Wadena County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 322 recorded events between 1959 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 50.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,651 nationally and #52 in Minnesota.
322
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
30
Direct injuries
$9.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Wadena County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wadena County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 4.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 111 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 40 events fall before 1990 and 282 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $8.1M 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 Wadena County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 162 | 0 | $170K | 4 | 1959–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 111 | 0 | $1.3M | 87 | 1962–2025 |
| Tornado | 22 | 0 | $8.1M | F2 | 1964–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2016 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $32K | 0 | 2000–2018 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $60K | 0 | 2009–2014 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Wadena County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-06-17 | EF4 | 0 | 20 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 30.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-06 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 14.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-07-08 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-10-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-08-26 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 110.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1966-07-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wadena County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2010 | Tornado | WADENA | 0 | 20 | $0 |
| Jul 9, 2000 | Tornado | VERNDALE | 0 | 3 | $500K |
| Sep 26, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | VERNDALE | 0 | 3 | $500K |
| Aug 27, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 6, 2008 | Tornado | MENAHGA | 0 | 1 | $5.0M |
| Jun 20, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | WADENA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado touched down near the south end of Stocking Lake and tracked north-northeast for nearly 14 miles. It crossed into Hubbard County about 4 miles north-northeast of Menagha by 920 am CDT. It then tracked an additional 9 miles and lifted about 3 miles northeast of Park Rapids by 934 am CDT. The maximum tornado width was about 450 yards with peak winds of 130 mph. Eight large turkey barns were destroyed and several homes damaged along with hundreds of acres of forest. One man working near a turkey barn was injured.
This tornado was wrapped in damaging downburst winds and rain as it rapidly tracked to the north northeast from the Todd County line, across far southeast Wadena County for about 9.5 miles, to the Cass County line. It snapped numerous single pole and double X-braced power poles. it tumbled at least three center pivot irrigation systems. Numerous oak, ash, and pine trees were snapped. The Old Wadena and Bullard Campgrounds had swaths of pine trees laid down. One cabin had the roof and sidewalls torn out. Peak winds to 130 mph. Time estimated based on radar.
This tornado followed a path along Highway 71 and passed through the west side of Sebeka. One car dealership reported approximately 40 vehicles damaged, at a loss of $250,000. Numerous farm buildings and businesses were also damaged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,256
Population (ACS)
$173K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Jul 21, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Jul 2, 2010 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wadena County, Minnesota?
322 events are on record between 1959 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $9.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wadena County?
Hail, with 162 recorded events — 50.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wadena County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wadena County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wadena County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wadena County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wadena County as very low risk, placing it in the 13 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wadena 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
- Wabasha County 421
- Waseca County 314
- Traverse County 197
- Washington County 416
- Todd County 286
- Watonwan County 223
Cite this page
“Wadena County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/wadena-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.