Lyon County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 496 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 51.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #893 nationally and #19 in Minnesota.
496
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
171
Direct injuries
$8.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Lyon County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lyon County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 7.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 171 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 57 events fall before 1990 and 439 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lyon County, Minnesota record is tornado, responsible for 10 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.6M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lyon County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 254 | 0 | $117K | 3.5 | 1962–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 145 | 0 | $1.1M | 85 | 1960–2025 |
| Flood | 34 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Tornado | 29 | 10 | $5.6M | F5 | 1955–2017 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $155K | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2021 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $6K | 0 | 2000–2005 |
Decade by decade
Lyon County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-06-13 | EF5 | 9 | 150 | 9.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-06-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-07 | EF1 | 0 | 4 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-05-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 6 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-05-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-04-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lyon County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 1968 | Tornado | 9 | 150 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 7, 1955 | Tornado | 1 | 13 | $2.5M | |
| May 8, 1993 | Tornado | Cottonwood | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| May 12, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | MINNEOTA | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 30, 1974 | 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
U.S. Highway 14 between 300th Avenue and County Road 54 was covered by water. Other flooding resulted in damage to public infrastructure including county and township roads and culverts. The property damage costs include estimates for public property losses.
Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, including numerous trees blown down. Several roads were blocked by fallen trees. Roofs and siding of several homes were damaged directly by the wind, and also by falling trees and wind blown tree debris. The winds also blew down power poles and lines, causing a power outage. The winds were accompanied by large hail.
Persistent moderate to heavy rain caused flooding of fields and other lowlands, including numerous roads, and several homes and businesses. This flooding lasted through most of the daytime hours. Some roads were damaged or washed out.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
25,503
Population (ACS)
$201K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 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 |
| Jun 12, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 5, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 21, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Marshall 119
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lyon County, Minnesota?
496 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 10 direct deaths and $8.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lyon County?
Hail, with 254 recorded events — 51.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lyon County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lyon County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lyon County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lyon County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lyon County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 43 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lyon 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
- Lincoln County 254
- McLeod County 570
- Le Sueur County 266
- Mahnomen County 216
- Lake of the Woods County 220
- Marshall County 447
Cite this page
“Lyon County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/lyon-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.