Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, June 23, 1981

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, June 23, 1981
Start: 1981-06-23T12:30
End: 1981-06-23T22:35
Location: Minnesota

June 23, 1981 · NWS MT · 26 events in 15 counties and zones

11 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 7 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: $3.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 26

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

11 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 7 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Chippewa

When: June 23, 12:30 PM CST
Where: Chippewa County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 44.950, -95.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Chippewa

When: June 23, 12:30 PM CST
Where: Chippewa County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 44.950, -95.680

Tornado, Yellow Medicine

When: June 23, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Yellow Medicine County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 44.630, -95.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Lac Qui Parle

When: June 23, 1:22 PM CST
Where: Lac Qui Parle County
Coordinates: 45.030, -96.080

Tornado, Yellow Medicine

When: June 23, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Yellow Medicine County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Coordinates: 44.630, -95.530

Hail, Yellow Medicine

When: June 23, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Yellow Medicine County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 44.650, -95.550

Tornado, Redwood

When: June 23, 1:56 PM CST
Where: Redwood County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 44.530, -95.080

Hail, Renville

When: June 23, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Renville County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 44.480, -94.650

Hail, Anoka

When: June 23, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Anoka County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 45.400, -93.370

Hail, Brown

When: June 23, 2:45 PM CST
Where: Brown County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 44.320, -94.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Blue Earth

When: June 23, 3:15 PM CST
Where: Blue Earth County
Coordinates: 44.170, -94.020

Hail, Redwood

When: June 23, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Redwood County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 44.600, -95.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Dakota

When: June 23, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Dakota County
Coordinates: 44.700, -93.000

Tornado, Faribault

When: June 23, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Faribault County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Coordinates: 43.580, -93.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Freeborn

When: June 23, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Freeborn County
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates: 43.730, -93.470

Tornado, Faribault

When: June 23, 4:25 PM CST
Where: Faribault County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Coordinates: 43.550, -93.820

Hail, Brown

When: June 23, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Brown County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 44.150, -94.050

Hail, Watonwan

When: June 23, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Watonwan County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.980, -94.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Brown

When: June 23, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Brown County
Coordinates: 44.150, -94.050

Tornado, Faribault

When: June 23, 4:39 PM CST
Where: Faribault County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 30 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 43.720, -93.650

Hail, Freeborn

When: June 23, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Freeborn County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 43.730, -93.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Freeborn

When: June 23, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Freeborn County
Measured: 86 kt (99 mph)
Coordinates: 43.650, -93.380

Hail, Waseca

When: June 23, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Waseca County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 43.900, -93.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Olmsted

When: June 23, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Olmsted County
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates: 43.920, -92.500

Tornado, Renville

When: June 23, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Renville County
Rating: F2
Path length: 6.8 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 44.830, -95.330

Hail, Ramsey

When: June 23, 10:35 PM CST
Where: Ramsey County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 45.050, -93.130

What these are

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

Every storm in Minnesota in 1981 Every state in 1981 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Minnesota, 1981

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: 10053819, 10053820, 10053821, 10053822, 10053823, 10053824, 10053825, 10053826, 10053827, 10053828, 10053829, 10053830, 10053831, 10053832, 10053833, 10053834, 10053835, 10053836, 10053837, 10053838, 10053839, 10053840, 10053841, 10053842, 10053843, 10053844.