59
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$2.1M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Benton County, Minnesota: 59 recorded events between 1974 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 75. That places the county #2,645 nationally and #86 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Benton County, Minnesota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Benton County is the 2000s, when 22 of the county's 59 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 Benton County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 30.1% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,645 for this hazard and #86 within Minnesota, putting it in the 16.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Benton County with 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 2010 | RICE | 70 | 0 | 1 | $50K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 2025 | RICE | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2024 | RONNEBY | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2024 | SAUK RAPIDS | 50 | $0 |
| May 30, 2022 | RICE | 52 | $0 |
| Sep 3, 2019 | RICE | 56 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2016 | WATAB | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2013 | GILMAN | 56 | $200K |
| Jun 21, 2013 | POPPLE CREEK | 56 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2013 | BRENNYVILLE | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 4, 2012 | FOLEY | 52 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Benton County
- Hail 105
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A severe downburst wind event occurred from Sauk Rapids, north and northeast across a large swath of central and northern Benton County. Hundreds of trees were toppled, broken or pushed over. Many trees landed on houses, sheds and vehicles.
Many hundreds, perhaps thousands of trees were uprooted, snapped or broken in an eight mile wide swath that extended from the western edge of the county, near Rice to Watab, to just north of Sartell, to north central Benton County, in Graham Township, centered near State Highway 25 and County Road 77. In addition, a local Minnesota Department of Transportation Weather Station near Rice, measured a wind gust of 64 knots. A semi-truck was blown over near Rice along Highway 10, resulting in one injury. Plus, a spotter on the northeast shore of Little Rock Lake measured a wind gust of 81 mph before his tower collapsed and the anemometer ceased to function. The intense wind blew from the southwest. Hundreds of large and healthy trees were broken or snapped, blocking roads. The storm survey team concluded a downburst hit the area.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Benton County, Minnesota?
59 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Benton County between 1974 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Benton County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Benton County measured 75.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Benton 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 Benton County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/benton-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.