Waseca County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 314 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 38.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,702 nationally and #55 in Minnesota.
314
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
25
Direct injuries
$84.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Waseca County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Waseca County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 4.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 82 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 75 events fall before 1990 and 239 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Waseca County, Minnesota record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $78.9M 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 Waseca County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 120 | 0 | $4.9M | 86 | 1968–2024 |
| Hail | 114 | 0 | $0 | 2.5 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 28 | 6 | $78.9M | F4 | 1961–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2010–2016 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Waseca County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 3 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 | 6 | 22 | 20.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-04-30 | EF3 | 2 | 23 | 18.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-04-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-14 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-08-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-08-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-20 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 7.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Waseca County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 1967 | Tornado | 6 | 22 | $25.0M | |
| Sep 20, 2018 | Tornado | SMITHS MILL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 2, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M | |
| May 14, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
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. In New Richland, Minnesota, Highway 30 and Highway 13 were closed, making it impossible for the roughly 1,000 residents to get out of town.
A large machine shed was blown apart and other outbuildings had some roof damage. Several dozen trees were also toppled as the downburst moved northeast through the small community of Otisco and then to a farm northeast of Otisco.
An EF-0 tornado touched down just south of Elysian Lake Road, just south of 412th Avenue, in northern Waseca County. The tornado tracked north for approximately 2.8 miles while paralleling the eastern shore of Elysian Lake and Elysian Lake Road. It crossed Elysian Lake near 427th Ave, before moving into southern Le Sueur County. ||Damage was primarily associated with uprooted trees and roof damage. The worst damage occurred to a farmstead which had a metal storage shed collapse along Elysian Lake Road. ||Based on trees uprooted and structural damage to a metal storage shed, winds were estimated around 80 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
18,885
Population (ACS)
$221K
Median home value
14
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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Waseca 125
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Waseca County, Minnesota?
314 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths and $84.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Waseca County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 120 recorded events — 38.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Waseca County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Waseca County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Waseca County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Waseca County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Waseca County as very low risk, placing it in the 25 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Waseca 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
- Wadena County 322
- Washington County 416
- Wabasha County 421
- Watonwan County 223
- Traverse County 197
- Wilkin County 364
Cite this page
“Waseca County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/waseca-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.