Chisago County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 214 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,356 nationally and #81 in Minnesota.
214
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$7.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Chisago County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chisago County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 3.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 71 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 30 events fall before 1990 and 184 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $4.4M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Chisago County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 98 | 0 | $1.8M | 70 | 1965–2025 |
| Hail | 85 | 0 | $4.4M | 4.25 | 1975–2025 |
| Tornado | 19 | 0 | $1.0M | F4 | 1954–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2011 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2005 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2016 |
Decade by decade
Chisago County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-05-21 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 9.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-06-17 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-07-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-10-26 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-07-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-06-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Chisago County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This is the continuation path of the Washington County tornado that moved into Chisago County on 240th Street North, east of Morgan Avenue. This EF1 tornado continued for approximately another 3.8 miles before dissipating north of a farm that was damaged on 268th Street. Along the path in Chisago County, the tornado damaged a farm shed, uprooted numerous trees, damaged an outdoor wedding venue near Highway 25, and destroyed an outbuilding before dissipating. Maximum winds were estimated at 90 mph, with a width of 250 yards in Chisago County.
The bow echo that moved across Pine County, continued to intensify. It moved from the northern part of Chisago County, southeast into Polk County in Wisconsin. The path of straight line winds was noted as it crossed interstate 35 where very large trees were uprooted or blown down. There was damage to barns, outbuildings and homes along the path. The Chisago County fair grounds was closed due to blown down trees and power lines in Rush City.
A NWS Storm Survey determined that severe straight-line winds and occasional downburst winds, damaged hundreds of trees between Harris and Rush City along County Road 30. Some of the trees landed on vehicles, roofs and sheds. One machine shed had its roof blown off.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
57,991
Population (ACS)
$352K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 28, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 16, 2001 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Oct 20, 2000 | Fire | MN – CARLOS EDGE FIRE COMPLEX – 10/19/2000 | FM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Chisago County, Minnesota?
214 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $7.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chisago County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 98 recorded events — 45.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chisago County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Chisago County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chisago County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chisago County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chisago County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 45 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chisago County, Minnesota severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Chippewa County 242
- Clay County 504
- Cass County 557
- Clearwater County 244
- Carver County 480
- Cook County 86
Cite this page
“Chisago County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/chisago-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.