70
Recorded events
14
Direct deaths
92
Direct injuries
$150.8M
Property damage
Tornado in Freeborn County, Minnesota: 70 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #165 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Freeborn County, Minnesota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Freeborn County is the 2020s, when 18 of the county's 70 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, tornado makes up 15.9% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #165 for this hazard and #3 within Minnesota, putting it in the 94.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Freeborn County with 31 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-04-30 | EF4 | 20.1 mi | 267 yd | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-30 | EF4 | 38.7 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-17 | EF4 | 16.9 mi | 1,760 yd | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-30 | EF4 | 7.6 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
| 1967-04-30 | EF3 | 18.4 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-17 | EF3 | 18.2 mi | 1,320 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-17 | EF3 | 5.0 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 1984-06-07 | EF3 | 14.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-17 | EF3 | 46.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-30 | EF3 | 17.2 mi | 800 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1953 | F2 | 6 | 3 | $3K | |
| May 1, 1967 | F4 | 5 | 35 | $25.0M | |
| May 1, 1967 | F3 | 2 | 23 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 17, 2010 | MANSFIELD | EF4 | 1 | 14 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 1984 | F3 | 0 | 12 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 28, 1952 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Oct 14, 1966 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2026 | FREEBORN | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2025 | TWIN LAKES | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | FREEBORN | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | FREEBORN | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | ALDEN | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | FREEBORN | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | ALDEN | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2024 | EMMONS | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2022 | ALDEN | EF0 | $0 |
| Dec 16, 2021 | HAYWARD | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Freeborn County
- Thunderstorm Wind 164
- Hail 152
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado first touched down on the western fringe of Glenville, and produced major damage, especially on the northwest side of Glenville. There were 25 homes that sustained major damage, and 70 with minor damage. Damage survey indicated F2 damage on northwest side of Glenville, with F1 damage along rest of path.
Shortly after the Glenville tornado dissipated, another tornado formed 4 miles southwest of Oakland and dissipated about 1/2 mile before it would have crossed Interstate 90, which law enforcement had barricaded. Major damage to 3 farmsteads, minor damage to 8 others per damage survey.
The third tornado in a series (the first one started at Glenville) formed just north of Interstate 90 and east of Oakland. It was on the ground for one mile in Freeborn County before crossing into Mower County, where it dissipated 4 N Austin (see Storm Data for southeast Minnesota). A few grain bins were blown down.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Freeborn County, Minnesota?
70 tornado events are recorded in Freeborn County between 1952 and 2026, causing 14 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Freeborn County?
The strongest tornado on record in Freeborn County measured F4.
Where does the tornado 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
“Tornado in Freeborn County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/freeborn-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.