Tornadoes · United States · Minnesota

Tornadoes in Murray County, Minnesota

34 tornadoes have crossed Murray County since 1950, 23rd of the 87 counties in Minnesota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 11 people and injured 210. 4 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 2 at the top of the scale.

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
34
Deaths
11
Injuries
210
F4 and above
4
Worst on record
F5, June 13, 1968

The deadliest in Murray County

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 14 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Murray County. Each year links to every tornado in Minnesota that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20231Unrated
20221EF1
20214Unrated
20194EF1
20141EF0
20101EF0
200821EF1
20041F0
19982119F4
19942F1
19932F1
19926138F5
198552F3
196829150F5

Every tornado that crossed Murray County

34 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 10, 20235:43 PM CDTUnratedMurray0.110
May 11, 20225:33 PM CDTEF1Murray3.575
August 28, 20215:53 PM CDTUnratedMurray2.220
August 28, 20215:48 PM CDTUnratedMurray0.620
August 28, 20215:40 PM CDTUnratedMurray1.920
August 28, 20215:29 PM CDTUnratedMurray1.240
August 17, 201911:14 PM CDTEF0Murray1.150$50,000
August 17, 201911:08 PM CDTEF0Murray0.950$25,000
August 17, 201910:59 PM CDTEF0Murray0.850
August 17, 201910:54 PM CDTEF1Murray3.975$200,000
June 5, 20146:49 PM CDTEF0Murray0.350
July 17, 20108:22 PM CDTEF0Murray0.550
June 11, 20086:05 PM CDTEF1Murray2.71001$100,000
June 11, 20085:46 PM CDTEF1Nobles3.8100$70,000
May 16, 20047:30 PM CDTF0Murray1.0100$20,000
March 29, 19983:55 PM CSTF1Murray0.150$50,000
March 29, 19983:50 PM CSTF4Murray73.51,500119$75 million
August 7, 19947:35 PM CDTF1Murray3.0100
July 11, 19945:00 PM CDTF0Murray0.110
May 7, 19936:25 PM CDTF1Murray4.0100
May 7, 19935:55 PM CDTF1Murray4.0100
June 16, 19929:20 PM CDTF2Murray0.530
June 16, 19929:10 PM CDTF2Murray4.040
June 16, 19926:00 PM CDTF3Murray12.080
June 16, 19925:30 PM CDTF2Murray13.040
June 16, 19925:18 PM CDTF4Murray7.01603$5 million to $50 million
June 16, 19925:00 PM CDTF5Nobles16.0280135$5 million to $50 million
April 21, 19856:58 PM CSTF1Murray0.110
April 21, 19856:53 PM CSTF1Murray14.5100$50,000 to $500,000
April 21, 19856:45 PM CSTF1Murray5.080$50,000 to $500,000
April 21, 19856:37 PM CSTF0Murray6.080$5,000 to $50,000
April 20, 19858:19 PM CSTF3Pipestone8.02502$500,000 to $5 million
July 26, 19687:00 PM GMT-5F1Murray3.313$500 to $5,000
June 13, 19686:50 PM GMT-5F5Murray9.11509150$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

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