Hennepin County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 1,242 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 46.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #76 nationally and #2 in Minnesota.
1,242
Recorded events
16
Direct deaths
323
Direct injuries
$1.0B
Property damage
The record
What the Hennepin County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hennepin County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 16.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 376 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 177 events fall before 1990 and 1,065 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hennepin County, Minnesota record is tornado, responsible for 14 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $520.3M 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 Hennepin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 577 | 0 | $520.3M | 4 | 1956–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 494 | 2 | $160.0M | 90 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 52 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 49 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2025 |
| Tornado | 31 | 14 | $358.6M | F4 | 1951–2020 |
| Lightning | 19 | 0 | $2.7M | 0 | 1996–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $4.0M | 0 | 2014–2025 |
Decade by decade
Hennepin County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
38 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 7 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 | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-06 | EF4 | 3 | 175 | 12.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-05-06 | EF4 | 3 | 175 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-06-19 | EF4 | 1 | 20 | 52.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-05-06 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1951-07-20 | EF3 | 5 | 40 | 11.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-04-26 | EF3 | 1 | 52 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-14 | EF3 | 1 | 83 | 16.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-23 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-09-16 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hennepin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1965 | Tornado | 6 | 50 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 21, 1951 | Tornado | 5 | 40 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 27, 1984 | Tornado | 1 | 52 | $25.0M | |
| May 22, 2011 | Tornado | ST LOUIS PARK | 1 | 48 | $166.0M |
| Sep 17, 2006 | Tornado | ROGERS | 1 | 0 | $30.0M |
| Sep 21, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $130.0M |
| Jun 6, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 7, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 88 | $25.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down on the western edge of Sylvan Lake and moved quickly northeast. It produced F0 damage to some farms and rural residences in Hassan Township before strengthening and entering the northwest corner of Rogers. It gained F2 status briefly as it moved through a residential neighborhood in Rogers, where it took the life of a 10 year old girl in a home. A home weather station 2/3 mile southeast of the tornado at this point measured 65 mph inflow winds. The tornado crossed Interstate 94 and entered another neighborhood, where F1 damage was produced. One house with significant damage had a home weather station in the back yard. Once the data were retrieved, its peak gust was found to have reached 105 mph. The tornado then moved into the northern tip of Dayton, alternating between F0 and F1 damage, then exited Hennepin County, crossed the Mississippi River and entered the city of Ramsey in Anoka County (see separate entry). The maximum width in Hennepin County was 100 yards, although its maximum width in Anoka County was only 25 yards.
A storm survey revealed that damaging straight line winds caused sporadic tree damage and a six mile long string of transmission lines to be destroyed. The worst damage was concentrated in the southern part of the Crow-Hassan County Park, north of County Road 109. ||Due to the downed high voltage lines, multiple roads were closed including |Hennepin County Road 116 near Fletcher, Hennepin County Rd 101 near Brockton, Bechtold Road, Park Drive, Trailhaven Road and Valley Drive. At one point there was no way to go south through the City of Rogers via any city street or county road.
A damage survey determined that an EF1 tornado touched down in the northeast side of Minnetrista, or on the west side of the intersection of County Road 110, and 151. The tornado tracked east-northeast for approximately nine miles to the east side of County Road 101, or at Garland and 25th which is in the southwest portion of Plymouth. Numerous trees were snapped and dozens of other trees fell on homes and vehicles. Boats were tossed and roofs were partially removed from two homes and a business.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,269,496
Population (ACS)
$393K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Nov 2, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 21, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jul 25, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 7, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Minneapolis 159
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hennepin County, Minnesota?
1,242 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 16 direct deaths and $1.0B in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hennepin County?
Hail, with 577 recorded events — 46.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hennepin County?
38 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hennepin County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hennepin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hennepin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hennepin County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 98 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hennepin 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
- Grant County 309
- Houston County 258
- Goodhue County 412
- Hubbard County 355
- Freeborn County 441
- Isanti County 225
Cite this page
“Hennepin County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/hennepin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.