163
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$7.5M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Renville County, Minnesota: 163 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 85. That places the county #1,399 nationally and #29 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Renville County, Minnesota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Renville County is the 2000s, when 36 of the county's 163 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 Renville County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 38.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,399 for this hazard and #29 within Minnesota, putting it in the 55.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Renville County with 49 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 25, 2003 | BIRD ISLAND | 60 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 2025 | MORTON | 56 | $0 |
| Aug 16, 2025 | BECHYN | 56 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2025 | RENVILLE | 61 | $0 |
| Jun 2, 2025 | BIRD ISLAND | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 2, 2025 | OLIVIA MUNI ARPT | 56 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2024 | BIRD ISLAND | 56 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2024 | BIRD ISLAND | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2024 | OLIVIA | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | OLIVIA | 61 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | OLIVIA MUNI ARPT | 55 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Renville County
- Hail 186
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A wide swath of wind originated in Kandiyohi County and swept across Meeker, Renville and McLeod Counties. Numerous trees were downed, sheds and outbuildings blown over, several barns were flattened, and grain bins blown over. About 50 farmsteads were damaged across an approximate area of 30 to 40 square miles.
A long-lived and complex storm moved into western Renville County around 346 PM CST, and caused considerable damage to outbuildings, a few homes, crops and trees across a wide area of the county. Based on the damage reports and radar imagery, wind speeds were likely sustained above 70 to 90 mph, for 10 to 15 minutes in any given location as the storm traversed the county. Crop damage has been estimated at nearly 20,000 acres destroyed in Renville County alone.
Damage occurred north of Sacred Heart, and south of County Road 11. There was a metal roof that was blown several feet from its foundation and had its roof peeled off. Plus, several large trees were blown down. In addition, the farm had some of their corn flattened.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Renville County, Minnesota?
163 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Renville County between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Renville County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Renville County measured 85.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Renville 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 Renville County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/renville-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.