Tornadoes · United States · Minnesota

Tornadoes in Mahnomen County, Minnesota

26 tornadoes have crossed Mahnomen County since 1950, 45th of the 87 counties in Minnesota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.9 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 44. 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
26
Deaths
4
Injuries
44
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F2, July 5, 1978

The deadliest in Mahnomen County

  1. F2, Norman, Mahnomen, Polk and Clearwater counties, MinnesotaJuly 5, 19784 killed, 44 injured

The strongest

  1. F2, Norman, Mahnomen, Polk and Clearwater counties, MinnesotaJuly 5, 1978F2, 57.5 mi (93 km)
  2. EF2, Mahnomen and Clearwater counties, MinnesotaJuly 22, 2013EF2, 21.1 mi (34 km)
  3. EF2, Mahnomen County, MinnesotaJuly 11, 2008EF2, 16.0 mi (26 km)
  4. EF2, Mahnomen County, MinnesotaJune 24, 2023EF2, 6.2 mi (10 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 17 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Mahnomen County. Each year links to every tornado in Minnesota that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20233EF2
20221EF1
20192EF1
20151EF1
20131EF2
20101EF0
20083EF2
20022F1
19991F0
19983F0
19811F0
19781444F2
19751F0
19721F0
19701F1
19691F0
19662F1

Every tornado that crossed Mahnomen County

26 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 24, 20234:15 PM CDTEF2Mahnomen6.2250$56,000
June 24, 20234:00 PM CDTUnratedMahnomen0.210
June 24, 20233:52 PM CDTUnratedMahnomen0.310
June 24, 20229:16 PM CDTEF1Mahnomen3.8400
May 24, 20197:30 PM CDTEF1Mahnomen3.5200
May 24, 20197:22 PM CDTEF0Mahnomen6.6200
June 22, 20152:26 AM CDTEF1Mahnomen0.230
July 22, 20131:50 AM CDTEF2Mahnomen21.1400$1.8 million
June 17, 20104:00 PM CDTEF0Mahnomen6.040
July 24, 20086:20 PM CDTEF0Mahnomen1.025
July 11, 20084:00 PM CDTEF2Mahnomen16.0250$500,000
July 11, 20083:45 PM CDTEF0Mahnomen2.025$5,000
August 11, 20028:05 PM CDTF0Mahnomen0.225$10,000
July 25, 20026:58 PM CDTF1Mahnomen3.050
July 25, 19991:40 PM CDTF0Mahnomen0.50
July 20, 19984:20 PM CDTF0Mahnomen0.230
July 20, 19983:55 PM CDTF0Mahnomen0.330$30,000
July 20, 19983:50 PM CDTF0Mahnomen0.530
July 10, 19817:30 PM CDTF0Mahnomen0.110under $50
July 5, 19782:45 AM CDTF2Norman57.5400444$5 million to $50 million
June 13, 19751:10 PM CDTF0Mahnomen1.050$5,000 to $50,000
July 10, 19726:57 PM CDTF0Mahnomen0.350$5,000 to $50,000
June 25, 19706:05 PM CDTF1Mahnomen10.320$5,000 to $50,000
July 26, 19693:30 PM GMT-5F0Mahnomen0.313
June 24, 19669:00 PM GMT-5F1Clay49.810$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19664:15 PM GMT-5F1Mahnomen1.930$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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