43
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$22.9M
Property damage
Flood in Cottonwood County, Minnesota: 43 recorded events between 2006 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #301 nationally and #6 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flood in Cottonwood County, Minnesota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flood in Cottonwood County is the 2010s, when 32 of the county's 43 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 Cottonwood County archive, flood makes up 11.9% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #301 for this hazard and #6 within Minnesota, putting it in the 89.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for flood in Cottonwood County with 12 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2024 | WINDOM | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 1, 2024 | WESTBROOK | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2024 | WINDOM | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2024 | WESTBROOK | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2024 | WESTBROOK | 0 | $20.7M |
| May 14, 2023 | DELFT | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 12, 2023 | WESTBROOK | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2020 | WINDOM | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 6, 2020 | WINDOM | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 4, 2020 | WESTBROOK | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Cottonwood County
- Hail 144
- Thunderstorm Wind 128
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Rainfall of 3 to 5 inches (locally 5 to 10 inches upstream) during the first three days of July exacerbated flooding through the Des Moines River basin. A state of emergency was declared in the City of Windom with water breaching Island Park, the golf course, and several homes. Several county, state and local roadways flooded for up to a week, including highway 62 and numerous city streets. Significant amounts of crop and pasture land near the Des Moines River were severely impacted by major flooding as river levels climbed to the second highest crest on record at 4.4 feet above flood stage at Windom (gage site WDOM5) on July 7.
Flooding of numerous county and township roads resulted in damage to road beds and culverts. Several towns reported street flooding and water impacting lower and poor drainage areas. The property damage costs include estimates for public property losses.
Persistent moderate to heavy rain caused flooding of fields and other lowlands, including several roads, homes, and businesses. This flooding lasted for two days, and was aggravated locally by additional storms during that time. Some roads were damaged or washed out.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flood events are on record in Cottonwood County, Minnesota?
43 flood events are recorded in Cottonwood County between 2006 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flood recorded in Cottonwood County?
The strongest flood on record in Cottonwood County measured 0.
Where does the flood data for Cottonwood 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
“Flood in Cottonwood County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/cottonwood-county/flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.