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Flood in Clay County, Minnesota
57 floods and flash floods events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Flood, Flash Flood, Coastal Flood, Lakeshore Flood.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026.
Clay County, Minnesota, has 57 flood events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 21 different years.
June is the busiest month, with 19 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 31 events against 26 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.
The county holds 2.1% of the 2,680 flood events recorded in Minnesota; its 5.5 per 100 square miles compares with 3.4 statewide.
NCEI attributes 1 death in the county to floods and flash floods.
Compared with Minnesota
| Measure | Clay County | Minnesota | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flood events since 1950 | 57 | 2,680 | 183,559 |
| Per 100 square miles | 5.5 | 3.4 | 5.2 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 8.7 | 4.7 | 5.5 |
| Deaths recorded | 1 | 23 | 2,961 |
| Busiest month | June | June | June |
By year
Seasonality
0Feb
0Mar
4Apr
12May
9Jun
19Jul
7Aug
3Sep
3Oct
0Nov
0Dec
0
Recorded events
All 57 events, most recent first. Magnitude is hail size, tornado rating or wind speed as recorded.
| Date | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 May 2024 | Flood | — | $500 | $500 | — | — | County |
| 5 Aug 2023 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 1 May 2023 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Apr 2023 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 14 Apr 2023 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Apr 2023 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Apr 2023 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Jul 2019 | Flash Flood | — | $10K | $50K | — | — | County |
| 1 Apr 2019 | Flood | — | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Mar 2019 | Flood | — | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Jul 2016 | Flash Flood | — | $2K | $10K | — | — | County |
| 4 Sep 2014 | Flash Flood | — | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 4 Sep 2014 | Flash Flood | — | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 26 Jun 2013 | Flood | — | $10K | $50K | — | — | County |
| 30 May 2013 | Flood | — | $15K | — | — | — | County |
| 30 May 2013 | Flood | — | $15K | — | — | — | County |
| 27 May 2012 | Flood | — | $5K | $100K | — | — | County |
| 19 Jul 2011 | Flash Flood | — | $10K | $2K | — | — | County |
| 19 Jul 2011 | Flash Flood | — | $1K | $15K | — | — | County |
| 19 Jul 2011 | Flash Flood | — | $1K | $10K | — | — | County |
| 9 May 2011 | Flash Flood | — | $500 | $5K | — | — | County |
| 3 Apr 2011 | Flood | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 12 Aug 2010 | Flash Flood | — | $5K | $10K | — | — | County |
| 27 Jul 2010 | Flash Flood | — | $5K | $5K | — | — | County |
| 17 Jun 2010 | Flash Flood | — | $5K | $15K | — | — | County |
| 12 Mar 2010 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Jun 2009 | Flood | — | $5K | $50K | — | — | County |
| 16 Jun 2009 | Flash Flood | — | $10K | $50K | — | — | County |
| 1 Apr 2009 | Flood | — | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Mar 2009 | Flood | — | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 18 May 2007 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Apr 2006 | Flood | — | $996K | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Mar 2006 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Aug 2005 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Jun 2005 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Jun 2005 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 11 Jun 2005 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 2 Jun 2005 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 May 2004 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Jun 2003 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Jun 2003 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 6 Jun 2003 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Jul 2002 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Jun 2002 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Jun 2002 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Jun 2002 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Jun 2002 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 28 May 2002 | Flash Flood | — | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Apr 2001 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 6 Apr 2001 | Flood | — | $3.0M | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 2 Sep 2000 | Flash Flood | — | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jun 2000 | Flash Flood | — | $5.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jun 2000 | Flash Flood | — | $500K | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jun 2000 | Flood | — | — | $10M | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 18 Jun 1998 | Flash Flood | — | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Apr 1997 | Flood | — | $25M | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 10 Apr 1996 | Flood | — | — | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
Questions and answers
How many flood events has Clay County had?
57 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of floods and flash floods became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.
When was the last recorded flood event in Clay County?
24 May 2024 (Flood). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging flood event recorded in Clay County?
The flood of 16 Apr 1997, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $25M.
How does Clay County compare with Minnesota for flood?
5.5 events per 100 square miles against 3.4 statewide; the county holds 57 of the state's 2,680 recorded events.
Provenance
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026, public domain. County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county (marked "Forecast zone"). Population and area from the US Census Bureau (2021). Built 1 Oct 2026. See the methodology, the Flood hub and the county page.