Tornadoes · United States · Minnesota

Tornadoes in Washington County, Minnesota

27 tornadoes have crossed Washington County since 1950, 44th of the 87 counties in Minnesota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.8 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 30. 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
27
Deaths
1
Injuries
30
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, May 25, 2008

The deadliest in Washington County

  1. EF3, Anoka and Washington counties, MinnesotaMay 25, 20081 killed, 17 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Washington, Saint Croix, Pierce and Pepin counties, Minnesota and WisconsinMay 24, 1958F3, 59.4 mi (96 km)
  2. EF3, Anoka and Washington counties, MinnesotaMay 25, 2008EF3, 6.0 mi (10 km)
  3. F2, Washington County, MinnesotaApril 26, 1994F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  4. F2, Washington County, MinnesotaJune 25, 1954F2, 2.7 mi (4 km)
  5. F2, Washington County, MinnesotaJuly 12, 1965F2, 0.3 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Washington County. Each year links to every tornado in Minnesota that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20202EF1
20191EF1
20172EF1
20141EF0
20121EF0
20111EF0
20101EF0
20092EF1
20083117EF3
20071EF0
20031F0
20001F1
19971F1
19961F0
199411F2
19902F0
19741F1
19711F0
19651F2
1958112F3
19541F2

Every tornado that crossed Washington County

27 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 18, 20209:54 PM CDTEF1Washington to WI9.5400$100,000
July 18, 20209:42 PM CDTEF0Washington2.9180
July 28, 20194:28 PM CDTEF1Washington8.2440$2.0 million
July 12, 20172:41 AM CDTEF0Washington3.0250
July 12, 20172:27 AM CDTEF1Anoka10.7400
July 7, 20146:43 PM CDTEF0Washington to WI2.650$1,000
November 10, 201211:21 PM CSTEF0Washington4.3100$200,000
May 22, 20113:16 PM CDTEF0Washington2.675$50,000
July 17, 20108:44 PM CDTEF0Washington5.250$50,000
August 19, 20093:25 PM CDTEF0Washington0.740$25,000
August 19, 20092:40 PM CDTEF1Washington0.775$100,000
May 25, 20085:15 PM CDTEF0Washington to WI1.350$300,000
May 25, 20085:10 PM CDTEF0Washington1.050
May 25, 20084:55 PM CDTEF3Anoka6.0220117$25 million
September 20, 20076:30 PM CDTEF0Washington0.450$500,000
July 14, 20037:30 PM CDTF0Washington0.125
July 7, 200011:20 AM CDTF1Washington0.130
July 1, 19978:15 PM CDTF1Washington1.0200
September 21, 19966:10 PM CDTF0Washington0.150
April 26, 199412:00 PM CDTF2Washington5.01,3001$500,000 to $5 million
June 16, 19908:07 PM CDTF0Washington0.110
June 16, 19906:30 PM CDTF0Washington0.110
June 6, 197412:20 PM CDTF1Washington0.117$5,000 to $50,000
July 14, 19717:22 PM CDTF0Dakota0.130$5,000 to $50,000
July 12, 196511:00 PM GMT-5F2Washington0.310$5,000 to $50,000
May 24, 19583:45 PM GMT-5F3Washington to WI59.45012$50,000 to $500,000
June 25, 19545:15 AM GMT-5F2Washington2.71,760$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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