Tornadoes · United States · Minnesota

Tornadoes in Swift County, Minnesota

51 tornadoes have crossed Swift County since 1950, 6th of the 87 counties in Minnesota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 7. 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
51
Deaths
0
Injuries
7
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF2, July 14, 2009

The strongest

  1. F2, Swift County, MinnesotaJune 23, 1952F2, 8.4 mi (14 km)
  2. F2, Swift County, MinnesotaJune 11, 2001F2, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  3. F2, Swift County, MinnesotaAugust 15, 1954F2, 7.9 mi (13 km)
  4. EF2, Swift and Pope counties, MinnesotaJuly 14, 2009EF2, 7.9 mi (13 km)
  5. F2, Swift County, MinnesotaJune 16, 1992F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Swift County. Each year links to every tornado in Minnesota that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20253EF1
20224EF1
20172EF1
20162EF0
20157EF1
20143EF0
20121EF0
20091EF2
20051F0
20033F1
200197F2
19981F0
19962F1
19941F1
19923F2
19902F0
19791F0
19771F1
19751F1
19681F0
19541F2
19521F2

Every tornado that crossed Swift County

51 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 28, 20257:42 PM CDTEF1Swift4.5100
May 15, 20251:34 PM CDTEF1Swift2.750
May 15, 20251:28 PM CDTEF0Swift0.540
May 30, 20223:49 PM CDTEF1Swift7.2100
May 30, 20223:40 PM CDTEF1Swift18.3350
May 30, 20223:39 PM CDTEF1Swift1.8100
May 12, 20226:50 PM CDTEF0Swift2.050
September 19, 201712:32 AM CDTEF1Pope9.2880$1.3 million
September 19, 201712:28 AM CDTEF1Swift12.6550$1.6 million
July 5, 20163:01 PM CDTEF0Swift0.350
July 5, 20162:54 PM CDTEF0Swift1.325$20,000
August 6, 20154:09 PM CDTEF0Swift0.115
August 6, 20154:05 PM CDTEF0Swift0.115
May 16, 20156:38 PM CDTEF0Swift1.325
May 16, 20156:24 PM CDTEF0Swift0.325
May 16, 20155:36 PM CDTEF0Swift0.115
May 16, 20155:33 PM CDTEF1Swift3.1100$50,000
May 16, 20155:18 PM CDTEF0Swift2.7100$5,000
June 19, 20144:32 PM CDTEF0Swift0.710$5,000
June 19, 20144:13 PM CDTEF0Swift4.420
June 19, 20144:00 PM CDTEF0Swift0.910
April 21, 20123:28 PM CDTEF0Swift1.225
July 14, 20094:21 PM CDTEF2Swift7.9350$500,000
May 18, 20057:03 PM CDTF0Swift0.125
July 9, 20035:15 PM CDTF0Swift0.125
July 9, 20035:00 PM CDTF1Swift5.050$10,000
July 9, 20034:50 PM CDTF0Swift0.125
June 11, 20013:33 PM CDTF0Swift0.225
June 11, 20013:27 PM CDTF1Swift7.050
June 11, 20013:06 PM CDTF2Swift8.01507$10 million
June 11, 20013:00 PM CDTF0Swift0.525
June 11, 20012:49 PM CDTF0Swift0.120
June 11, 20012:48 PM CDTF1Swift0.120
June 11, 20012:44 PM CDTF0Swift0.125
June 11, 20012:43 PM CDTF0Swift0.120
June 11, 20012:40 PM CDTF0Swift0.120
June 11, 19984:30 PM CDTF0Swift2.550
October 26, 19963:59 PM CDTF1Swift4.0440
July 17, 199611:20 PM CDTF0Swift0.150
June 25, 19944:40 PM CDTF1Swift0.570$5,000 to $50,000
September 2, 19924:00 PM CDTF0Kandiyohi7.010
September 2, 19923:42 PM CDTF0Swift19.010
June 16, 19926:58 PM CDTF2Swift1.513
April 23, 19903:10 PM CDTF0Swift12.010
April 23, 19903:04 PM CDTF0Swift1.010
June 28, 19794:00 PM CDTF0Swift0.110
May 4, 19776:18 PM CDTF1Swift2.017$5,000 to $50,000
September 2, 19757:15 PM CDTF1Swift0.710$5,000 to $50,000
June 13, 19685:56 PM GMT-5F0Swift0.110
August 15, 19544:15 PM GMT-5F2Swift7.910$5,000 to $50,000
June 23, 19525:30 PM GMT-5F2Swift8.4220$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

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