Tornadoes · United States · Minnesota
Tornadoes in Freeborn County, Minnesota
72 tornadoes have crossed Freeborn County since 1950, 3 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 3rd of the 87 counties in Minnesota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.1 years. They have killed 20 people and injured 115. 4 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- 72
- Deaths
- 20
- Injuries
- 115
- F4 and above
- 4
- Worst on record
- F4, April 30, 1967
The deadliest in Freeborn County
The strongest
- F4, Freeborn and Steele counties, MinnesotaApril 30, 1967
- F4, Freeborn and Waseca counties, MinnesotaApril 30, 1967
- EF4 Conger–Albert Lea tornado, MinnesotaJune 17, 2010
- F4, Worth and Freeborn counties, Iowa and MinnesotaApril 30, 1967
- F3, Freeborn and Steele counties, MinnesotaMay 17, 1982
- F3, Freeborn and Waseca counties, MinnesotaApril 30, 1967
- EF3, Freeborn and Steele counties, MinnesotaJune 17, 2010
- F3, Freeborn County, MinnesotaJune 7, 1984
- EF3, Freeborn County, MinnesotaJune 17, 2010
- F2, Freeborn County, MinnesotaMay 1, 2001
Every year with a tornado
The 30 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Freeborn County. Each year links to every tornado in Minnesota that year.
Every tornado that crossed Freeborn County
72 tornadoes, newest first. 2 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Minnesota. The 3 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 13, 2026 | 8:05 PM CDT | EF1 | Freeborn | 2.7 | 140 | |||
| May 17, 2026 | 10:14 PM CDT | EF1 | Freeborn | 1.2 | 0 | |||
| May 17, 2026 | 10:27 PM CDT | EF1 | Freeborn | 0.4 | 0 | |||
| June 26, 2025 | 1:15 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn | 5.2 | 75 | |||
| June 25, 2025 | 4:29 PM CDT | EF1 | Freeborn | 5.2 | 25 | |||
| June 25, 2025 | 4:15 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn | 1.7 | 25 | |||
| June 25, 2025 | 3:49 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn | 3.3 | 25 | |||
| June 25, 2025 | 3:43 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn | 1.5 | 25 | |||
| June 25, 2025 | 3:39 PM CDT | EF0 | Faribault | 1.8 | 25 | |||
| August 5, 2024 | 7:50 PM CDT | EF1 | Freeborn | 6.5 | 150 | |||
| July 31, 2022 | 8:28 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn | 0.5 | 25 | |||
| December 15, 2021 | 7:15 PM CST | EF0 | Freeborn | 6.7 | 100 | |||
| December 15, 2021 | 7:11 PM CST | EF2 | Freeborn | 2.2 | 55 | |||
| December 15, 2021 | 7:11 PM CST | EF1 | Freeborn | 4.3 | 75 | |||
| December 15, 2021 | 7:10 PM CST | EF0 | Freeborn | 2.6 | 100 | |||
| December 15, 2021 | 7:10 PM CST | EF1 | Freeborn | 6.3 | 100 | |||
| December 15, 2021 | 7:09 PM CST | EF0 | Worth to MN | 2.6 | 50 | $15,000 | ||
| December 15, 2021 | 7:03 PM CST | EF1 | Freeborn | 1.6 | 25 | |||
| December 15, 2021 | 6:58 PM CST | EF1 | Freeborn | 3.6 | 75 | |||
| May 26, 2020 | 7:25 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn | 0.6 | 50 | |||
| July 1, 2019 | 5:05 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27, 2019 | 12:07 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn | 0.6 | 50 | |||
| March 6, 2017 | 5:38 PM CST | EF1 | Freeborn | 11.9 | 300 | |||
| August 18, 2016 | 4:31 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| June 25, 2010 | 8:19 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn | 0.9 | 30 | |||
| June 17, 2010 | 8:03 PM CDT | EF1 | Freeborn | 2.2 | 220 | |||
| June 17, 2010 | 7:47 PM CDT | EF3 | Freeborn | 5.0 | 600 | |||
| June 17, 2010 | 7:42 PM CDT | EF1 | Freeborn | 4.9 | 220 | |||
| June 17, 2010 | 7:15 PM CDT | EF1 | Freeborn | 12.6 | 600 | |||
| June 17, 2010 | 7:05 PM CDT | EF3 | Freeborn | 18.1 | 1,320 | |||
| June 17, 2010 | 6:55 PM CDT | EF1 | Freeborn | 1.1 | 100 | |||
| June 17, 2010 | 6:33 PM CDT | EF4 | Conger–Albert Lea tornado | 16.9 | 1,760 | 1 | 14 | |
