Mower County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 501 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #868 nationally and #17 in Minnesota.
501
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$48.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Mower County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mower County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 7.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 151 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 85 events fall before 1990 and 416 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $35.4M 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 Mower County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 185 | 0 | $8.0M | 81 | 1959–2025 |
| Hail | 154 | 0 | $416K | 2.75 | 1959–2026 |
| Flood | 50 | 0 | $2.2M | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Tornado | 34 | 0 | $35.4M | F3 | 1959–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 33 | 0 | $2.2M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 23 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2010–2022 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $629K | 0 | 2005–2020 |
Decade by decade
Mower County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
37 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 32 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-06-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-04-12 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-06-17 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 9.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-07-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-08-04 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-05-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mower County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 13, 2022 | Tornado | TAOPI | 0 | 2 | $1.6M |
| Aug 4, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 18, 2009 | Tornado | RAMSEY | 0 | 1 | $2.0M |
| Jun 17, 1992 | 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
This EF2 tornado formed southwest of Taopi and quickly intensified and caused significant damage in Taopi. Most buildings were damaged and 10 were destroyed. Cars were tossed, grain bins destroyed, and numerous trees and power lines downed. Two people were injured seeking shelter from the storm when they became trapped under debris. Just outside of Taopi, part of the roof was removed from a farmhouse, several outbuildings were damaged, and several head of cattle were missing.
A few county roads were closed, including County Road 28 due to flooding. Also, city roads were closed in Austin, Grand Meadow, Adams and Le Roy, while evacuations of some apartments took place near Oakland Place in Austin. The rain began around 2 p.m. CST on the 22nd and continued through 10 p.m. CST on the 23rd. However, the majority of the rain fell by 7 a.m. CST on the 23rd.
The Cedar River in Austin reached a crest of 22.4 feet at the waste water treatment plant and 21.4 feet 3 miles south of Austin. Both of these crests occurred on June 12 and were the third highest on record. Flood stage at the waste water treatment plant is 15.0 feet and 11.0 feet 3 miles south of Austin. In addition, Turtle and Dobbins Creek near Austin crested at 13.74 feet and 18.95 feet respectively on June 12, which were both the second highest crests on record. All-time record crests were 14.77 feet at Turtle Creek, 25.0 feet at the waste water treatment plant and 23.26 feet 3 miles south of Austin, all of which occurred on September 16, 2004. Dobbins Creek all-time record crest was 19.18 feet on July 10, 2000.||Sections of Interstate 90 were closed from flood waters along the Cedar River.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
40,343
Population (ACS)
$185K
Median home value
16
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 |
| Oct 13, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 25, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Austin 144
- Mapleview 117
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mower County, Minnesota?
501 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $48.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mower County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 185 recorded events — 36.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mower County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 32 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mower County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mower County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mower County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mower County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 67 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mower 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
- Morrison County 376
- Murray County 296
- Mille Lacs County 251
- Nicollet County 269
- Meeker County 373
- Nobles County 451
Cite this page
“Mower County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/mower-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.