Anoka County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 536 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #762 nationally and #15 in Minnesota.
536
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
213
Direct injuries
$178.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Anoka County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Anoka County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 7.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 182 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 59 events fall before 1990 and 477 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Anoka County, Minnesota record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $87.2M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Anoka County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 252 | 0 | $22.7M | 4 | 1967–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 208 | 0 | $87.2M | 85 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 30 | 4 | $66.1M | F4 | 1951–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $2.0M | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 16 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2011 |
Decade by decade
Anoka County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-05-06 | EF4 | 6 | 158 | 17.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-05-06 | EF4 | 3 | 175 | 6.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1951-06-19 | EF4 | 1 | 20 | 52.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-07-03 | EF4 | 0 | 4 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-25 | EF3 | 1 | 17 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-09-16 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-09-21 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-07-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1952-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 15 | 70.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-22 | EF1 | 1 | 48 | 13.6 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Anoka County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1965 | Tornado | 3 | 175 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 20, 1951 | Tornado | 1 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 25, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 3, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Jul 1, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | EAST BETHEL | 0 | 3 | $500K |
| Jul 6, 1966 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 25, 2008 | Tornado | COON RAPIDS | 0 | 2 | $700K |
| Aug 7, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | FRIDLEY | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous car windows were smashed out, along with damaged building roofs. One State Farm claims adjuster said she processed "58 claims in 45 minutes". An Anoka County Sheriff said three city vehicles were put out of commission. As reported by the Pioneer Press newspaper. All vehicles parked on the top level of the government center ramp were damaged. There was one unofficial report of 3.0 inch hail at 1255 CST near Sunny Acres Park in Anoka. Damage total includes all storm reports from August 24 in Anoka County.
A damage survey determined that the tornado touched down in the east central portion of Coon Rapids, only a few blocks west of the border with Blaine. It traveled east-southeast causing mostly F0 to F1 damage at first, but strengthened to F2 status near the intersection of Jefferson Street and 104th Court. The tornado dissipated only 1/4 mile west of the National Sports Center complex. Ten homes were rendered uninhabitable, and thirty others were damaged to a lesser extent. A woman suffered minor injuries when she was blown from the upper story of her home into a tree.
Flood waters caused numerous roads to become impassable on either side of University Avenue, between Highway 610 at Coon Rapids Blvd, and I-694. Water was several feet deep in far northern Fridley, with significant damage at the SpringBrook apartments, where flood waters entered seven of the nine buildings and adjacent garages, resulting in damage to many dozens of apartments. Other homes and buildings in the area also had flood waters inside their structures.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
370,349
Population (ACS)
$347K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 7, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 16, 2001 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Oct 20, 2000 | Fire | MN – CARLOS EDGE FIRE COMPLEX – 10/19/2000 | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Anoka County, Minnesota?
536 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $178.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Anoka County?
Hail, with 252 recorded events — 47.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Anoka County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Anoka County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Anoka County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Anoka County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Anoka County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Anoka County, Minnesota severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Aitkin County 374
- Becker County 501
- Beltrami County 613
- Benton County 196
- Big Stone County 250
- Blue Earth County 466
Cite this page
“Anoka County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/anoka-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.