Minnesota, 1980

Tornado and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, August 18, 1980

August 18, 1980 · 6 events in 5 counties and zones

5 thunderstorm wind, 1 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
Property damage
$2.5 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Waseca

When
August 18, 12:30 AM CST
Where
Waseca County
Coordinates
43.930, -93.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Waseca

When
August 18, 12:30 AM CST
Where
Waseca County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
44.080, -93.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Chisago

When
August 18, 1:20 AM CST
Where
Chisago County
Coordinates
45.700, -92.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Nobles

When
August 18, 10:23 PM CST
Where
Nobles County
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates
43.620, -95.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Murray

When
August 18, 10:47 PM CST
Where
Murray County
Coordinates
43.980, -95.770

Tornado, Blue Earth

When
August 18, 11:44 PM CST
Where
Blue Earth County
Rating
F2
Path length
2.8 mi
Path width
20 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
44.100, -94.200

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 1980Every state in 1980This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Minnesota, 1980

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: 10054876, 10054877, 10054878, 10054879, 10054880, 10054881.