Sibley County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 319 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 37.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,669 nationally and #53 in Minnesota.
319
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
77
Direct injuries
$56.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Sibley County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sibley County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 4.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 85 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 45 events fall before 1990 and 274 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Sibley County, Minnesota record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $51.4M 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 Sibley County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 120 | 1 | $311K | 70 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 119 | 0 | $350K | 4 | 1964–2024 |
| Tornado | 36 | 1 | $51.4M | F3 | 1965–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $4.4M | 0 | 2007–2024 |
Decade by decade
Sibley County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
36 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 33 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-05-06 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 15.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-06 | EF2 | 1 | 175 | 11.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-06-23 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 104.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-07-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-08-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-06-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-06-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sibley County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1965 | Tornado | 1 | 75 | $25.0M | |
| May 25, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | GREEN ISLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 26, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Winthrop | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Several media outlets and local officials indicated that an individual died from a fallen tree north of Arlington near Highway 15. The individual was on a four-wheeler in the pasture of his farm and attempted to herd his cattle to safety during a storm. That���s when a tree fell on him, officials indicated.
Several sources in Sibley County compiled a summary of flood related damages and locations for the flood of June 2014. Mudslides were going into some residences along the Minnesota River Valley. The City of Henderson was inundated with flood waters with businesses and local residence sandbagging. Scenic Highway 6 along the Minnesota River near Faxon Township was washed out due to the swollen river and heavy rainfall. There were also numerous county and secondary roads closed, along and near the Minnesota River.
The third tornado in a series touched down in Sibley County and moved straight north, occasionally stalling in place for minutes at a time. It heavily damaged two farmsteads, where all outbuildings and sheds were destroyed, and the houses sustained significant damage. It entered Renville County at 1845 CST and then into Buffalo Lake.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
15,005
Population (ACS)
$232K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sibley County, Minnesota?
319 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $56.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sibley County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 120 recorded events — 37.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sibley County?
36 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 33 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sibley County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sibley County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sibley County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sibley County as very low risk, placing it in the 23 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sibley 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
- Sherburne County 355
- Stearns County 866
- Scott County 495
- Steele County 238
- St. Louis County 1,335
- Stevens County 259
Cite this page
“Sibley County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/sibley-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.