| June 17, 2010 | 6:28 PM CDT | EF1 | Faribault | 0.6 | 50 | |||
| June 21, 2009 | 8:32 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn | 1.8 | 10 | |||
| June 17, 2009 | 7:30 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn | 1.8 | 50 | $1,000 | ||
| June 11, 2004 | 5:40 PM CDT | F0 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 25 | |||
| June 11, 2004 | 5:26 PM CDT | F1 | Freeborn | 4.0 | 50 | |||
| May 1, 2001 | 7:29 PM CDT | F1 | Freeborn | 6.0 | 250 | $200,000 | ||
| May 1, 2001 | 7:15 PM CDT | F2 | Freeborn | 5.0 | 250 | $2.0 million | ||
| May 1, 2001 | 7:02 PM CDT | F2 | Freeborn | 7.0 | 440 | $20 million | ||
| June 27, 1998 | 6:30 PM CDT | F1 | Freeborn | 1.0 | 50 | |||
| June 26, 1998 | 6:53 PM CDT | F0 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| June 26, 1998 | 6:50 PM CDT | F0 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| June 16, 1998 | 3:00 PM CDT | F0 | Freeborn | 0.5 | 50 | |||
| June 15, 1998 | 3:45 PM CDT | F0 | Freeborn | 2.5 | 50 | |||
| June 30, 1994 | 10:27 PM CDT | F0 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| May 24, 1989 | 7:10 PM CDT | F1 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| May 24, 1989 | 7:03 PM CDT | F0 | Freeborn | 0.3 | 13 | |||
| May 24, 1989 | 6:53 PM CDT | F0 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 24, 1989 | 6:47 PM CDT | F0 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| June 22, 1986 | 2:15 AM CDT | F0 | Freeborn | 0.2 | 50 | $50 to $500 | ||
| June 7, 1984 | 7:25 PM CDT | F1 | Freeborn | 18.0 | 80 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 7, 1984 | 7:19 PM CDT | F3 | Freeborn | 14.0 | 100 | 12 | $5 million to $50 million | |
| June 7, 1984 | 7:15 PM CDT | F1 | Freeborn | 6.0 | 80 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| May 17, 1982 | 4:02 PM CDT | F3 | Freeborn | 46.0 | 100 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| May 29, 1980 | 7:12 PM CDT | F1 | Freeborn | 6.9 | 400 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| July 25, 1974 | 4:28 PM CDT | F0 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| June 18, 1973 | 8:40 AM CDT | F1 | Freeborn | 3.6 | 60 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| May 15, 1968 | 5:00 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| June 14, 1967 | 12:30 AM GMT-5 | F1 | Faribault | 35.6 | 10 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| April 30, 1967 | 7:52 PM GMT-5 | F4 | Freeborn | 20.1 | 267 | 6 | 22 | $5 million to $50 million |
| April 30, 1967 | 7:23 PM GMT-5 | F4 | Freeborn | 38.7 | 100 | 5 | 35 | $5 million to $50 million |
| April 30, 1967 | 7:20 PM GMT-5 | F4 | Worth to MN | 7.6 | 500 | 1 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| April 30, 1967 | 7:05 PM GMT-5 | F3 | Freeborn | 18.4 | 100 | 2 | 23 | $5 million to $50 million |
| October 14, 1966 | 1:55 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Freeborn | 2.7 | 10 | 1 | $500 to $5,000 | |
| May 19, 1960 | 6:33 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| September 5, 1958 | 7:00 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 100 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| July 19, 1957 | 7:00 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 10 | under $50 | ||
| June 25, 1957 | 8:00 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 10 | under $50 | ||
| June 22, 1957 | 11:00 AM GMT-5 | F0 | Freeborn | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 10, 1953 | 6:00 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Freeborn | 6.9 | 67 | 6 | 3 | $500 to $5,000 |
| July 27, 1952 | 7:25 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Freeborn | 1.5 | 133 | 4 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Freeborn CountyThe forecast for Freeborn CountyThe live radar over Freeborn 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.