Tornadoes · United States · Minnesota

Tornadoes in Nobles County, Minnesota

46 tornadoes have crossed Nobles County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 7th of the 87 counties in Minnesota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 39. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 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
46
Deaths
2
Injuries
39
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F5, June 16, 1992

The deadliest in Nobles County

  1. F5 Chandler–Lake Wilson tornado, MinnesotaJune 16, 19921 killed, 35 injured
  2. F2, Lyon and Nobles counties, Iowa and MinnesotaApril 26, 19861 killed, 4 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Chandler–Lake Wilson tornado, MinnesotaJune 16, 1992F5, 16.0 mi (26 km)
  2. F2, Lyon and Nobles counties, Iowa and MinnesotaApril 26, 1986F2, 18.5 mi (30 km)
  3. F2, Nobles County, MinnesotaMay 27, 1977F2, 10.3 mi (17 km)
  4. F2, Nobles County, MinnesotaMay 10, 1956F2, 6.5 mi (10 km)
  5. F2, Nobles County, MinnesotaJuly 25, 2000F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  6. F2, Nobles County, MinnesotaMarch 29, 1998F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  7. F2, Nobles County, MinnesotaMarch 29, 1998F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Nobles County. Each year links to every tornado in Minnesota that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262Unrated
20251Unrated
20232EF0
20221EF0
20201EF0
20191EF0
20173EF1
20123EF0
20082EF1
20044F1
20011F0
20005F2
19985F2
19961F0
19941F1
19921135F5
1986114F2
19821F0
19792F0
19771F2
19751F0
19681F1
19662F1
19641F1
19561F2
19551F1

Every tornado that crossed Nobles County

46 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Minnesota. The 2 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 17, 20265:58 PM CDTUnratedNobles1.325
May 17, 20266:15 PM CDTUnratedNobles0.620
April 28, 20252:40 PM CDTUnratedNobles1.510
September 23, 20233:56 PM CDTUnratedNobles0.010
August 13, 20237:14 PM CDTEF0Nobles1.350$10,000
May 30, 20222:33 AM CDTEF0Nobles0.950
August 14, 20204:34 PM CDTEF0Nobles0.010$10,000
August 17, 201910:59 PM CDTEF0Nobles4.040$10,000
August 18, 20177:47 PM CDTEF1Nobles1.6100
August 18, 20177:37 PM CDTEF1Nobles1.3100
August 18, 20177:26 PM CDTEF1Nobles3.0100$500,000
May 4, 20122:25 PM CDTEF0Nobles0.550
May 4, 20122:10 PM CDTEF0Nobles1.350
May 4, 20122:03 PM CDTEF0Nobles1.050
July 6, 20083:17 PM CDTEF0Nobles0.350
June 11, 20085:46 PM CDTEF1Nobles3.8100$70,000
July 31, 20047:56 PM CDTF0Nobles0.550
July 31, 20047:21 PM CDTF1Nobles0.5100$2,000
May 9, 20048:18 PM CDTF0Nobles0.550
April 18, 20045:20 PM CDTF1Nobles0.5100$500,000
June 12, 200110:05 PM CDTF0Nobles0.150
July 25, 20008:35 PM CDTF0Nobles0.150
July 25, 20008:27 PM CDTF0Nobles0.150
July 25, 20008:20 PM CDTF0Nobles0.150
July 25, 20008:15 PM CDTF0Nobles0.150
July 25, 20008:10 PM CDTF2Nobles3.0200$150,000
March 29, 19983:45 PM CSTF1Nobles0.150$100,000
March 29, 19983:35 PM CSTF2Nobles0.180$200,000
March 29, 19983:28 PM CSTF0Nobles0.150$50,000
March 29, 19983:25 PM CSTF0Nobles0.150$10,000
March 29, 19983:23 PM CSTF2Nobles0.180$400,000
October 29, 19961:30 PM CSTF0Nobles1.0100$50,000
August 7, 19948:00 PM CDTF1Nobles6.0500$50,000 to $500,000
June 16, 19925:00 PM CDTF5Chandler–Lake Wilson tornado16.0280135$5 million to $50 million
April 26, 19866:30 PM CSTF2Lyon to MN18.512014$500,000 to $5 million
October 5, 19827:35 PM CDTF0Nobles1.510$500 to $5,000
July 29, 197910:30 AM CDTF0Nobles0.127$5,000 to $50,000
May 17, 19796:30 PM CDTF0Nobles2.090
May 27, 19775:30 PM CDTF2Nobles10.360$50,000 to $500,000
May 11, 19753:14 PM CDTF0Nobles0.110$500 to $5,000
May 28, 19683:00 PM GMT-5F1Nobles0.110$500 to $5,000
July 9, 19665:00 AM GMT-5F1Nobles2.310$500 to $5,000
July 2, 19664:00 AM GMT-5F1Nobles0.110$5,000 to $50,000
August 10, 19647:00 PM GMT-5F1Nobles0.177$5,000 to $50,000
May 10, 19569:25 PM GMT-5F2Nobles6.5880$50,000 to $500,000
April 27, 19558:00 PM GMT-5F1Nobles0.110$50 to $500

Nearby

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