Tornadoes · United States · Minnesota
Tornadoes in Olmsted County, Minnesota
42 tornadoes have crossed Olmsted County since 1950, 4 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 13th of the 87 counties in Minnesota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 65. 2 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
- 42
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 65
- F4 and above
- 2
- Worst on record
- F4, May 10, 1953
The deadliest in Olmsted County
The strongest
- F4, Howard, Fillmore, Olmsted, Winona, Buffalo, Trempealeau, Eau Claire and Chippewa counties, Iowa and Minnesota and WisconsinMay 10, 1953
- F4, Olmsted County, MinnesotaSeptember 16, 1962
- EF2, Olmsted County, MinnesotaApril 17, 2026
- EF2, Olmsted and Wabasha counties, MinnesotaApril 17, 2026
- F2, Olmsted County, MinnesotaApril 30, 1967
- F2, Olmsted County, MinnesotaMay 17, 1982
- F2, Olmsted County, MinnesotaApril 13, 1964
- F2, Olmsted County, MinnesotaSeptember 16, 1962
- F2, Olmsted County, MinnesotaJuly 3, 1979
- F2, Olmsted County, MinnesotaMay 22, 1962
Every year with a tornado
The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Olmsted County. Each year links to every tornado in Minnesota that year.
Every tornado that crossed Olmsted County
42 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 4 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 17, 2026 | 1:55 PM CDT | EF0 | Dodge | 5.3 | 150 | |||
| April 17, 2026 | 2:19 PM CDT | EF2 | Olmsted | 9.7 | 250 | 2 | ||
| April 17, 2026 | 2:33 PM CDT | EF1 | Olmsted | 12.4 | 200 | |||
| April 17, 2026 | 2:47 PM CDT | EF2 | Olmsted | 7.7 | 200 | |||
| September 20, 2021 | 4:47 PM CDT | EF0 | Olmsted | 5.7 | 100 | $100,000 | ||
| June 4, 2019 | 5:48 PM CDT | EF1 | Olmsted | 1.3 | 75 | $40,000 | ||
| July 19, 2017 | 5:07 PM CDT | EF1 | Olmsted | 0.8 | 25 | $40,000 | ||
| June 28, 2017 | 7:07 PM CDT | EF0 | Olmsted | 0.5 | 25 | $3,000 | ||
| June 28, 2017 | 6:42 PM CDT | EF0 | Olmsted | 0.4 | 25 | $5,000 | ||
| June 28, 2017 | 6:22 PM CDT | EF0 | Olmsted | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| August 13, 2010 | 5:40 PM CDT | EF0 | Olmsted | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| June 17, 2010 | 9:03 PM CDT | EF1 | Olmsted | 2.4 | 150 | $1.9 million | ||
| May 1, 2001 | 8:06 PM CDT | F0 | Olmsted | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| June 24, 1998 | 9:33 PM CDT | F0 | Olmsted | 0.2 | 50 | |||
| May 15, 1998 | 5:00 PM CDT | F1 | Olmsted | 8.0 | 80 | $50,000 | ||
| August 13, 1995 | 11:20 PM CDT | F0 | Olmsted | 3.0 | 20 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| June 8, 1993 | 3:08 PM CDT | F0 | Olmsted | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| June 8, 1993 | 2:28 PM CDT | F0 | Olmsted | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| June 7, 1984 | 8:15 PM CDT | F1 | Olmsted | 1.0 | 50 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| May 17, 1982 | 5:45 PM CDT | F2 | Olmsted | 4.0 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| April 29, 1981 | 4:30 PM CDT | F0 | Olmsted | 0.8 | 300 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| April 29, 1981 | 4:28 PM CDT | F0 | Olmsted | 0.5 | 90 | |||
| April 29, 1981 | 3:55 PM CDT | F2 | Olmsted | 0.1 | 100 | 2 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| June 5, 1980 | 8:54 PM CDT | F1 | Olmsted | 1.9 | 100 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| July 3, 1979 | 4:50 PM CDT | F2 | Olmsted | 0.5 | 100 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| June 18, 1974 | 6:30 PM CDT | F1 | Olmsted | 0.3 | 27 | 2 | $5,000 to $50,000 | |
| June 9, 1974 | 3:57 PM CDT | F1 | Olmsted | 0.1 | 10 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| September 26, 1973 | 6:30 AM CDT | F1 | Olmsted | 2.0 | 50 | 1 | $5,000 to $50,000 | |
| June 7, 1971 | 5:30 PM CDT | F0 | Olmsted | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| June 7, 1971 | 5:30 PM CDT | F0 | Olmsted | 0.1 | 50 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| April 30, 1967 | 9:10 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Olmsted | 6.8 | 10 | $5 million to $50 million | ||
| June 25, 1966 | 5:25 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Olmsted | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| May 25, 1964 | 8:00 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Olmsted | 0.1 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| April 13, 1964 | 3:00 AM GMT-6 | F2 | Olmsted | 3.4 | 50 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| October 4, 1962 | 4:50 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Olmsted | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| September 16, 1962 | 5:16 AM GMT-5 | F2 | Olmsted | 3.0 | 33 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| September 16, 1962 | 5:10 AM GMT-5 | F4 | Olmsted | 0.5 | 33 | 34 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| June 17, 1962 | 6:20 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Olmsted | 0.1 | 100 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| May 22, 1962 | 7:00 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Olmsted | 1.0 | 10 | |||
| May 22, 1962 | 7:00 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Olmsted | 0.5 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 30, 1956 | 2:00 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Olmsted | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 10, 1953 | 6:30 PM GMT-5 | F4 | Howard to MN, WI | 162.0 | 100 | 2 | 24 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Olmsted CountyThe forecast for Olmsted CountyThe live radar over Olmsted 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.