Steele County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 238 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,191 nationally and #74 in Minnesota.
238
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$96.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Steele County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Steele County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 3.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 65 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 200 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $53.4M 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 Steele County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 86 | 0 | $5.1M | 70 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 80 | 0 | $500 | 3.25 | 1965–2026 |
| Tornado | 28 | 0 | $53.4M | F4 | 1962–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $6.0M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $30.8M | 0 | 1999–2016 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2006–2006 |
Decade by decade
Steele County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
32 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-04-30 | EF4 | 5 | 35 | 38.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-06-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 18.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-06-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-06-07 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-05-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 46.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-06-17 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 6.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-04-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-09-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Steele County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 2010 | Tornado | BLOOMING PRAIRIE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous roads were closed due to excessive rainfall that fell on September 22nd and 23th. The major areal flooding didn't recede until late Saturday when most of the small streams and creeks had crested and only mainstem rivers remained flooded. Residents in Owatonna, Minnesota, were fighting to save their homes along the flooded Maple Creek. 70 homes were evacuated in Owatonna due to the rising flood waters. Friday morning was the first time that I-35 was closed due to flood waters south of Owatonna. It re-opened during the afternoon as waters started to recede.
Three to five inches of rain fell over Owatonna, resulting in flooding of roads, homes and businesses. A city storm sewer also backed up, causing basements to flood in about 40 homes. This event began September 30, 2007 at 2200 CST (see September 2007 Storm Data).
A Presidential Disaster Declaration was signed for Steele County in the wake of major flooding and damage. Large areas of Owatonna were reported under two to three feet of water. Water completely covered a few roads, and was above car doors in some areas. Maple Creek at Dartt's Park was reported three times as wide as normal, and spread out into the parking lot. Some basement walls were reported to have collapsed. Two hotels in Owatonna were evacuated. The Steele County emergency manager reported 274 homes and 8 businesses were damaged. Seven homes were considered destroyed. The cooperative observer in Owatonna measured 6.47 inches as of 0700 CST August 19. Some information provided by the Owatonna People's Press newspaper.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
37,439
Population (ACS)
$245K
Median home value
17
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 |
| Nov 2, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS 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 Steele County, Minnesota?
238 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $96.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Steele County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 86 recorded events — 36.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Steele County?
32 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Steele County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Steele County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Steele County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Steele County as very low risk, placing it in the 37 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Steele 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
- Stearns County 866
- Stevens County 259
- Sibley County 319
- Swift County 272
- Sherburne County 355
- Todd County 286
Cite this page
“Steele County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/steele-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.