Todd County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 286 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,865 nationally and #61 in Minnesota.
286
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$2.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Todd County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Todd County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 4.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 80 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 33 events fall before 1990 and 253 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $807K 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 Todd County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 142 | 0 | $200 | 3 | 1972–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 98 | 0 | $807K | 85 | 1962–2025 |
| Tornado | 25 | 0 | $578K | F3 | 1957–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $725K | 0 | 2001–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2016 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Todd County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-06-13 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-07-08 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1966-07-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-05-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-05-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-08-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-09-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Todd County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2000 | Tornado | STAPLES | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado moved out of Wadena County (where it was rated EF2) and into Todd County. A barn was collapsed just south of Aldrich, with roofing material blown 1/2 mile downwind. Dozens of trees were broken or uprooted in this area. Several wooden power poles were snapped. An outbuilding was also destroyed. Farther east, an outbuilding was destroyed along with a roof partially blown off near the intersection of 500th street and 223rd Avenue, just northwest of Dower Lake. Significant tree damage was noted on the northeast side of Dower Lake, and concentrated damage continued in a path to about two miles west of Staples. Separate entries have also been made for numerous trees blown down due to the rear flank downdraft and downbursts north of the tornado track.
Todd County had numerous culverts washed out. The heaviest rain fell north of Clarissa. Measured 5.62 in Clarissa, 6 to 8 public reports elsewhere. There was also damage to a few structures from the flood waters, with an estimated $400,000 in total damages.
A farm was severely damaged as a concentrated area of wind damage occurred northeast of Long Prairie. The farm was located on Indigo Drive where the owner reported hundreds of trees blown down on his farm. The barn was completely destroyed with damage to a fence and home.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
25,575
Population (ACS)
$208K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 21, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Todd County, Minnesota?
286 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Todd County?
Hail, with 142 recorded events — 49.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Todd County?
27 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 Todd County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Todd County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Todd County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Todd County as very low risk, placing it in the 38 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Todd 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
- Swift County 272
- Traverse County 197
- Stevens County 259
- Wabasha County 421
- Steele County 238
- Wadena County 322
Cite this page
“Todd County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/todd-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.