244
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
19
Direct injuries
$181.6M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Dakota County, Minnesota: 244 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 92. That places the county #716 nationally and #11 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Dakota County, Minnesota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Dakota County is the 2000s, when 69 of the county's 244 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 Dakota County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 36.9% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #716 for this hazard and #11 within Minnesota, putting it in the 77.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Dakota County with 71 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1998 | SOUTH ST PAUL | 70 | 0 | 11 | $0 |
| May 31, 1998 | BURNSVILLE | 80 | 0 | 7 | $140.0M |
| May 31, 1998 | EAGAN | 75 | 0 | 1 | $24.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 29, 2025 | ROSEMOUNT | 54 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | WEST ST PAUL | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 29, 2024 | EAGAN | 56 | $0 |
| Aug 29, 2024 | EAGAN | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 27, 2024 | EAGAN | 50 | $0 |
| Aug 27, 2024 | ROSEMOUNT | 50 | $0 |
| Aug 27, 2024 | EAGAN | 50 | $0 |
| Aug 27, 2024 | EAGAN | 50 | $0 |
| Aug 27, 2024 | MENDOTA | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2024 | RANDOLPH | 52 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Dakota County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Over 400 trees up to 3 feet in diameter and many power lines were downed across the city by winds estimated up to 70 MPH. Many trees blocked roads and a handful of trees fell onto buildings and cars. The damage was so widespread that a state of emergency was put in place shortly after the storm ended until streets could be cleared.
A storm survey indicated a large downburst damage swath with numerous downed trees in the northeastern section of Mendota Heights, and the northern portion of West St. Paul. A large part of the damage pattern across northeastern Mendota Heights and West St. Paul was directed toward the east, northeast and north. It was a very standard pattern of downburst winds. Many of the trees landed on homes, cars and garages. Some of the garages were pushed off their foundations. Some of the most significant downburst damage was in a 5-10 block area surrounding Dodd Road, Delaware and Smith Avenue.
There were 8 homes that had trees fall onto their roofs and cause damage, and about 1500 people lost power. All this damage occurred in a small area of town (about a 6-8 block radius) from 15th Street south to the Vermillion River.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Dakota County, Minnesota?
244 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Dakota County between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Dakota County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Dakota County measured 92.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Dakota 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 Dakota County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/dakota-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.