Tornadoes · United States · Minnesota

Tornadoes in Blue Earth County, Minnesota

43 tornadoes have crossed Blue Earth County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 10th of the 87 counties in Minnesota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 9. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
43
Deaths
1
Injuries
9
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F2, June 14, 1976

The deadliest in Blue Earth County

  1. F2, Blue Earth and Le Sueur counties, MinnesotaJune 14, 19761 killed, 6 injured

The strongest

  1. F2, Watonwan and Blue Earth counties, MinnesotaMay 18, 1962F2, 42.4 mi (68 km)
  2. F2, Blue Earth and Le Sueur counties, MinnesotaJune 14, 1976F2, 24.6 mi (40 km)
  3. F2, Blue Earth County, MinnesotaAugust 7, 1994F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  4. F2, Blue Earth County, MinnesotaAugust 18, 1980F2, 2.8 mi (5 km)
  5. EF2, Blue Earth County, MinnesotaJune 25, 2010EF2, 1.9 mi (3 km)
  6. F2, Blue Earth County, MinnesotaJuly 14, 2003F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  7. EF2, Blue Earth County, MinnesotaJune 25, 2010EF2, 0.9 mi (1 km)
  8. F2, Blue Earth County, MinnesotaJuly 14, 2003F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  9. F2, Blue Earth County, MinnesotaJuly 25, 1953F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Blue Earth County. Each year links to every tornado in Minnesota that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
20241EF1
20182EF0
20171EF1
20162EF0
20141EF0
20106EF2
20081EF0
20051F0
20037F2
20011F0
199431F2
19921F0
19912F1
19871F0
19831F0
19812F1
198011F2
19771F1
1976116F2
19721F0
19681F0
19651F1
19641F0
19621F2
195311F2

Every tornado that crossed Blue Earth County

43 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 13, 20266:15 PM CDTEF1Watonwan8.5200
August 5, 20246:19 PM CDTEF1Waseca6.1150
September 20, 20186:04 PM CDTEF0Blue Earth0.870$50,000
September 20, 20185:58 PM CDTEF0Blue Earth1.170
July 9, 201710:30 PM CDTEF1Blue Earth2.7100
June 14, 20164:33 PM CDTEF0Blue Earth2.120
June 14, 20163:34 PM CDTEF0Blue Earth0.225
May 8, 20145:09 PM CDTEF0Watonwan2.150$1,000
August 13, 20105:35 PM CDTEF0Blue Earth0.125
June 25, 20107:09 PM CDTEF0Blue Earth0.350
June 25, 20107:05 PM CDTEF2Blue Earth1.940
June 25, 20106:58 PM CDTEF1Blue Earth4.375
June 25, 20106:55 PM CDTEF2Blue Earth0.950
June 17, 20105:37 PM CDTEF0Blue Earth3.050
July 17, 200811:55 AM CDTEF0Blue Earth0.020
June 29, 20058:22 PM CDTF0Blue Earth0.120
July 14, 20038:43 PM CDTF2Blue Earth1.5220$2.0 million
July 14, 20038:34 PM CDTF1Blue Earth2.0100$100,000
July 14, 20038:27 PM CDTF1Blue Earth3.0220$500,000
July 14, 20038:22 PM CDTF1Blue Earth2.550
July 14, 20038:20 PM CDTF2Blue Earth0.550$100,000
July 9, 20036:00 PM CDTF0Blue Earth0.150
July 9, 20035:40 PM CDTF0Blue Earth0.125
May 1, 20014:55 PM CDTF0Blue Earth0.125
August 7, 19948:20 PM CDTF2Blue Earth5.040$50,000 to $500,000
August 7, 19948:02 PM CDTF1Blue Earth1.013
June 30, 19949:13 PM CDTF1Blue Earth1.0731$50,000 to $500,000
June 22, 19926:23 PM CDTF0Blue Earth0.110
April 29, 19914:30 PM CDTF1Blue Earth0.230$5,000 to $50,000
April 29, 19914:20 PM CDTF1Blue Earth0.230$5,000 to $50,000
July 14, 19878:30 PM CDTF0Blue Earth0.110
June 13, 19839:00 PM CDTF0Blue Earth0.117$5,000 to $50,000
June 14, 19813:50 PM CDTF1Blue Earth2.0440$500,000 to $5 million
June 14, 19815:25 AM CDTF1Blue Earth3.3100$5,000 to $50,000
August 18, 198012:44 AM CDTF2Blue Earth2.8201$500,000 to $5 million
May 28, 19776:45 PM CDTF1Blue Earth9.410$5,000 to $50,000
June 14, 19769:10 PM CDTF2Blue Earth24.630016$500,000 to $5 million
May 24, 19727:10 PM CDTF0Blue Earth0.130
April 20, 19681:15 PM GMT-6F0Blue Earth0.133
August 2, 196510:45 PM GMT-5F1Blue Earth0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 25, 19649:00 PM GMT-5F0Blue Earth1.517$5,000 to $50,000
May 18, 19624:00 PM GMT-5F2Watonwan42.450$5,000 to $50,000
July 25, 19537:15 PM GMT-5F2Blue Earth0.5671$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Blue Earth CountyThe forecast for Blue Earth CountyThe live radar over Blue Earth CountyEvery county in Minnesota

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.