Freeborn County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 441 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 37.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,096 nationally and #28 in Minnesota.
441
Recorded events
16
Direct deaths
99
Direct injuries
$153.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Freeborn County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Freeborn County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 6.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 116 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 88 events fall before 1990 and 353 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Freeborn County, Minnesota record is tornado, responsible for 14 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $150.8M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Freeborn County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 164 | 1 | $1.0M | 87 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 152 | 0 | $11K | 3.25 | 1960–2026 |
| Tornado | 70 | 14 | $150.8M | F4 | 1952–2026 |
| Funnel Cloud | 21 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 1 | $910K | 0 | 2001–2025 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2024 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Freeborn County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
69 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 63 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-04-30 | EF4 | 6 | 22 | 20.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-30 | EF4 | 5 | 35 | 38.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-17 | EF4 | 1 | 14 | 16.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-30 | EF4 | 0 | 1 | 7.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-04-30 | EF3 | 2 | 23 | 18.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 18.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-06-07 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 46.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 17.2 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Freeborn County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1953 | Tornado | 6 | 3 | $3K | |
| May 1, 1967 | Tornado | 5 | 35 | $25.0M | |
| May 1, 1967 | Tornado | 2 | 23 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 17, 2010 | Tornado | MANSFIELD | 1 | 14 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 2008 | Flash Flood | ALBERT LEA | 1 | 2 | $500K |
| Apr 26, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jun 8, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 28, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado first touched down on the western fringe of Glenville, and produced major damage, especially on the northwest side of Glenville. There were 25 homes that sustained major damage, and 70 with minor damage. Damage survey indicated F2 damage on northwest side of Glenville, with F1 damage along rest of path.
Shortly after the Glenville tornado dissipated, another tornado formed 4 miles southwest of Oakland and dissipated about 1/2 mile before it would have crossed Interstate 90, which law enforcement had barricaded. Major damage to 3 farmsteads, minor damage to 8 others per damage survey.
In Albert Lea, West Main Street between Garfield Avenue and Newton Avenue were|closed due to flooding. Of the local lakes; flood waters submerged several islands. Boat docks were submerged along Fountain Lake, and six holes at Oak Island Disc Golf Course were unplayable due to flood waters.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
30,623
Population (ACS)
$171K
Median home value
21
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 |
| Nov 2, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 21, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Freeborn County, Minnesota?
441 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 16 direct deaths and $153.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Freeborn County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 164 recorded events — 37.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Freeborn County?
69 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 63 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Freeborn County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Freeborn County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Freeborn County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Freeborn County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 51 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Freeborn 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
- Fillmore County 474
- Goodhue County 412
- Faribault County 317
- Grant County 309
- Douglas County 374
- Hennepin County 1,242
Cite this page
“Freeborn County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/freeborn-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.