Goodhue County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 412 recorded events between 1963 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 41.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,207 nationally and #33 in Minnesota.
412
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$16.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Goodhue County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Goodhue County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 6.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 125 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 369 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Goodhue County, Minnesota record is flash flood, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $7.0M 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 Goodhue County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 171 | 1 | $3.4M | 96 | 1968–2025 |
| Hail | 155 | 0 | $3.3M | 3.3 | 1963–2026 |
| Tornado | 35 | 0 | $7.0M | F3 | 1967–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 3 | $2.0M | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 20 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $52K | 0 | 1998–2016 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $540K | 0 | 2010–2016 |
Decade by decade
Goodhue County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
36 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 27 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-07-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-05-09 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-04-29 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-09-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1997-08-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Goodhue County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 1998 | Flash Flood | CANNON FALLS | 2 | 0 | $1.5M |
| Jun 10, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | RED WING | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 2005 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 1 | $100K |
| Jul 23, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | WANAMINGO | 0 | 2 | $35K |
| May 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | CANNON FALLS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Slow moving thunderstorms dumped 4 to 6 inches of rain in threes hours over portions of Goodhue county. Zumbrota received 6.46", Sogn 4.38", Wanamingo 5.49". Flash flooding resulted in many road closures. The Shades of Sherwood Campground was evacuated where some campers were washed into the Zumbro River. Several people were rescued when they were carried into the river along with their camper. Over 100 campers were destroyed. Two deaths occurred along the Zumbro River between Wanamingo and Zumbrota. An elderly couple evacuating the campground drove into a washed out section of road, or the road gave way under the weight of their vehicle. It is presumed the couple escaped from their vehicle only to drown in the river. 400 residents of Cannon Falls were evacuated. Flooding also occurred upstream in Sogn where several homes received major flood damage. Damage estimate for entire county.
Numerous roads were closed in Goodhue County, around the streams and creeks that flow into the Cannon and Zumbro Rivers due to excessive rainfall that fell on September 22nd and 23th. The major areal flooding didn't recede until Sunday when most of the small streams and creeks had crested and only mainstem rivers remained flooded.
The town of Bellechester was hit the hardest and sustained the most visible and impactful damage. Damage consisted of some structure damage including a barn/shed on County Road 16 just west of Bellechester. Debris was blown across County Road 16. There were also lots of trees on sheds and rooftops in this area as well. Some of the damage seemed to result from strong winds, however most damage to roofs, structures, and other property was caused from falling trees and other debris.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
47,943
Population (ACS)
$285K
Median home value
18
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 6, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Goodhue County, Minnesota?
412 events are on record between 1963 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $16.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Goodhue County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 171 recorded events — 41.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Goodhue County?
36 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 27 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Goodhue County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Goodhue County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Goodhue County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Goodhue County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 43 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Goodhue 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
- Freeborn County 441
- Grant County 309
- Fillmore County 474
- Hennepin County 1,242
- Faribault County 317
- Houston County 258
Cite this page
“Goodhue County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/goodhue-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.