST
Where: Koochiching County
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates: 48.570, -93.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When: July 5, 5:30 AM CST
Where: Clay County
Coordinates: 47.080, -96.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Mahnomen

When: July 5, 5:55 AM CST
Where: Mahnomen County
Coordinates: 47.320, -95.980

Hail, Olmsted

When: July 5, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Olmsted County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 44.030, -92.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Olmsted

When: July 5, 6:51 PM CST
Where: Olmsted County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 43.920, -92.500

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.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Polk	1978-07-05				Direct

What these are

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.
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.
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

Every storm in Minnesota in 1978 Every state in 1978 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Minnesota, 1978

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: 10053684, 10053685, 10053686, 10053687, 10053688, 10053689, 10053690, 10053691, 10053692, 10053693, 10053694.