Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, June 28, 1979

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, June 28, 1979
Start: 1979-06-28T09:30
End: 1979-06-28T19:40
Location: Minnesota

June 28, 1979 · 25 events in 19 counties and zones

16 tornado, 8 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: $7.8 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 25

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

16 tornado, 8 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Mille Lacs

When: June 28, 9:30 AM CST
Where: Mille Lacs County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.880, -93.950

Tornado, Wilkin

When: June 28, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Wilkin County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2.5 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 46.020, -96.330

Hail, Otter Tail

When: June 28, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 46.420, -95.700

Hail, Otter Tail

When: June 28, 2:10 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 46.170, -96.230

Tornado, Grant

When: June 28, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Grant County
Rating: F1
Path length: 5.4 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 45.870, -96.200

Tornado, Swift

When: June 28, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Swift County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 45.320, -95.630

Hail, Redwood

When: June 28, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Redwood County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 44.220, -95.130

Tornado, Redwood

When: June 28, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Redwood County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 44.230, -95.270

Tornado, Cottonwood

When: June 28, 3:55 PM CST
Where: Cottonwood County
Rating: F1
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 43.930, -94.930

Hail, Martin

When: June 28, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Martin County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.670, -94.570

Tornado, Watonwan

When: June 28, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Watonwan County
Rating: F1
Path length: 6.2 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 43.880, -94.880

Tornado, Kandiyohi

When: June 28, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Kandiyohi County
Rating: F1
Path length: 9 mi
Path width: 567 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 45.320, -95.030

Tornado, Kandiyohi

When: June 28, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Kandiyohi County
Rating: F1
Path length: 4.1 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 44.930, -95.080

Tornado, Wright

When: June 28, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Wright County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 45.270, -94.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Martin

When: June 28, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Martin County
Coordinates: 43.630, -94.530

Tornado, McLeod

When: June 28, 5:00 PM CST
Where: McLeod County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 44.720, -94.450

Hail, Martin

When: June 28, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Martin County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.770, -94.720

Hail, Olmsted

When: June 28, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Olmsted County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 44.030, -92.470

Tornado, Sibley

When: June 28, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Sibley County
Rating: F1
Path length: 5.6 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 44.550, -94.370

Hail, Waseca

When: June 28, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Waseca County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 44.100, -93.470

Tornado, Waseca

When: June 28, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Waseca County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2.3 mi
Path width: 60 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 44.120, -93.720

Tornado, Hennepin

When: June 28, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Hennepin County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 17 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 45.150, -93.480

Tornado, Nicollet

When: June 28, 6:24 PM CST
Where: Nicollet County
Rating: F1
Path length: 5.6 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 44.380, -94.200

Tornado, Dakota

When: June 28, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Dakota County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 44.550, -93.220

Tornado, Ramsey

When: June 28, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Ramsey County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 45.130, -93.350

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Minnesota in 1979 Every state in 1979 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Minnesota, 1979

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: 10052621, 10052622, 10052623, 10052624, 10052625, 10052626, 10052627, 10052628, 10052629, 10052630, 10052631, 10052632, 10052633, 10052634, 10052635, 10052636, 10052637, 10052638, 10052639, 10052640, 10052641, 10052642, 10052643, 10052644, 10052645.