85
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$1.3M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Clearwater County, Minnesota: 85 recorded events between 1966 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #2,402 nationally and #77 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Clearwater County, Minnesota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Clearwater County is the 2010s, when 29 of the county's 85 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Clearwater County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 34.8% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,402 for this hazard and #77 within Minnesota, putting it in the 24.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Clearwater County with 28 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 1985 | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2025 | SHEVLIN | 61 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | ZERKEL | 87 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | ZERKEL | 78 | $700K |
| Aug 1, 2023 | CLEARBROOK | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2023 | BAGLEY | 56 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2022 | ZERKEL | 56 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2022 | LEONARD | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 14, 2022 | BERNER | 51 | $0 |
| May 30, 2022 | LAKE ITASCA | 60 | $0 |
| May 29, 2022 | BERNER | 52 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Clearwater County
- Hail 121
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Ground survey and high resolution satellite confirmed a long swath of widespread destructive straight-line winds estimated between 80 and 90 mph starting across south central Clearwater County north of Highway 200 and south of Highway 2. The swath was 8 miles at its widest and easternmost point in Clearwater County. This surge of straight-line winds continued east into southern Beltrami and northern Hubbard counties where more significant winds and impacts were observed around Bemidji. The 30 mile long swath started in Clearwater County and ended near the southeastern Beltrami county line. There was approximately 60,388 acres of Clearwater County impacted with widespread tree damage within this single swath.
A downburst wind damage path developed across west central Greenwood Township. Numerous trees were toppled with some falling on the Greenwood Township Hall roof. A one to two mile wide swath of wind damage extended for over three miles and indicated peak winds of 60 to 80 mph.
High resolution satellite imagery reveals numerous swaths of significant tree damage in portions of southern Clearwater County MN. This includes one noteworthy area of widespread tree destruction near Long Lost Lake, particularly south and east of the lake. Maximum wind estimated from numerous trees snapped at the trunk blown down in a unidirectional and divergent pattern indicative of destructive straight line winds around 100 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Clearwater County, Minnesota?
85 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Clearwater County between 1966 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Clearwater County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Clearwater County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Clearwater County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Clearwater County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/clearwater-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.