Itasca County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 620 recorded events between 1959 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 47.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #537 nationally and #9 in Minnesota.
620
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$371K
Property damage
The record
What the Itasca County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Itasca County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 9.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 179 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 53 events fall before 1990 and 567 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Itasca County, Minnesota record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $276K 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 Itasca County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 293 | 1 | $276K | 74 | 1959–2025 |
| Hail | 271 | 0 | $5K | 3 | 1970–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $80K | F2 | 1975–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
| Lightning | 5 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2007 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2012 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2017 |
Decade by decade
Itasca County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-05-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-06-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-06-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-09-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-07-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-08-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-05-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Itasca County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 3, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | PENGILLY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 9, 2007 | Lightning | BOWSTRING | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 2, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | BIGFORK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 1999 | Lightning | GRAND RAPIDS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 19, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A brief tornado started near the intersection of County Road 63 and Becker road. The tornado tracked north-northeast, sporadically knocking down trees along the way. While the tree damage was not as significant as other storms on this day, drone imagery provided by a spotter depicted a very clearly convergent signature in the tree damage. The most significant damage from this tornado was the partial lifting off of a roof from a two story home, though no broken windows were noted and |otherwise shingle damage appeared very minor. Sporadic tree damage continued in a path to the north towards the Mississippi River where the damage path appeared to end. Peak winds were estimated to be 85 mph.
Photos were received showing a metal pole barn that had been destroyed during the storm. Winds infiltrated the building through a large garage door, slid the building off the foundation, where the walls then collapsed, bringing the entire structure down.
A waterspout touched down on the northwest part of Lake Winnibigoshish on the afternoon of May 26th. The waterspout traveled northeast for 10 minutes and was associated with a thundershower in the area. No damage was reported.|
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
45,275
Population (ACS)
$225K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 9, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 7, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 5, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, 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 Itasca County, Minnesota?
620 events are on record between 1959 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $371K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Itasca County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 293 recorded events — 47.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Itasca County?
13 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 Itasca County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Itasca County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Itasca County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Itasca County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 77 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Itasca 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
- Isanti County 225
- Jackson County 346
- Hubbard County 355
- Kanabec County 180
- Houston County 258
- Kandiyohi County 472
Cite this page
“Itasca County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/itasca-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.