Tornadoes · United States · Minnesota

Tornadoes in Stearns County, Minnesota

57 tornadoes have crossed Stearns County since 1950, 4th of the 87 counties in Minnesota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.3 years. They have killed 4 people and injured 73. 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
57
Deaths
4
Injuries
73
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, September 3, 1980

The deadliest in Stearns County

  1. F1, Stearns County, MinnesotaMay 15, 19981 killed, 30 injured
  2. F3, Stearns County, MinnesotaSeptember 3, 19801 killed, 15 injured
  3. F2, Sherburne and Stearns counties, MinnesotaJuly 22, 19671 killed, 12 injured
  4. F2, Stearns County, MinnesotaMarch 21, 19531 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Stearns County, MinnesotaMay 5, 1964F3, 4.3 mi (7 km)
  2. F3, Stearns County, MinnesotaSeptember 3, 1980F3, 3.8 mi (6 km)
  3. F2, Sherburne and Stearns counties, MinnesotaJuly 22, 1967F2, 16.4 mi (26 km)
  4. F2, Stearns County, MinnesotaJune 4, 1958F2, 13.3 mi (21 km)
  5. F2, Stearns County, MinnesotaOctober 26, 1996F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  6. EF2, Meeker and Stearns counties, MinnesotaJuly 11, 2016EF2, 2.2 mi (4 km)
  7. F2, Stearns County, MinnesotaSeptember 3, 1980F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  8. F2, Stearns County, MinnesotaMarch 21, 1953F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 30 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Stearns County. Each year links to every tornado in Minnesota that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF0
20241EF1
20221EF0
20212EF0
20172EF1
201641EF2
20151EF0
20122EF0
20111EF0
20103EF1
20091EF0
20054F0
20022F0
19992F1
19981130F1
199623F2
19921F0
19912F0
19841F0
19804115F3
197821F1
19691F0
19683F0
19672112F2
19651F1
196422F3
196213F1
195833F2
19542F1
1953213F2

Every tornado that crossed Stearns County

57 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 15, 20252:43 PM CDTEF0Stearns2.850
August 3, 20248:11 PM CDTEF1Stearns5.41,000$2.0 million
May 12, 20227:17 PM CDTEF0Stearns1.325
August 28, 202111:26 AM CDTEF0Stearns2.125
August 20, 20216:42 PM CDTEF0Stearns2.150
September 19, 201712:49 AM CDTEF1Stearns8.2360
September 19, 201712:48 AM CDTEF0Stearns1.2330
July 11, 20165:58 PM CDTEF1Stearns4.0250
July 11, 20165:52 PM CDTEF2Meeker2.24001$50,000
June 3, 20165:08 PM CDTEF0Stearns2.350$500,000
May 25, 20166:09 PM CDTEF0Stearns3.325$15,000
May 16, 20158:28 PM CDTEF0Stearns1.425$100,000
May 1, 20125:05 PM CDTEF0Stearns2.175$100,000
May 1, 20124:56 PM CDTEF0Stearns0.975
July 1, 20116:23 PM CDTEF0Stearns2.330$100,000
August 12, 20108:00 PM CDTEF0Stearns0.230$50,000
August 12, 20107:44 PM CDTEF1Stearns6.2100$500,000
July 17, 20107:30 PM CDTEF0Stearns0.130$50,000
July 14, 20095:07 PM CDTEF0Stearns0.020
June 10, 20057:20 PM CDTF0Stearns0.120
June 10, 20056:51 PM CDTF0Stearns0.220
June 10, 20056:45 PM CDTF0Stearns0.120
June 10, 20056:34 PM CDTF0Stearns1.025
June 19, 20029:18 PM CDTF0Stearns0.125
June 19, 20027:58 PM CDTF0Stearns0.325
August 9, 19995:55 PM CDTF1Stearns0.30
June 26, 19996:25 PM CDTF0Stearns0.550
May 15, 19984:40 PM CDTF1Stearns9.030130$750,000
October 26, 19965:17 PM CDTF2Stearns5.03503
October 26, 19965:14 PM CDTF1Stearns1.0350
September 2, 19924:00 PM CDTF0Stearns0.110
May 30, 19914:09 PM CDTF0Stearns0.110
May 30, 19914:00 PM CDTF0Stearns0.110
July 19, 19847:00 PM CDTF0Stearns0.110
September 3, 19807:36 PM CDTF3Stearns3.860115$5 million to $50 million
September 3, 19807:10 PM CDTF0Stearns0.110under $50
September 3, 19807:03 PM CDTF0Stearns0.110under $50
September 3, 19806:49 PM CDTF2Stearns1.0150$500,000 to $5 million
August 14, 19787:03 PM CDTF1Stearns15.0671$5,000 to $50,000
August 14, 19787:03 PM CDTF1Stearns15.067$5,000 to $50,000
July 15, 19694:30 PM GMT-5F0Stearns0.550$50 to $500
July 17, 19681:47 PM GMT-5F0Stearns0.110
June 8, 19687:35 PM GMT-5F0Stearns0.110
June 7, 196810:48 PM GMT-5F0Stearns0.110
July 22, 19678:05 PM GMT-5F2Sherburne16.4200112$500,000 to $5 million
June 30, 19676:55 PM GMT-5F1Stearns0.110
May 5, 19656:20 PM GMT-5F1Stearns0.533$50,000 to $500,000
June 18, 19644:00 PM GMT-5F1Kandiyohi9.71002$50,000 to $500,000
May 5, 19649:00 PM GMT-5F3Stearns4.3300$50,000 to $500,000
May 18, 19625:15 PM GMT-5F1Stearns1.5103$500 to $5,000
June 4, 19585:20 PM GMT-5F2Stearns13.34002$50,000 to $500,000
June 4, 19585:20 PM GMT-5F1Stearns0.1101under $50
June 4, 19585:20 PM GMT-5F0Stearns0.110under $50
June 14, 19544:45 PM GMT-5F1Stearns2.310$50,000 to $500,000
May 30, 19546:45 PM GMT-5F1Stearns0.110$5,000 to $50,000
August 18, 19537:00 PM GMT-5F0Stearns0.110
March 21, 19534:43 PM GMT-6F2Stearns0.11013$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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