42
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
37
Direct injuries
$6.6M
Property damage
Tornado in St. Louis County, Minnesota: 42 recorded events between 1953 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #567 nationally and #10 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in St. Louis County, Minnesota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in St. Louis County is the 1960s, when 9 of the county's 42 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 St. Louis County archive, tornado makes up 3.1% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #567 for this hazard and #10 within Minnesota, putting it in the 80.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for tornado in St. Louis County with 16 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-06-11 | EF4 | 72.8 mi | 333 yd | Crossed in |
| 1969-08-06 | EF3 | 17.2 mi | 117 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-08-06 | EF3 | 7.2 mi | 220 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-08-06 | EF3 | 10.0 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-08-06 | EF3 | 18.4 mi | 2,933 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-08-06 | EF3 | 3.8 mi | 250 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-01 | EF2 | 54.5 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1969-08-06 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-08-06 | EF2 | 1.9 mi | 193 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-08-06 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 6, 1969 | F3 | 2 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jul 1, 1958 | F1 | 1 | 2 | $30 | |
| Aug 6, 1969 | F3 | 0 | 20 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 6, 1969 | F3 | 0 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 15, 1978 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Aug 10, 1971 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 2024 | CANYON | EF1 | $100K |
| Jul 7, 2024 | TOWER MUNI ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| May 18, 2022 | ARNOLD | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 2019 | ORR | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 2019 | ORR PUBLIC ARPT | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 18, 2019 | KABETOGAMA | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2016 | CASCO | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2015 | CENTRAL LAKES | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2012 | DULUTH SKY HARBOR APT | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2003 | SIDE LAKE | F0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from St. Louis County
- Thunderstorm Wind 633
- Hail 523
- Flash Flood 89
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The waterspout developed to the northwest of Echo Point and west of Ely Island on eastern Lake Vermilion. Based on radar and video of the waterspout, it moved slowly to the north-northeast before dissipating near Spider Island. It may have passed near or over Spider Island. It also passed through the vicinity of Taylor and Stonich islands. As of this time, no damage reports have been received from these islands which do have structures on them, so the waterspout may have remained over the water. Based on photos and videos, the waterspout was about 30 yards wide and was on the water for about 2 miles. No fatalities or injuries have been reported.
A brief tornado tracked approximately west to east from north of the intersection of Lismore Road and Arnold Road, across Eagle Lake Road, and then across Jean Duluth Road before ending near Lady Nicole Lane east of Jean Duluth Road. This tornado caused numerous tree damage along its path, with a consistent tree fall pattern indicative of a tornado, but was unlikely above EF-0 in strength. While a few trees were snapped near the base, the vast majority of tree damage was large branches and trees that have bent over, with a few uprooted trees. The estimated maximum wind speed of this tornado was 85 mph. There was no known property damage outside of the tree damage.
A damage survey of a tornado within Voyageurs National Park has |been completed and confirmed a tornado from approximately Locator |Lake, approximately 6.4 miles north of Kabetogama, to Marion Bay |on Rainy Lake, approximately 9.2 miles north-northeast of |Kabetogama. The tornado likely extended farther northeast across |Rainy Lake and possibly into Canada, so the length of this tornado|should be considered an estimate. The end point location is |estimated from video of the tornado moving over Rainy Lake. This |survey was completed using photos and videos from Voyageurs |National Park, the public, and business owners in the region. Very|special thanks to Voyageurs National Park for sharing aerial |images of the damage path which was critical to assessing the |path, width, and severity of this tornado.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in St. Louis County, Minnesota?
42 tornado events are recorded in St. Louis County between 1953 and 2024, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in St. Louis County?
The strongest tornado on record in St. Louis County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for St. Louis 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
“Tornado in St. Louis County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/st-louis-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.