Dakota County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 661 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 46.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #456 nationally and #8 in Minnesota.
661
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
38
Direct injuries
$340.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Dakota County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dakota County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 9.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 211 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 71 events fall before 1990 and 590 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Dakota County, Minnesota record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $181.6M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Dakota County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 310 | 0 | $123.8M | 3 | 1964–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 244 | 0 | $181.6M | 92 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 40 | 1 | $11.3M | F2 | 1965–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 1 | $21.2M | 0 | 1997–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2025 |
| Lightning | 16 | 0 | $2.4M | 0 | 2001–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2022 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2019 |
Decade by decade
Dakota County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
44 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 39 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-06-14 | EF3 | 1 | 83 | 16.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1987-07-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-05-09 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 15.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-05-09 | EF1 | 1 | 11 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-08-13 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-08-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-05-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dakota County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 1973 | Tornado | 1 | 11 | $250K | |
| Jul 8, 2000 | Flash Flood | EAGAN | 1 | 0 | $20.0M |
| May 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | SOUTH ST PAUL | 0 | 11 | $0 |
| May 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | BURNSVILLE | 0 | 7 | $140.0M |
| Aug 8, 2020 | Lightning | LAKEVILLE | 0 | 3 | $10K |
| Jul 13, 1969 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Aug 13, 2010 | Tornado | FARMINGTON | 0 | 1 | $750K |
| May 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | EAGAN | 0 | 1 | $24.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Widespread flooding in Eagan and neighboring portions of Rosemount, Apple Valley, and Burnsville. Between 6 and 12 inches of rain fell during this 3 hour event. One man died of drowning after being swept into a culvert. Over 200 homes in Eagan incurred water damage. Numerous homes in Rosemount and Burnsville reported basement flooding. Minor to moderate damage to forty homes in Burnsville. Numerous roads in Eagan, Burnsville and Rosemount flooded; numerous vehicles stalled. Portions of Pilot Knob Rd. destroyed along with retaining wall.
The Northfield tornado (which originated in Rice County) crossed Highway 19 into extreme southeastern Dakota County, then went into Goodhue County. Five homes sustained major damage, including one with its roof completely removed. 12 other homes received minor damage. Several motorists barely made it into nearby homes before the tornado struck.
Dakota County's Miesville Ravine Park Reserve was closed due to flood waters. The 1,500-acre park in Douglas Township had around 3 miles of trails, 1,800 square feet of boardwalk and two parking lots washout or destroyed. The county estimated $1 million in park damages.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
445,771
Population (ACS)
$381K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 6, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 19, 2010 | Flood | FLOODING | EM |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 16, 2001 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dakota County, Minnesota?
661 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $340.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dakota County?
Hail, with 310 recorded events — 46.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dakota County?
44 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 39 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dakota County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dakota County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dakota County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dakota County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dakota 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
- Crow Wing County 609
- Dodge County 360
- Cottonwood County 361
- Douglas County 374
- Cook County 86
- Faribault County 317
Cite this page
“Dakota County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/dakota-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.