Kanabec County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 180 recorded events between 1955 and 2023. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 43.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,549 nationally and #85 in Minnesota.
180
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$778K
Property damage
The record
What the Kanabec County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Kanabec County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 2.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 60 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 22 events fall before 1990 and 158 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Kanabec County, Minnesota record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $325K 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 Kanabec County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 79 | 0 | $65K | 2 | 1971–2023 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 71 | 0 | $103K | 66 | 1983–2023 |
| Tornado | 11 | 1 | $325K | F2 | 1955–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $285K | 0 | 2002–2018 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Kanabec County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-09-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-07-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-07-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 33.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1955-09-16 | EF1 | 1 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-07-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-09-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-08-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Kanabec County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10, 1968 | Tornado | 1 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jun 27, 2008 | Lightning | MORA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 14, 2004 | Lightning | MORA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 6, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | BRUNSWICK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Several roads were closed around Mora due to high running water and stranded cars. A few inches of flowing water covered Highway 3, near the intersection of Highway 65, north of Mora. Plus, the county sheriff officials reported that nearly all gravel roads in Kanabec County suffered damage from flood waters. The Fish Lake Resort that is on south side of the lake was flood damage due to the rising lake level. Trailers in the resort had flood damage as water levels impacted the park.
There was a measured hailstone of 1 inch in diameter south of Ogilvie. Local radar showed a wider area of higher returns west and east of Ogilvie where larger hail likely fell. There was measured hailstone of 1.5 inches in southern Pine County as the storm moved east of Kanabec County.
Several waves of thunderstorms on Monday, July 11th, from the early morning, through the evening, caused rainfall amounts in excess of 3 to locally 5-7 inches. This caused several roads to close in Kanabec County, including Mahogany Avenue at 300th Avenue and 310th Avenue. Several pictures from social media indicated how widespread the flooding was, and included some people canoeing down county roads to get to stores. This area is also near the headwaters of the Snake River which crested above flood stage east of Kanabec County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,390
Population (ACS)
$228K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 28, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Kanabec County, Minnesota?
180 events are on record between 1955 and 2023, causing 1 direct deaths and $778K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Kanabec County?
Hail, with 79 recorded events — 43.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Kanabec County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Kanabec County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Kanabec County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Kanabec County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kanabec County as very low risk, placing it in the 21 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Kanabec 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
- Jackson County 346
- Kandiyohi County 472
- Itasca County 620
- Kittson County 390
- Isanti County 225
- Koochiching County 269
Cite this page
“Kanabec County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/kanabec-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.