Tornadoes · United States · Minnesota

Tornadoes in Saint Louis County, Minnesota

41 tornadoes have crossed Saint Louis County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 15th of the 87 counties in Minnesota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 37. 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
41
Deaths
3
Injuries
37
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, August 6, 1969

The deadliest in Saint Louis County

  1. F3, Saint Louis and Lake counties, MinnesotaAugust 6, 19692 killed, 3 injured
  2. F1, Saint Louis County, MinnesotaJuly 1, 19581 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Saint Louis County, MinnesotaAugust 6, 1969F3, 18.4 mi (30 km)
  2. F3, Saint Louis and Lake counties, MinnesotaAugust 6, 1969F3, 17.2 mi (28 km)
  3. F3, Saint Louis County, MinnesotaAugust 6, 1969F3, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  4. F3, Saint Louis County, MinnesotaAugust 6, 1969F3, 7.2 mi (12 km)
  5. F3, Saint Louis County, MinnesotaAugust 6, 1969F3, 3.8 mi (6 km)
  6. F2, Saint Louis County, MinnesotaSeptember 6, 1959F2, 30.3 mi (49 km)
  7. F2, Saint Louis County, MinnesotaAugust 6, 1969F2, 1.9 mi (3 km)
  8. F2, Saint Louis County, MinnesotaAugust 6, 1969F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  9. F2, Saint Louis County, MinnesotaAugust 6, 1969F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Saint Louis County. Each year links to every tornado in Minnesota that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
20242EF1
20221EF0
20193EF1
20161EF1
20151EF1
20121EF0
20031F0
19991F0
19952F0
19922F0
19861F1
19851F0
19831F0
19801F1
197812F1
19761F1
19741F1
197131F1
19701F0
19698232F3
19591F2
1958412F1
19531F0

Every tornado that crossed Saint Louis County

41 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 29, 202612:36 AM CDTEF1Saint Louis1.6175
September 19, 20245:05 PM CDTEF1Saint Louis5.9200$100,000
July 7, 20242:17 PM CDTEF0Saint Louis1.930
May 18, 20224:16 PM CDTEF0Saint Louis3.150
July 17, 20198:23 PM CDTEF0Saint Louis5.7500
July 17, 20198:01 PM CDTEF1Saint Louis5.7420
July 17, 20197:49 PM CDTEF1Saint Louis3.4600
June 19, 20167:06 PM CDTEF1Saint Louis7.2250
August 8, 20154:25 PM CDTEF1Saint Louis1.6110
August 9, 201211:11 AM CDTEF0Saint Louis0.313
July 14, 20037:26 PM CDTF0Saint Louis5.050
July 27, 19997:59 PM CDTF0Saint Louis0.00
August 22, 19959:20 PM CDTF0Saint Louis0.110
July 12, 19956:55 AM CDTF0Saint Louis0.220$500 to $5,000
September 16, 19924:20 PM CDTF0Saint Louis3.040$5,000 to $50,000
September 16, 19924:15 PM CDTF0Saint Louis8.0100
June 21, 19865:20 PM CDTF1Carlton2.040$500 to $5,000
July 20, 19858:00 PM CDTF0Saint Louis0.110$500 to $5,000
June 30, 19833:15 PM CDTF0Saint Louis0.210under $50
June 12, 19809:15 PM CDTF1Saint Louis1.050$5,000 to $50,000
August 14, 19788:30 PM CDTF1Saint Louis14.51202$50,000 to $500,000
April 14, 19764:00 PM CSTF1Saint Louis20.9200$5,000 to $50,000
August 25, 19749:28 PM CDTF1Saint Louis34.7200$50,000 to $500,000
August 9, 197111:40 PM CDTF1Saint Louis0.2301$500 to $5,000
June 30, 19717:00 PM CDTF0Saint Louis0.3100
June 19, 197110:00 PM CDTF1Saint Louis1.0120$5,000 to $50,000
September 20, 197011:30 PM CDTF0Saint Louis0.550$500 to $5,000
August 6, 19696:50 PM GMT-5F3Saint Louis17.211723$50,000 to $500,000
August 6, 19696:35 PM GMT-5F2Saint Louis1.9193$5,000 to $50,000
August 6, 19696:15 PM GMT-5F3Saint Louis3.8250$50,000 to $500,000
August 6, 19696:00 PM GMT-5F2Saint Louis0.1150$5,000 to $50,000
August 6, 19696:00 PM GMT-5F2Saint Louis0.1150$5,000 to $50,000
August 6, 19696:00 PM GMT-5F3Saint Louis7.2220$50,000 to $500,000
August 6, 19696:00 PM GMT-5F3Saint Louis18.42,93320$500,000 to $5 million
August 6, 19695:25 PM GMT-5F3Saint Louis10.03009$500,000 to $5 million
September 6, 19594:00 PM GMT-5F2Saint Louis30.31,760$5,000 to $50,000
July 1, 19584:10 PM GMT-5F1Saint Louis2.01012under $50
May 26, 19585:00 PM GMT-5F1Saint Louis0.110
May 26, 19585:00 PM GMT-5F0Saint Louis0.110
May 26, 19584:35 PM GMT-5F0Saint Louis6.910
June 20, 19535:15 PM GMT-5F0Saint Louis0.110

Nearby

Warnings in force in Saint Louis CountyThe forecast for Saint Louis CountyThe live radar over Saint Louis 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.