Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 220 recorded events between 1961 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 50.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,321 nationally and #78 in Minnesota.
220
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$1.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 3.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 103 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 206 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $861K in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lake of the Woods County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 112 | 0 | $20K | 2.75 | 1973–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 75 | 0 | $861K | 91 | 1962–2025 |
| Tornado | 17 | 0 | $165K | F2 | 1961–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $197K | 0 | 1996–2002 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2019 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-06-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-07-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-06-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-06-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-08-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-07-05 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 7.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-09-01 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 9.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-07-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-09-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 9.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lake of the Woods County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A microburst damage area was produced across the northeast quarter of section 30 in Rapid River Township. The downburst initiated across the southwest corner of a farmstead and projected to the east and northeast across the farmyard. A steel pole shed was torn open and demolished with debris impacted and denting several steel grain bins along the east end of the yard. Several pine trees and two power poles in the yard were snapped by the wind. Peak winds were estimated at 95 to 105 mph.
Sentinel-2 satellite imagery reveals high probability of tornado damage at this location within southeastern portions of Minnesota's Beltrami Island State Forest. Damage occurred in very rural and undeveloped area, with no reports of any damage to structures received. Damage indicators unknown at this time despite obvious damage to trees via satellite imagery. Time estimated via KMVX radar. EM confirmed road was blocked by tree damage.
Hail fell across the Northwest Angle of Minnesota to Oak Island from 1130 AM CDT to 1150 AM CDT. Most hail ranged from pea to dime sized, with a few quarter sized pieces mixed in near the Fort Saint Charles Historic Site on Magnusons Island.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,821
Population (ACS)
$216K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 13, 2022 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 7, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 21, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 9, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota?
220 events are on record between 1961 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lake of the Woods County?
Hail, with 112 recorded events — 50.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lake of the Woods County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lake of the Woods County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lake of the Woods County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lake of the Woods County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lake of the Woods County as very low risk, placing it in the 4 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lake of the Woods 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
- Lake County 161
- Le Sueur County 266
- Lac qui Parle County 288
- Lincoln County 254
- Koochiching County 269
- Lyon County 496
Cite this page
“Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/lake-of-the-woods-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.