57
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
58
Direct injuries
$38.0M
Property damage
Tornado in Stearns County, Minnesota: 57 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #279 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Stearns County, Minnesota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Stearns County is the 2010s, when 13 of the county's 57 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 Stearns County archive, tornado makes up 6.6% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #279 for this hazard and #4 within Minnesota, putting it in the 90.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Stearns 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-09-03 | EF3 | 3.8 mi | 60 yd | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-05 | EF3 | 4.3 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1967-07-22 | EF2 | 16.4 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-11 | EF2 | 2.2 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1996-10-26 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 350 yd | Touched down here |
| 1980-09-03 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1958-06-04 | EF2 | 13.3 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-15 | EF1 | 9.0 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-08-03 | EF1 | 5.4 mi | 1,000 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-09-19 | EF1 | 8.2 mi | 360 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1998 | ALBANY | F1 | 1 | 30 | $3.0M |
| Sep 4, 1980 | F3 | 1 | 15 | $25.0M | |
| Mar 21, 1953 | F2 | 1 | 3 | $250K | |
| Oct 26, 1996 | ALBANY | F2 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| May 18, 1962 | F1 | 0 | 3 | $3K | |
| Jun 4, 1958 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Aug 15, 1978 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jun 4, 1958 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $30 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2025 | SPRING HILL | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 4, 2024 | MELROSE | EF1 | $2.0M |
| May 13, 2022 | SAUK CENTRE | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2021 | FARMING | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 20, 2021 | BELGRADE | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 20, 2017 | ELROSA | EF1 | $0 |
| Sep 20, 2017 | BELGRADE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2016 | ST NICHOLAS | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2016 | ST NICHOLAS | EF0 | $50K |
| Jun 3, 2016 | SPRING HILL | EF0 | $500K |
Other hazards here
More from Stearns County
- Hail 431
- Thunderstorm Wind 308
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.
A tornado moved south-southeast through the west side of Melrose. The worst structural damage took place in the northwest side of town. The tornado destroyed a large metal building system and peeled the roof off of several other buildings. Portions of the roof were torn off some townhomes. Hundreds of trees were uprooted or broken. The tornado moved across a golf course, taking down many dozens of trees. In the far southern part of Melrose, more homes sustained damage and the tornado completely destroyed a large machine shed at a farm. After exiting town, the tornado moved across fields and damaged a few more farms. One turkey barn had much of its roof removed and the roof was blown off a large shed shortly before the tornado dissipated.
A National Weather Service Storm Survey determined that an EF-1 tornado touched down approximately two miles north of Brooten, and tracked to the northeast to approximately 2.5 miles west of Elrosa, Minnesota. Hundreds of trees were snapped or uprooted. Several farmsteads were damaged. Roofs were blown off of barns, and several sheds and outbuildings, including grain bins were blown down.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Stearns County, Minnesota?
57 tornado events are recorded in Stearns County between 1953 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Stearns County?
The strongest tornado on record in Stearns County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Stearns 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 Stearns County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/stearns-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.