318
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$1.8M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Polk County, Minnesota: 318 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 96. That places the county #392 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Polk County, Minnesota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Polk County is the 2000s, when 91 of the county's 318 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 Polk County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 34.8% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #392 for this hazard and #4 within Minnesota, putting it in the 87.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Polk County with 96 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 1994 | Fertile and Mentor | 0 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Oct 8, 1997 | CLIMAX | 0 | 0 | 1 | $2K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2025 | KEY WEST | 61 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2025 | ROAN | 63 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2025 | SHIRLEY | 66 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2025 | BELTRAMI | 61 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2025 | FREEMAN | 61 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2025 | ELDRED | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 2025 | MALLORY | 61 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | LEE | 53 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | BELTRAMI | 53 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | NIELSVILLE | 52 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Polk County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The strong wind hit East Grand Forks, knocking over trees, powerlines, signs, and traffic lights. An estimated 400 trees were flattened by the storm, falling on roofs, vehicles, and homes. Power was knocked out for about half of the city. Windows in the new city hall building were broken and the roof on an apartment building was torn off. A semi trailer was also blown over as were the outer boards on an outdoor skating rink.
Roof panels and roofing material was peeled up from a steel clad pole shed and flung over 100 yards to the east-southeast. Nearby farmsteads across northern Huntsville and southern Sullivan townships had large tree branches blown down and had shingles and gutters torn off the houses and sheds.
A cell phone tower was crumbled and bent to the ground and two satellite receiver dishes were destroyed. The roofs were ripped off of two tall grain storage bins. Peak straight line wind gusts were estimated at 90 to 100 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Polk County, Minnesota?
318 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Polk County between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Polk County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Polk County measured 96.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Polk 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 Polk County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/polk-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.