Traverse County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 197 recorded events between 1955 and 2024. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 45.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,460 nationally and #83 in Minnesota.
197
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$10.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Traverse County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Traverse County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 2.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 62 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 179 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $5.0M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Traverse County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 89 | 0 | $0 | 3.5 | 1955–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 64 | 0 | $0 | 85 | 1955–2024 |
| Flood | 21 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2023 |
| Tornado | 19 | 0 | $5.0M | F3 | 1956–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $5.0M | 0 | 2005–2007 |
Decade by decade
Traverse County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
20 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-05-10 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-05-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-10-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-10-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-10-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-05-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Twelve Mile Creek above Wheaton crested above moderate flood stage at 19.4 feet on the afternoon of April 15th. Waters were high enough to flood portions of 670th Street, however the main impact was flooding of agricultural lands.
The West Branch of 12 Mile Creek at Dumont went into flood on the evening of April 13th, cresting 1.97 feet above flood stage on the evening of April 15th. Agricultural lands were impacted. Flood waters inundated the city of Dumont sewer system causing water to back up into streets and basements.
A tornado developed 11 miles east of Wheaton along the leading|edge of a line severe thunderstorms. This tornado traveled|rapidly north-northeastward and impacted three farmsteads.|Several trees were uprooted and felled in different directions,|outbuildings were severely damaged, and both homes were damaged|as well including the partial removal of a garage roof. The|tornado continued northeast to right near the Grant County line,|and impacted another farmstead. Silo damage, trees felled in|different directions, and a small outbuilding was moved 10 yards|to the northwest.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,243
Population (ACS)
$114K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 Traverse County, Minnesota?
197 events are on record between 1955 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $10.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Traverse County?
Hail, with 89 recorded events — 45.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Traverse County?
20 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Traverse County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Traverse County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Traverse County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Traverse County as very low risk, placing it in the 6 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Traverse 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
- Todd County 286
- Wabasha County 421
- Swift County 272
- Wadena County 322
- Stevens County 259
- Waseca County 314
Cite this page
“Traverse County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/traverse-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.