Tornadoes · United States · Minnesota

Tornadoes in Cass County, Minnesota

31 tornadoes have crossed Cass County since 1950, 29th of the 87 counties in Minnesota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.5 years. They have killed 13 people and injured 99. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and 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
31
Deaths
13
Injuries
99
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, August 6, 1969

The deadliest in Cass County

  1. F4, Cass, Crow Wing and Aitkin counties, MinnesotaAugust 6, 196912 killed, 70 injured
  2. F1, Cass County, MinnesotaJuly 5, 19911 killed

The strongest

  1. F4, Crow Wing and Cass counties, MinnesotaJune 11, 1966F4, 72.8 mi (117 km)
  2. F4, Cass, Crow Wing and Aitkin counties, MinnesotaAugust 6, 1969F4, 32.3 mi (52 km)
  3. F3, Crow Wing and Cass counties, MinnesotaAugust 26, 1977F3, 26.3 mi (42 km)
  4. F3, Cass County, MinnesotaAugust 6, 1969F3, 17.3 mi (28 km)
  5. F3, Crow Wing and Cass counties, MinnesotaJuly 5, 1991F3, 6.0 mi (10 km)
  6. F2, Otter Tail, Wadena, Cass and Crow Wing counties, MinnesotaAugust 26, 1977F2, 110.4 mi (178 km)
  7. EF2, Wadena, Todd and Cass counties, MinnesotaMay 30, 2022EF2, 10.5 mi (17 km)
  8. F2, Cass County, MinnesotaJuly 5, 1991F2, 2.5 mi (4 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Cass County. Each year links to every tornado in Minnesota that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20222EF2
20173EF0
20161EF0
20131EF1
20101EF0
20081EF0
20031F0
1991313F3
19821F1
19811F1
19781F0
1977321F3
197611F1
19751F1
19711F1
196921274F4
19681F0
19671F1
19661F4
19642F1
19571F1

Every tornado that crossed Cass County

31 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 16, 20254:21 PM CDTEF1Crow Wing11.5400
May 30, 20225:37 PM CDTEF1Cass4.3500
May 30, 20225:20 PM CDTEF2Wadena10.5450$1.1 million
August 3, 20176:10 PM CDTEF0Cass0.120
August 3, 20176:04 PM CDTEF0Cass0.320
August 3, 20176:04 PM CDTEF0Cass0.210
June 19, 20166:29 PM CDTEF0Wadena2.3100
August 29, 201312:28 AM CDTEF1Cass12.9300
June 17, 20105:30 PM CDTEF0Wadena14.8200$2,000
May 25, 20085:48 PM CDTEF0Cass4.025
June 28, 20036:32 PM CDTF0Cass0.115
July 5, 19917:39 PM CDTF3Crow Wing6.0433
July 5, 19917:35 PM CDTF1Cass0.3101
July 5, 19916:25 PM CDTF2Cass2.513
August 18, 19826:55 PM CDTF1Cass0.310$500 to $5,000
August 2, 19814:30 PM CDTF1Cass0.5400$500,000 to $5 million
July 12, 19787:20 PM CDTF0Cass0.150$50 to $500
August 26, 19777:35 PM CDTF3Crow Wing26.340011$500,000 to $5 million
August 26, 19776:40 PM CDTF2Otter Tail110.488010$50,000 to $500,000
June 27, 197710:52 PM CDTF1Cass0.110
July 22, 19766:10 PM CDTF1Cass4.5501$5,000 to $50,000
July 2, 19752:30 AM CDTF1Cass0.1400$5,000 to $50,000
June 19, 19718:45 PM CDTF1Cass2.050$50 to $500
August 6, 19694:48 PM GMT-5F4Cass32.38331270$500,000 to $5 million
August 6, 19694:20 PM GMT-5F3Cass17.31674$500,000 to $5 million
July 14, 19687:00 PM GMT-5F0Otter Tail2.210$5,000 to $50,000
June 14, 19672:00 AM GMT-5F1Cass0.510$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19666:00 PM GMT-5F4Crow Wing72.8333$50,000 to $500,000
September 9, 19649:15 PM GMT-5F1Cass0.3200$500 to $5,000
September 9, 19648:00 PM GMT-5F1Wadena40.3150$5,000 to $50,000
May 21, 19571:00 PM GMT-5F1Todd3.8300$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Cass CountyThe forecast for Cass CountyThe live radar over Cass 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.