Mille Lacs County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 251 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,101 nationally and #70 in Minnesota.
251
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$1.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Mille Lacs County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 81 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 213 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Mille Lacs County, Minnesota record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $818K 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 Mille Lacs County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 111 | 0 | $598K | 72 | 1962–2025 |
| Hail | 106 | 0 | $250 | 3.2 | 1974–2025 |
| Tornado | 16 | 1 | $818K | F3 | 1955–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $340K | 0 | 2001–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2018 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Mille Lacs County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
15 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 touched down inside it and 2 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 | EF3 | 1 | 1 | 17.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-07-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-07-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 33.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-07-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-09-16 | EF1 | 1 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-08-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-09-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-06-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mille Lacs County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16, 1955 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $250K | |
| Jun 27, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Aug 25, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Jul 9, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jun 4, 1974 | 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 NWS storm survey indicated that an EF-1 tornado touched down in a field just east of Mille Lacs County Road 4, and tracked to the southeast. EF-1 damage occurred along 70th Avenue where a large pole barn was completely destroyed. A nearby home also saw about half of its roof decking lifted off. Dozens of trees were broken or uprooted. The maximum winds were estimated at 90 mph.
The local emergency manager reported that several large 100 year old trees were blown down along the 3000 block of View Point Road, in Isle, Minnesota. One home was severely damaged by a tree, and another smaller building was damaged.
Severe straight-line winds caused a patio awning to blow away, a port-a-potty to blow over, and several 2-3 inch diameter tree limbs to be torn off a large tree. In addition, the northern portion of Milaca, Minnesota, lost power.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
27,125
Population (ACS)
$258K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 19, 2023 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota?
251 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $1.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mille Lacs County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 111 recorded events — 44.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mille Lacs County?
15 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mille Lacs County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mille Lacs County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mille Lacs County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mille Lacs County as very low risk, placing it in the 29 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mille Lacs 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
- Meeker County 373
- Morrison County 376
- Martin County 332
- Mower County 501
- Marshall County 447
- Murray County 296
Cite this page
“Mille Lacs County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/mille-lacs-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.