Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota severe weather history spans 238 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 41.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,191 nationally and #74 in Minnesota.
238
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
21
Direct injuries
$53.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 80 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 212 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $46.6M 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 Yellow Medicine County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 99 | 1 | $6.8M | 78 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 98 | 0 | $0 | 3 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 24 | 1 | $46.6M | F4 | 1965–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $420K | 0 | 2010–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2020 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
23 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-07-25 | EF4 | 1 | 15 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-06-16 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-06-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 54.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 19.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-06-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Yellow Medicine County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 2000 | Tornado | GRANITE FALLS | 1 | 15 | $20.0M |
| Apr 26, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jun 17, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $25.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado first touched down in rural Yellow Medicine County, 8 miles west, and 3 miles north of Granite Falls. The tornado lifted before exiting Granite Falls, leaving the most concentrated damage path two miles long, and 500 feet wide, through a primarily residential area of Granite Falls. Most of the damage in Granite Falls was caused by F2 to F3 wind speeds. However, this tornado has been classified as a minimal F4 tornado, based on the twisted wreckage of an overturned railroad car near the intersection of 9th Avenue and 14th street in Granite Falls.
Widespread wind damage occurred around the city of Granite Falls. Numerous trees, power lines and structural damage occurred in the city with the Yellow Medicine East School District main building sustaining major damage. The winds tore off the heating and ventilation systems on the roofs, opening the duct work to the rain. Water poured through the ventilation system and directly into classrooms, hallways and on equipment. On the south side of the Minnesota River, the Granite Run golf course suffered significant damage to trees and their local restaurant.
Several sources from the media, law enforcement and trained spotters reported widespread damage across the city of Granite Falls. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down along with some roof damage to businesses. The area was concentrated west and south of the Minnesota River in Yellow Medicine County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,451
Population (ACS)
$155K
Median home value
24
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 |
| Jun 12, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, 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 Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota?
238 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $53.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Yellow Medicine County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 99 recorded events — 41.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Yellow Medicine County?
23 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Yellow Medicine County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Yellow Medicine County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Yellow Medicine County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Yellow Medicine County as very low risk, placing it in the 30 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Yellow Medicine 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
- Wright County 681
- Winona County 572
- Wilkin County 364
- Watonwan County 223
- Washington County 416
- Waseca County 314
Cite this page
“Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/minnesota/yellow-medicine-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.