Isanti County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 225 recorded events between 1975 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 44.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,281 nationally and #76 in Minnesota.
225
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$2.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Isanti County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Isanti County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 100 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 214 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $2.0M 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 Isanti County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 99 | 0 | $100K | 2.5 | 1975–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 91 | 0 | $546K | 74 | 1975–2025 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $2.0M | F2 | 1981–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2016 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $105K | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Isanti County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-07-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-06-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-06-10 | EF1 | 1 | 2 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-08-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-07-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-06-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-10-26 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Isanti County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 1995 | Tornado | Cambridge | 0 | 3 | $1.5M |
| Oct 26, 1996 | Tornado | CAMBRIDGE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado touched down one mile west of Cambridge and moved east through western and southern Cambridge. Lifted off ground 16 minutes later, about seven miles east of Cambridge. Twenty homes, two apartment buildings, a senior citizen center, a hospital and a water treatment plant were damaged or destroyed. Heaviest property damage in Carraige Hills Drive Housing Development. Agricultural damage to 500 acres. There were three minor injuries.
A NWS Storm Survey indicated that numerous trees were blown down across north central and northeast Isanti County. The damage was in a swath about two miles wide. The hardest hit areas were west of Stanchfield, through the town, and to the east of Stanchfield. Several large sheds were also damaged in this area.
NWS damage survey indicated tornado trekked from 2 miles E of Day to the northeastern corner of Braham, exiting Isanti county at 1835 CST, and then headed into Kanabec county. Two barns were brought down, a dozen outbuildings damaged. Trees toppled, a few sheds were smashed, and siding was ripped off houses in the northwestern side of Braham.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
42,596
Population (ACS)
$306K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 28, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 16, 2001 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Aug 25, 1997 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, HIGH WINDS, FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Isanti County, Minnesota?
225 events are on record between 1975 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Isanti County?
Hail, with 99 recorded events — 44.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Isanti County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Isanti County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Isanti County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Isanti County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Isanti County as very low risk, placing it in the 27 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Isanti 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
- Hubbard County 355
- Itasca County 620
- Houston County 258
- Jackson County 346
- Hennepin County 1,242
- Kanabec County 180
Cite this page
“Isanti County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/isanti-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.