164
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$1.0M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Freeborn County, Minnesota: 164 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #1,389 nationally and #28 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Freeborn County, Minnesota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Freeborn County is the 2010s, when 40 of the county's 164 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 Freeborn County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 37.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,389 for this hazard and #28 within Minnesota, putting it in the 55.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Freeborn County with 77 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26, 1991 | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 29, 2018 | GENEVA | 70 | 0 | 3 | $50K |
| Jun 18, 1994 | Albert Lea | 59 | 0 | 2 | $5K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 2026 | (AEL)ALBERT LEA ARPT | 54 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2025 | ALDEN | 56 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2025 | ALDEN | 59 | $0 |
| Sep 19, 2024 | GORDONSVILLE | 52 | $0 |
| Sep 19, 2024 | GORDONSVILLE | 60 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 2024 | TWIN LAKES | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 2024 | CONGER | 69 | $0 |
| May 21, 2024 | GENEVA | 52 | $0 |
| May 21, 2024 | HOLLANDALE | 56 | $0 |
| May 21, 2024 | ALBERT LEA | 56 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Freeborn County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A local broadcast Meteorologist storm survey indicated downburst wind damage on the west and south side of a tornado that formed briefly near Highway 251 and Zuyder Zee Avenue North. The damage was concentrated on the southern part of town between 830th Avenue and Highway 28th.
A NWS storm survey indicated that a severe downburst wind, with an estimated wind of 80 mph, occurred from near the intersection of 310th Street, and 820th Avenue, |north-northeast for approximately one mile. Several trees were uprooted, with a trailer and a turkey barn that were destroyed near the end of the path. Three injuries occurred, but were not life threatening. Other trees and power lines were blown down in the city of Geneva which is likely associated with another downburst around the same time.
Severe thunderstorm winds blew over a semi trailer , while also knocking numerous large trees down in the city of Albert Lea. The observing site in Albert Lea clocked winds at 68 miles an hour. There were two people injured by falling trees.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Freeborn County, Minnesota?
164 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Freeborn County between 1958 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Freeborn County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Freeborn County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Freeborn 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 Freeborn County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/freeborn-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.