Le Sueur County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 266 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 39.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,997 nationally and #66 in Minnesota.
266
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
58
Direct injuries
$67.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Le Sueur County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Le Sueur County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 80 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 35 events fall before 1990 and 231 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Le Sueur County, Minnesota record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $44.1M 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 Le Sueur County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 105 | 0 | $21.0M | 2.75 | 1964–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 104 | 0 | $604K | 83 | 1962–2025 |
| Tornado | 26 | 1 | $44.1M | F3 | 1952–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 2010–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2025 |
Decade by decade
Le Sueur County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
23 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-08-24 | EF3 | 1 | 37 | 33.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-03-29 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-06-14 | EF2 | 1 | 6 | 24.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-14 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-05-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 15 | 70.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-08-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-29 | EF1 | 0 | 9 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Le Sueur County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 24, 2006 | Tornado | KASOTA | 1 | 30 | $20.0M |
| Apr 29, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $250K | |
| Jun 14, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $250K | |
| Jun 25, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 8, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | GREENLAND | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Mar 29, 1998 | Tornado | CLEVELAND | 0 | 2 | $20.0M |
| Jun 8, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | WATERVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The F3 tornado that began in Nicollet County at 1630 CST moved into Le Sueur County near the northern city limits of Kasota. Over 100 homes suffered some damage, dozens of homes had major damage, and three were completely leveled. The tornado moved east-northeast for about ten miles in Le Sueur County, then turned and moved east-southeast until dissipation. Hundreds of farm animals were killed, including 200 cows at a large dairy. Approximately five thousand acres of corn and soybeans were estimated to be ruined across the county. A State Farm spokeswoman said the company expected 4,500 homeowner claims and 8,000 auto claims from the storm. Some information provided by the Star Tribune newspaper. A 91 year old man perished in the upper floor of his home when a tree crashed through the roof.
Tornado tracked through Le Center and adjoining rural areas. Most of the businesses in the southern part of town were damaged. Buildings destroyed at county fairgrounds. 15 mobiles homes at a trailer park destroyed, another 26 suffering major damage. Over 100 farm buildings destroyed.
There were multiple reports of road closures due to high water and debris along the Minnesota River. In the southeast part of Le Sueur County, some residents in the town of Waterville, Minnesota had to evacuate their homes along Lillian Street due to rising waters of the local lake. The city council declared the town a disaster area and had volunteers help them fill sandbags to stop further damage to homes. As lake levels rose, several homes were surrounded by water from the nearby lakes, and a few will be completely destroyed. The city closed four streets and parts of three others due to the flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
29,113
Population (ACS)
$317K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 7, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 12, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Nov 2, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 21, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Le Sueur County, Minnesota?
266 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $67.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Le Sueur County?
Hail, with 105 recorded events — 39.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Le Sueur County?
23 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Le Sueur County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Le Sueur County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Le Sueur County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Le Sueur County as very low risk, placing it in the 23 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Le Sueur 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 of the Woods County 220
- Lincoln County 254
- Lake County 161
- Lyon County 496
- Lac qui Parle County 288
- McLeod County 570
Cite this page
“Le Sueur County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/le-sueur-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.