Minnesota, 1980

Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, May 29, 1980

May 29, 1980 · NWS MT · 16 events in 9 counties and zones

10 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 3 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
0
Property damage
$750,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
16

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

10 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Redwood

When
May 29, 11:30 AM CST
Where
Redwood County
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates
44.530, -95.100

Hail, Cottonwood

When
May 29, 2:15 PM CST
Where
Cottonwood County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
43.870, -95.120

Hail, Cottonwood

When
May 29, 2:45 PM CST
Where
Cottonwood County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
43.870, -95.120

Hail, Watonwan

When
May 29, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Watonwan County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
43.980, -94.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Watonwan

When
May 29, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Watonwan County
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates
43.980, -94.630

Tornado, Faribault

When
May 29, 4:22 PM CST
Where
Faribault County
Rating
F1
Path length
2 mi
Path width
80 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
43.580, -93.930

Hail, Blue Earth

When
May 29, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Blue Earth County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
43.880, -94.170

Hail, Martin

When
May 29, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Martin County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
43.650, -94.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Nobles

When
May 29, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Nobles County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
43.620, -95.600

Tornado, Freeborn

When
May 29, 6:12 PM CST
Where
Freeborn County
Rating
F1
Path length
6.9 mi
Path width
400 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
43.530, -93.280

Hail, Freeborn

When
May 29, 6:35 PM CST
Where
Freeborn County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
43.570, -93.280

Hail, Freeborn

When
May 29, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Freeborn County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
43.650, -93.380

Hail, Mower

When
May 29, 7:10 PM CST
Where
Mower County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
43.670, -92.980

Hail, Freeborn

When
May 29, 7:35 PM CST
Where
Freeborn County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
43.570, -93.380

Tornado, Mower

When
May 29, 7:36 PM CST
Where
Mower County
Rating
F1
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
43.620, -92.980

Hail, Mower

When
May 29, 8:08 PM CST
Where
Mower County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
43.670, -93.020

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.
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.

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: 10053783, 10053784, 10053785, 10053786, 10053787, 10053788, 10052438, 10052439, 10052440, 10052653, 10052654, 10052655, 10052656, 10052657, 10052658, 10052659.