Renville County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 427 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 43.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,144 nationally and #30 in Minnesota.
427
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$27.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Renville County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Renville County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 6.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 112 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 57 events fall before 1990 and 370 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Renville County, Minnesota record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $16.8M 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 Renville County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 186 | 0 | $100K | 2.75 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 163 | 0 | $7.5M | 85 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 30 | 0 | $16.8M | F2 | 1963–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 19 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 2001–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2020 |
| Flood | 6 | 1 | $1.7M | 0 | 2010–2023 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $500K | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Renville County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 26 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 5.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-08-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-07-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 19.8 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Renville County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 3, 2018 | Flood | FRANKLIN | 1 | 0 | $375K |
| Jun 25, 2003 | Tornado | BUFFALO LAKE | 0 | 5 | $14.0M |
| Jun 25, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | BIRD ISLAND | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flood waters slowly receded from excessive rainfall that occurred Tuesday morning. Numerous roads were impacted by the flood waters, especially south of Highway 212. An individual was found in a water-swollen drainage ditch, two days after his car was discovered submerged a mile upstream.
This third tornado entered Renville County at 1845 CST and entered the city of Buffalo Lake, where damage was significant. Five people sustained minor injuries. Roofs were blown off the Lutheran Church, as well as a number of homes and businesses. Sheds and garages were blown down, a grain elevator was destroyed, and hundreds of trees were broken. Video and a storm survey determined the tornado was multiple vortex. 29 houses were damaged beyond repair, 51 sustained major damage, and 120 more suffered minor damage.
A wide swath of wind originated in Kandiyohi County and swept across Meeker, Renville and McLeod Counties. Numerous trees were downed, sheds and outbuildings blown over, several barns were flattened, and grain bins blown over. About 50 farmsteads were damaged across an approximate area of 30 to 40 square miles.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,558
Population (ACS)
$163K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 19, 2023 | 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Renville County, Minnesota?
427 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $27.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Renville County?
Hail, with 186 recorded events — 43.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Renville County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 26 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Renville County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Renville County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Renville County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Renville County as very low risk, placing it in the 38 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Renville 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
- Redwood County 378
- Rice County 405
- Red Lake County 216
- Rock County 353
- Ramsey County 441
- Roseau County 452
Cite this page
“Renville County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/renville-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.