Lake County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 161 recorded events between 1975 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,656 nationally and #86 in Minnesota.
161
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$2.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Lake County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lake County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 62 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 12 events fall before 1990 and 149 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lake County, Minnesota record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $2.1M 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 Lake County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 71 | 3 | $10K | 70 | 1977–2025 |
| Hail | 60 | 0 | $100K | 2.75 | 1975–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $2.1M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $53K | F1 | 1976–2024 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | $250K | 0 | 1996–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Lake County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-08-06 | EF3 | 2 | 3 | 17.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-06-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-07-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-07-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-09-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-08-14 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 14.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-04-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 20.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-06-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-09-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lake County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | FOREST CENTER | 2 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | ISABELLA | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 1996 | Lightning | ELY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 22, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | FOREST CENTER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 22, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | FOREST CENTER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 19, 2003 | Hail | ISABELLA | 0 | 1 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Severe thunderstorm winds knocked down numerous trees near the Prairie Portage area of Basswood Lake right on and near the Canadian border. Trees were blown down near the campsite of 9 campers who were affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. One woman (age 39) and one boy (age 13) were killed when trees fell on their tent. Two other campers were injured with non-life-threatening injuries. The campers were technically in Canada, but added this to the event record for historical purposes since the campers were so close to the US border.
Six to 10 inches of rain fell overnight on the 19th and during the following day, resulting in stream and river flooding. Many driveways were washed out. The Knife River flooded Highway 61 and resulted in evacuations in the town of Knife River. Other smaller state and county roads were washed out. Water was flowing across Highway 61 on the northeast end of Two Harbors.
There was six inches of water over Highway 61 at the junction with Highway 1 due to the flooding of the west branch of the Baptism River. There was also significant flooding of the golf course at Beaver bay and of Rockwood Road at Silver Bay, due to flooding of the Beaver River and Palisade River, respectively.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,879
Population (ACS)
$241K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 13, 2022 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 7, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 5, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 6, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lake County, Minnesota?
161 events are on record between 1975 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $2.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lake County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 71 recorded events — 44.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lake County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lake County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lake County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lake County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lake County as very low risk, placing it in the 34 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lake 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
- Lac qui Parle County 288
- Lake of the Woods County 220
- Koochiching County 269
- Le Sueur County 266
- Kittson County 390
- Lincoln County 254
Cite this page
“Lake County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/lake-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.