Lightning in Minnesota

Events

288

Deaths

11

Injuries

82

Damage

$24 million

• Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, May 15, 19981 death · 31 injured · $950 million · F1 · 74 events20 to 40 homes damaged. Estimated windspeed. Damage estimate for entire county.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Minnesota, June 26 to 27, 19983 deaths · $2.5 million · F0 · 94 eventsTrees down. Damage to sheds and barns.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Minnesota, September 21, 20051 death · 4 injured · $301 million · F2 · 78 eventsHail covered the ground.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Minnesota, July 1, 19972 injured · $21 million · F3 · 101 eventsFire caused by lightning strike to tree spread to small shed and tractor.
• Flash Flooding and Flood in Minnesota, June 7 to 8, 20051 death · 4 injured · $650,000 · 1.5 in hail · 122 eventsWalnut sized hail fell for 10 minutes in Leon Township, Section 8.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, June 19, 20161 death · 11 injured · EF2 · 37 eventsTornadic thunderstorms formed in a very unstable airmass ahead of a cold front that moved through the area during the evening. Storms developed around 5 pm, and moved rapidly east, affecting much of northeast Minnesota and parts of northwest Wisconsin.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, May 5 to 6, 20122 deaths · 2 injured · $25,000 · 1.5 in hail · 22 eventsTwo waves of thunderstorms moved across southern and central Minnesota over a span of 12 to 18 hours and produced up to 2 to 5 inches of rainfall across portions of the area. The first complex moved across southern Minnesota and produced large hail near New Ulm.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Minnesota, August 1 to 2, 2006$3.1 million · F3 · 12 eventsInitial damage occurred at farmstead just east of the Watonwan/Cottonwood line. Damage included the partial removal of roofs off two large sheds, along with scattered downed trees. The tornado then moved across corn and bean fields.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, June 11, 20012 injured · $75 million · F1 · 54 eventsA new mesocyclone formed to the northeast of the storm that produced the Benson tornado. This new storm went on to produce five tornadoes, with the last one occurring near New Market in Scott County.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 17, 200125 injured · $160,000 · 2.75 in hail · 12 eventsOne U. S. Marine Reservist was critically injured, but survived and was released the next afernoon. Twenty four others were treated and released within hours of the strike.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, June 29, 2018$7.0 million · EF2 · 35 eventsThe early morning hours of Friday, June 29th, remained warm and muggy. Just after midnight, temperatures were still in the 70s with dew points around 70. A line of thunderstorms moved into the Devils Lake area around 2 am CDT.
• Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 8, 2020$2.4 million · EF2 · 23 eventsA bowing line of severe thunderstorms tracked from western into central North Dakota during the evening of Tuesday, July 7th. Slightly after midnight CDT, July 8th, storms out ahead of the main bowing segment entered the Barnes/Griggs county area.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, July 5, 2016$4.4 million · EF1 · 79 eventsThe early afternoon of Tuesday, July 5th, two areas of thunderstorms developed across west central Minnesota and produced several large hail stones.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Minnesota, September 3 to 4, 20053 injured · $1.1 million · 2.75 in hail · 92 eventsGolf ball sized hail fell at Games Lake. A number of campers at the lake campground suffered dents and puncture holes in awnings.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Minnesota, June 20 to 21, 2013$3.6 million · EF0 · 90 eventsSeveral rounds of thunderstorms developed Thursday late afternoon and evening, June 20th, mostly in west central Minnesota, and moved eastward.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, August 26, 2007$500,000 · EF2 · 26 eventsA cold front moved across North Dakota on the 26th, with a hot and humid airmass in place ahead of the front. At 6 pm CST, a surface low was located over southern Manitoba (Canada), just north of Pembina, ND.
• Lightning Strike in Minnesota, August 18, 20121 death · 4 injured · 1 eventA boy died from injuries sustained from a lightning strike that hit the water near him. Four others in his boating party were injured. The boy was part of a group that were sail boating. As the storm moved in, they boat beached the and rushed ashore.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Minnesota, September 4, 2014$376,000 · EF2 · 21 eventsBy the early morning hours of the 4th, an area of surface low pressure had moved into northeast South Dakota, with a warm front extending out to the east. Surface dew point values north of the front ranged in the lower 60s while south of the front they topped out around 70.
• Hail and Lightning Strike in Minnesota, July 21, 20091 death · 1.75 in hail · 25 eventsSeveral factors led to severe hail development across portions of Minnesota Tuesday afternoon, July 21st.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, July 13, 1997$5.5 million · F0 · 50 eventsTrees blown down. Estimated windspeed.
• Lightning Strike in Minnesota, August 6, 19961 death · 1 injured · 1 eventA 12-year-old girl died near Gunflint Lake after being struck by lightning. She and her family were walking back to their cabin and were about 20 yards from the building when the strike occurred. The girl's mother was knocked unconscious and did not have a pulse.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, August 9, 19981 death · 1.25 in hail · 9 eventsPine trees blown over. Estimated windspeed.
• Lightning Strike in Minnesota, May 6, 20091 death · 1 injured · 1 eventSeveral thunderstorms developed across the St. Cloud area the afternoon of May 6th. An individual was working in his backyard at the time one of the thunderstorms moved through and was struck by lightning.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, August 26, 20131 death · $5,000 · 2 in hail · 8 eventsSevere thunderstorms brought large hail and damaging winds to parts of northeast Minnesota on August 26th.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Minnesota, July 10, 20081 injured · $200,000 · EF0 · 94 eventsA warm frontal boundary across Central Minnesota provided the support for scattered to numerous severe thunderstorms across the region on this date.

Lightning everywhereEvery kind of event in Minnesota

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.