Winona County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 572 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 39.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #661 nationally and #12 in Minnesota.
572
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$63.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Winona County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Winona County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 7.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 187 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 46 events fall before 1990 and 526 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Winona County, Minnesota record is flash flood, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $41.3M 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 Winona County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 224 | 0 | $8.2M | 3 | 1959–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 188 | 0 | $2.6M | 88 | 1955–2025 |
| Flood | 64 | 0 | $3.1M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 31 | 5 | $41.3M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Tornado | 24 | 0 | $8.1M | F4 | 1953–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 22 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Lightning | 9 | 0 | $110K | 0 | 1998–2019 |
Decade by decade
Winona County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
25 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-05-10 | EF4 | 2 | 24 | 162.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 65.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-07-08 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-17 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 26.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-06-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 19.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-09-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-05-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 19.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Winona County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2007 | Flash Flood | LEWISTON | 5 | 0 | $300K |
| May 11, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 9, 1999 | Tornado | LEWISTON | 0 | 2 | $2.0M |
| Jul 17, 2010 | Hail | NODINE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Five fatalities were reported from people driving into flood waters. Two fatalities occurred near Witoka when a couple's vehicle fell into a chasm along County Road 17 that had opened when flood waters washed out the road. Near Stockton, two fatalities occurred when a couple's vehicle was swept away by flood waters from Garvin Brook. Near the Enterprise rest area on Interstate 90, a man was killed when his vehicle was washed away by flood waters along Rush Creek.
Flash flooding hit all the creeks and drainage areas hard that begin near the Interstate 90 area in Winona County. Garvin Brook and other creeks that flow into Stockton became terrain-changing flowages that washed out numerous roads, created massive mudslides, took out bridges, damaged railroad tracks, and washed away some homes.||Most homes in Stockton had severe water damage as flood waters roared through town.||Erosion problems were also noted south of Interstate 90 in the Hart area. Many roads, including Highway 43, were closed for several days.
All drainage areas leading into communities in eastern Winona County experienced tremendous flash flooding. State Highway 43 was washed out just south of Winona. In addition, more than 300 residents were evacuated from their homes in Goodview due to high water. In Minnesota City a railroad bridge was ripped apart by Garvin Brook and a highway bridge through town suffered major damage on each end. Railroad tracks were warped or pushed clear out of position. Major erosion was seen.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
49,779
Population (ACS)
$235K
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 |
| Oct 13, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 23, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Winona 307
- St Charles 148
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Winona County, Minnesota?
572 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $63.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Winona County?
Hail, with 224 recorded events — 39.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Winona County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Winona County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Winona County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Winona County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Winona County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 69 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Winona 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
- Wilkin County 364
- Wright County 681
- Watonwan County 223
- Yellow Medicine County 238
- Washington County 416
- Waseca County 314
Cite this page
“Winona County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/winona-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.