Washington County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 416 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,193 nationally and #32 in Minnesota.
416
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
32
Direct injuries
$71.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Washington County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Washington County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 5.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 124 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 378 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Washington County, Minnesota record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $33.2M 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 Washington County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 198 | 0 | $13.1M | 2.75 | 1962–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 160 | 0 | $24.3M | 85 | 1960–2025 |
| Tornado | 27 | 1 | $33.2M | F3 | 1954–2020 |
| Lightning | 11 | 1 | $1.1M | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2016 |
Decade by decade
Washington County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 24 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-25 | EF3 | 1 | 17 | 6.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-05-24 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 59.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-07-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-07-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-08-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-07-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Washington County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2008 | Tornado | HUGO | 1 | 17 | $25.0M |
| Jul 21, 2009 | Lightning | STILLWATER | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 24, 1958 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| Jun 15, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | LANGDON | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Oct 5, 2005 | Lightning | COTTAGE GROVE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 14, 1996 | Lightning | MARINE ON ST. CROIX | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2021 | Lightning | LAKE ELMO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | STILLWATER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Strong thunderstorm winds blew down several trees and damaged a home in Maplewood. Several trees were blown down in the Lake Elmo area. A tornado touched down west of Stillwater and caused an estimated $3 million damage to 17 homes. Ten of the homes were severely damaged and a 3-year-boy was injured by flying debris.
An EF1 tornado spun up on the southwest side of Sylvan Lake and continued northeast in a broken path through Bone Lake, and moved into Chisago County on 240th Street North, east of Morgan Avenue. The path length was approximately 4.4 miles across Washington County, with a maximum width of 440 yards. The worst damage occurred on Bone Lake where numerous large trees were uprooted or blown down. Some roof damage was noted, but most of the trees fell away from homes. Other damage along the path was associated with flattened corn, tree damage, a storage shed that had its roof blown off, and damage to a solar panel farm.
Wind measured at Lake Elmo Airport. Thirtytwo aircraft damaged, structural damage to several hangars at the Lake Elmo Airport. Estimated damage of one million dollars at the airport, according to the Metropolitan Airports Commission. Forty homes damaged just west of the airport with another 0.5 million damage estimated. Most damage involved dislodged shingles, siding, garage doors damaged. Many large trees in the old village area of Lake Elmo suffered heavy damage, or were blown down. Some corn also flattened. Twenty thousand electrical customers out of power for several hours across Woodbury, Afton, and Lake Elmo.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
276,238
Population (ACS)
$422K
Median home value
17
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 |
| May 10, 2011 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 19, 2010 | Flood | FLOODING | EM |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Washington County, Minnesota?
416 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $71.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Washington County?
Hail, with 198 recorded events — 47.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Washington County?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 24 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Washington County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Washington County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Washington County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washington County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 84 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Washington 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
- Waseca County 314
- Watonwan County 223
- Wadena County 322
- Wilkin County 364
- Wabasha County 421
- Winona County 572
Cite this page
“Washington County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/washington-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.