Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, May 17, 1982

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, May 17, 1982
Start: 1982-05-17T15:02
End: 1982-05-17T17:30
Location: Minnesota

May 17, 1982 · 13 events in 9 counties and zones

11 tornado, 2 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: 0
Property damage: $1.6 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Freeborn

When: May 17, 3:02 PM CST
Where: Freeborn County
Rating: F3
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 43.580, -93.280

Tornado, Freeborn

When: May 17, 3:20 PM CST
Where: Freeborn County
Rating: F3
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 43.700, -93.130

Tornado, Steele

When: May 17, 3:38 PM CST
Where: Steele County
Rating: F3
Path length: 16 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 43.850, -93.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Freeborn

When: May 17, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Freeborn County
Coordinates: 43.780, -93.220

Tornado, Steele

When: May 17, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Steele County
Rating: F3
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 44.100, -93.220

Tornado, Mower

When: May 17, 4:04 PM CST
Where: Mower County
Rating: F0
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 44.720, -92.480

Tornado, Fillmore

When: May 17, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Fillmore County
Rating: F0
Path length: 8 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 44.750, -92.450

Tornado, Dodge

When: May 17, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Dodge County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 44.070, -92.750

Tornado, Winona

When: May 17, 4:32 PM CST
Where: Winona County
Rating: F2
Path length: 14 mi
Path width: 800 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 43.970, -92.080

Tornado, Olmsted

When: May 17, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Olmsted County
Rating: F0
Path length: 4 mi
Path width: 7 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 44.050, -92.520

Tornado, Winona

When: May 17, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Winona County
Rating: F1
Path length: 7 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Coordinates: 43.880, -91.470

Tornado, Wabasha

When: May 17, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Wabasha County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 800 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 44.200, -91.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Houston

When: May 17, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Houston County
Coordinates: 43.630, -91.500

What these are

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 1982 Every state in 1982 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Minnesota, 1982

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: 10047802, 10047803, 10047804, 10047805, 10047806, 10047807, 10047808, 10047809, 10047810, 10047811, 10047812, 10047813, 10047814.