Ramsey County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 441 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 52.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,096 nationally and #28 in Minnesota.
441
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
181
Direct injuries
$264.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Ramsey County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ramsey County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 6.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 138 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 60 events fall before 1990 and 381 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ramsey County, Minnesota record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $226.5M 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 Ramsey County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 230 | 0 | $7.0M | 3 | 1960–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 170 | 0 | $25.8M | 86 | 1963–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 1 | $702K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2025 |
| Tornado | 8 | 1 | $226.5M | F4 | 1965–2022 |
| Lightning | 3 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2005 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $4.3M | 0 | 2010–2014 |
Decade by decade
Ramsey County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-05-06 | EF4 | 6 | 158 | 17.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-04-26 | EF3 | 1 | 52 | 5.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-06-14 | EF3 | 1 | 83 | 16.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1952-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 15 | 70.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-22 | EF1 | 1 | 48 | 13.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-07-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-08-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-08-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-07-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ramsey County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 1981 | Tornado | 1 | 60 | $25.0M | |
| Sep 20, 2007 | Flash Flood | ST PAUL | 1 | 0 | $200K |
| Aug 10, 1998 | Lightning | WHITE BEAR LAKE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 7, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 108 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 27, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 6 | $0 | |
| Jun 11, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | (STP)ST PAUL DOWNTOWN AIRPORT HOLMAN FIELD | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 11, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | FALCON HGTS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 22, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | $25.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Nearly two inches of rain in one hour caused Battle Creek in South Maplewood to rise. Several boys were playing in and along the creek, and a thirteen year old boy was swept below a nearby dam. Some of the heavy rain was funneled into a neighborhood near Hancock and Third, where six houses were flooded. A retaining wall was blown out in the Swede Hollow neighborhood.
Tornado touched down in Roseville, and travelled straight north through Shoreview, North Oaks, Lino Lakes, eventually lifting off in Blaine in Anoka County. 7 houses destroyed, 102 severely damaged. Damaged estimate for entire county including widespread wind driven hail.
Several communities along the Mississippi River from Mendota Bridge to Hastings had flooding problems related to the flood crest on the Mississippi River in Ramsey County. Monetary costs were based on FEMA, State, and Local assistance which includes the following categories; debris removal, emergency protective measures, road systems and bridges, buildings, utilities and parks.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
542,945
Population (ACS)
$327K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Jul 21, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| May 10, 2011 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 19, 2010 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- St Paul 139
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ramsey County, Minnesota?
441 events are on record between 1960 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $264.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ramsey County?
Hail, with 230 recorded events — 52.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ramsey County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ramsey County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ramsey County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ramsey County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ramsey County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 95 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ramsey 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
- Pope County 301
- Red Lake County 216
- Polk County 914
- Redwood County 378
- Pipestone County 334
- Renville County 427
Cite this page
“Ramsey County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/ramsey-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.