Tornadoes · United States · Minnesota

Tornadoes in Hennepin County, Minnesota

33 tornadoes have crossed Hennepin County since 1950, 27th of the 87 counties in Minnesota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.3 years. They have killed 19 people and injured 592. 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.

  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
33
Deaths
19
Injuries
592
F4 and above
4
Worst on record
F4, May 6, 1965

The deadliest in Hennepin County

  1. F4, Hennepin and Ramsey counties, MinnesotaMay 6, 19656 killed, 158 injured
  2. F3, Hennepin County, MinnesotaJuly 20, 19515 killed, 40 injured
  3. F4, Carver and Hennepin counties, MinnesotaMay 6, 19653 killed, 175 injured
  4. F3, Ramsey and Hennepin counties, MinnesotaJune 14, 19811 killed, 83 injured
  5. F3, Ramsey and Hennepin counties, MinnesotaApril 26, 19841 killed, 52 injured
  6. EF1, Hennepin, Ramsey and Anoka counties, MinnesotaMay 22, 20111 killed, 48 injured
  7. F4, McLeod, Wright, Hennepin and Anoka counties, MinnesotaJune 19, 19511 killed, 20 injured
  8. F2, Hennepin and Anoka counties, MinnesotaSeptember 16, 20061 killed

The strongest

  1. F4, McLeod, Wright, Hennepin and Anoka counties, MinnesotaJune 19, 1951F4, 52.6 mi (85 km)
  2. F4, Hennepin and Ramsey counties, MinnesotaMay 6, 1965F4, 17.3 mi (28 km)
  3. F4, Carver and Hennepin counties, MinnesotaMay 6, 1965F4, 12.3 mi (20 km)
  4. F4, Hennepin and Carver counties, MinnesotaMay 6, 1965F4, 6.9 mi (11 km)
  5. F3, Ramsey and Hennepin counties, MinnesotaJune 14, 1981F3, 16.2 mi (26 km)
  6. F3, Hennepin County, MinnesotaJuly 20, 1951F3, 11.6 mi (19 km)
  7. F3, Ramsey and Hennepin counties, MinnesotaApril 26, 1984F3, 5.5 mi (9 km)
  8. F3, Hennepin County, MinnesotaJuly 23, 1987F3, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  9. F2, Le Sueur, Scott, Hennepin and Anoka counties, MinnesotaJune 24, 1952F2, 70.9 mi (114 km)
  10. F2, Hennepin and Anoka counties, MinnesotaSeptember 16, 2006F2, 8.0 mi (13 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20202EF0
20191EF1
20112148EF1
20092EF1
200611F2
200521F1
20041F1
20001F0
19952F1
19912F0
19871F3
19861F2
19842152F3
19831F0
19811183F3
19792F2
19691F0
19661F2
196539333F4
19631F1
1952115F2
19512660F4

Every tornado that crossed Hennepin County

33 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 14, 20207:55 PM CDTEF0Hennepin0.450$250,000
August 14, 20207:32 PM CDTEF0Hennepin0.465$1,000
September 2, 201910:08 PM CDTEF1Carver3.9210$275,000
May 22, 20112:13 PM CDTEF1Hennepin13.6880148$167 million
May 21, 20116:36 PM CDTEF0Hennepin0.225
August 19, 20091:50 PM CDTEF0Hennepin4.3500$500,000
August 8, 20098:33 PM CDTEF1Hennepin9.1200$1.0 million
September 16, 20069:52 PM CDTF2Hennepin8.01001$30 million
September 21, 20057:08 PM CDTF0Hennepin0.130
September 12, 200510:15 PM CDTF1Hennepin3.0301
May 9, 20045:21 PM CDTF1Hennepin0.325
July 25, 20008:25 PM CDTF0Hennepin0.120
July 21, 19957:35 PM CDTF1Hennepin0.5100
July 21, 19957:34 PM CDTF0Hennepin0.110
May 30, 19913:30 PM CDTF0Hennepin0.110
May 30, 19913:20 PM CDTF0Hennepin0.410
July 23, 19876:47 PM CDTF3Hennepin5.0170$5 million to $50 million
July 18, 19864:47 PM CDTF2Hennepin4.0833$500,000 to $5 million
July 16, 19844:00 PM CDTF1Hennepin4.5150$500,000 to $5 million
April 26, 19848:33 PM CSTF3Ramsey5.560152$5 million to $50 million
June 13, 19839:00 PM CDTF0Hennepin3.050$5,000 to $50,000
June 14, 19813:49 PM CDTF3Ramsey16.2600183$5 million to $50 million
June 28, 19797:15 PM CDTF1Hennepin0.117$50,000 to $500,000
May 22, 19793:55 PM CDTF2Hennepin2.0100$500,000 to $5 million
July 15, 19694:20 PM GMT-5F0Hennepin0.550$500 to $5,000
July 5, 19669:47 PM GMT-5F2Hennepin6.510$50,000 to $500,000
May 6, 19659:14 PM GMT-5F4Hennepin17.36676158$5 million to $50 million
May 6, 19657:27 PM GMT-5F4Hennepin6.9200$5 million to $50 million
May 6, 19657:08 PM GMT-5F4Carver12.33003175$5 million to $50 million
August 2, 19633:30 AM GMT-5F1Ramsey6.660$5,000 to $50,000
June 24, 19527:30 PM GMT-5F2Le Sueur70.926715$500,000 to $5 million
July 20, 195110:00 PM GMT-5F3Hennepin11.610540$5 million to $50 million
June 19, 19516:30 PM GMT-5F4McLeod52.6330120$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

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