Blue Earth County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 466 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 39.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,000 nationally and #24 in Minnesota.
466
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$38.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Blue Earth County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Blue Earth County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 6.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 151 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 63 events fall before 1990 and 403 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Blue Earth County, Minnesota record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $21.0M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Blue Earth County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 182 | 0 | $251K | 4.25 | 1958–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 170 | 1 | $21.0M | 87 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 43 | 1 | $11.2M | F4 | 1953–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $835K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 19 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 16 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $4.8M | 0 | 1999–2019 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1996–1996 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Blue Earth County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
43 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 37 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-03-29 | EF4 | 1 | 19 | 73.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-06-14 | EF2 | 1 | 6 | 24.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-07-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-07-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-08-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-08-18 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 42.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-07-25 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Blue Earth County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 1976 | Tornado | 1 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Sep 17, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | MANKATO | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| May 15, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | MANKATO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 1994 | Tornado | St. Clair | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Jun 2, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Aug 19, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 26, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous roads were closed due to excessive rainfall that fell on September 22nd and 23th. The major areal flooding didn't recede until late Saturday when most of the small streams and creeks had crested and only mainstem rivers remained flooded.
The sixth tornado in a series was the last of five to hit Blue Earth County. This one took direct aim on four farmsteads. Barns, sheds and outbuildings were downed. A roof was taken off a house and numerous trees were snapped. Law Enforcement video showed this to be a multiple vortex tornado.
Delayed report of widespread damage to public infrastructure throughout portions of Blue Earth County due to heavy rainfall and flooding. There was damage to several roads, culverts, and trails, as well as severe erosion to bridge R0410.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
69,871
Population (ACS)
$267K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 7, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 12, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 5, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Nov 2, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Mankato 129
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Blue Earth County, Minnesota?
466 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $38.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Blue Earth County?
Hail, with 182 recorded events — 39.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Blue Earth County?
43 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 37 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Blue Earth County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Blue Earth County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Blue Earth County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Blue Earth County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Blue Earth 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
- Big Stone County 250
- Brown County 314
- Benton County 196
- Carlton County 267
- Beltrami County 613
- Carver County 480
Cite this page
“Blue Earth County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/blue-earth-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.