Kandiyohi County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 472 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 41.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #975 nationally and #23 in Minnesota.
472
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$22.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Kandiyohi County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 6.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 131 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 83 events fall before 1990 and 389 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Kandiyohi County, Minnesota record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $16.8M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Kandiyohi County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 195 | 0 | $0 | 3 | 1964–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 180 | 1 | $16.8M | 103 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 56 | 0 | $5.4M | F1 | 1956–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $450K | 0 | 1997–2016 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $70K | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2016 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
54 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 47 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-07-11 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-09-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-07-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-06-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-06-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-06-11 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-06-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Kandiyohi County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | BLOMKEST | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2008 | Tornado | PRIAM | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 11, 2001 | Tornado | SPICER | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 1964 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 28, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | WILLMAR | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 22, 1985 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The mesocyclone which produced its first tornado 9 N Kerkhoven in Swift County intensified dramatically as it neared Spicer. A 5 to 6 mile wide swath of damaging wind blasted an area in a strip from Sunburg to 5 S Sunburg, then intensified dramatically as it neared Spicer and Green Lake. It continued toward the Atwater area, where a seed farm measured 103 knots (119 mph). It then exited Kandiyohi County and went into Meeker County. Hundreds of structures were damaged by the wind, including roofs off some businesses and garages, along with many downed barns, grain bins and outbuildings. Several thousand trees were felled, many onto homes and vehicles.
A multiple vortex tornado touched down west of Pennock near a turkey farm, which was severely damaged. 200 to 300 turkeys were killed. The tornado then tracked straight east through the city of Pennock, knocking down trees and causing some damage to houses, including partially removing the roof from one home. A large storage building was destroyed in Pennock, as were several sheds and a garage. Just east of Pennock, it took direct aim on a house, lifting off its roof and blowing a shed into a nearby field. Another garage nearby had its roof removed. A strong rear flank downdraft accompanied the tornado, producing wind damage from just east of Pennock to Willmar (see corresponding entry).
A NWS survey, plus storm chasers video indicated an EF-1 tornado across portions of eastern Kandiyohi County, or the Irving Township area. This tornado destroyed one large shed and heavily damaged another. Drone video indicated the exact track of the tornado as it moved into Meeker County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
44,079
Population (ACS)
$243K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 8, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Jul 28, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Kandiyohi County, Minnesota?
472 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $22.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Kandiyohi County?
Hail, with 195 recorded events — 41.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Kandiyohi County?
54 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 47 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Kandiyohi County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Kandiyohi County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Kandiyohi County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kandiyohi County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 51 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Kandiyohi 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
- Kanabec County 180
- Kittson County 390
- Jackson County 346
- Koochiching County 269
- Itasca County 620
- Lac qui Parle County 288
Cite this page
“Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/kandiyohi-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.