Nobles County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 451 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 48.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,060 nationally and #26 in Minnesota.
451
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$38.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Nobles County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Nobles County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 6.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 157 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 62 events fall before 1990 and 389 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $30.6M 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 Nobles County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 217 | 0 | $510K | 6 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 141 | 0 | $3.4M | 87 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 44 | 0 | $30.6M | F5 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2001–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2020 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $4.0M | 0 | 2011–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2021 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $7K | 0 | 2001–2003 |
Decade by decade
Nobles County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
48 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 44 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-06-16 | EF5 | 1 | 35 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-31 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 46.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-04-26 | EF2 | 1 | 4 | 18.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-07-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-05-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-08-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-08-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Nobles County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorm winds blew parts of the roofs off a junior high school building and an apartment building, and overturned a semi truck. The winds caused widespread tree damage, including several large trees uprooted or blown down. Tree debris blocked several roads, and made the golf course at the country club unusable. Power lines were blown down and other lines were knocked down by falling tree debris, causing power outages. Tree debris also damaged several vehicles and buildings. At least one garage was destroyed by the winds. Several signs, including large billboards, were blown down. The winds damaged crops, especially corn, but the amount of crop damage could not be determined.
Thunderstorm winds destroyed a grain elevator and several grain bins. The winds also damaged roofs and siding on several homes and businesses. There was widespread tree damage including several trees blown down. Homes, businesses, and vehicles sustained additional damage from falling or flying tree debris, and debris blocked several roads. Power lines were blown down, resulting in power outages. The winds caused severe crop damage in the area, but the amount of crop damage could not be determined.
Thunderstorm winds of unknown speed caused widespread tree damage, blew down a 50 thousand bushel steel grain bin, destroyed a barn and a hog building, and blew over two tractor-semitrailers. The winds also caused undetermined crop damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
22,041
Population (ACS)
$197K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 9, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 8, 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 |
| Jun 12, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Nobles County, Minnesota?
451 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $38.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Nobles County?
Hail, with 217 recorded events — 48.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Nobles County?
48 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 44 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Nobles County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Nobles County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Nobles County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Nobles County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 50 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Nobles 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
- Nicollet County 269
- Norman County 344
- Murray County 296
- Olmsted County 838
- Mower County 501
- Otter Tail County 1,051
Cite this page
“Nobles County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/nobles-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.