Stearns County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 866 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #228 nationally and #5 in Minnesota.
866
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
81
Direct injuries
$63.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Stearns County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Stearns County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 12.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 263 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 122 events fall before 1990 and 744 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Stearns County, Minnesota record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $38.0M 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 Stearns County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 431 | 0 | $14.0M | 4.25 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 308 | 0 | $3.5M | 78 | 1965–2025 |
| Tornado | 57 | 3 | $38.0M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 21 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 19 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $7.4M | 0 | 2001–2025 |
| Lightning | 9 | 2 | $180K | 0 | 1997–2015 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2009–2019 |
Decade by decade
Stearns County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
56 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 52 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-09-03 | EF3 | 1 | 15 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-07-22 | EF2 | 1 | 12 | 16.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-11 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-10-26 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-09-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 13.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-15 | EF1 | 1 | 30 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-08-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-09-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Stearns County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1998 | Tornado | ALBANY | 1 | 30 | $3.0M |
| Sep 4, 1980 | Tornado | 1 | 15 | $25.0M | |
| Mar 21, 1953 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 6, 2009 | Lightning | WAITE PARK | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 1998 | Lightning | MEIRE GROVE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2007 | Hail | SARTELL | 0 | 20 | $7.0M |
| Oct 26, 1996 | Tornado | ALBANY | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| May 18, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado struck outdoor flea market in Albany, blowing numerous recreational vehicles over. One man was killed when a recreational vehicle was blown on top of him. 30 others were injured. A farmstead was severely damaged northeast of St. Francis just before liftoff of the tornado.
Several thunderstorms developed across the St. Cloud area the afternoon of May 6th. An individual was working in his backyard at the time one of the thunderstorms moved through and was struck by lightning. The injuries related to the lightning strike caused his unfortunate death six days later.
More then a thousand vehicles and many homes in Sartell were damaged by the storm. Hail measured by trained spotter. All injuries were minor. The hail fell when winds were not too strong, so crop damage in the area was limited.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
160,865
Population (ACS)
$273K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 25, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 28, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Stearns County, Minnesota?
866 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths and $63.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Stearns County?
Hail, with 431 recorded events — 49.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Stearns County?
56 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 52 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Stearns County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Stearns County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Stearns County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Stearns County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Stearns 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
- Sibley County 319
- Steele County 238
- Sherburne County 355
- Stevens County 259
- Scott County 495
- Swift County 272
Cite this page
“Stearns County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/stearns-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.