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Wind in Cook County, Minnesota
33 damaging wind events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Thunderstorm Wind, High Wind, Strong Wind.
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.
NCEI records 33 wind events in Cook County, Minnesota, between 1950 and 2026, spread over 16 years.
July is the busiest month, with 12 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 25 events against 7 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.
The county holds 0.2% of the 15,237 wind events recorded in Minnesota; its 2.3 per 100 square miles compares with 19.1 statewide.
NCEI attributes 1 death in the county to damaging wind.
18 wind reports with a measured or estimated speed reached the 58 mph severe threshold, and 1 reached hurricane force (74 mph).
Compared with Minnesota
| Measure | Cook County | Minnesota | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wind events since 1950 | 33 | 15,237 | 701,953 |
| Per 100 square miles | 2.3 | 19.1 | 19.9 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 58.8 | 26.7 | 21.1 |
| Deaths recorded | 1 | 30 | 2,166 |
| Busiest month | July | July | June |
By year
Seasonality
0Feb
0Mar
0Apr
1May
6Jun
6Jul
12Aug
3Sep
3Oct
2Nov
0Dec
0
Magnitude distribution
NWS wind thresholds
- under 58 mph
- below severe threshold
- 58–73 mph
- severe
- 74–95 mph
- hurricane-force
- 96 mph and over
- extreme
Wind speed converted from the knots NCEI records; estimated and measured gusts are combined. Events without a speed are not binned.
Recorded events
All 33 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Aug 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | 63 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | 74 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | 63 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | 69 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Sep 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | 63 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Jul 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Jul 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 20 Jun 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Oct 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Oct 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 26 Jul 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Jul 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Jul 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 15 Jul 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Jun 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Sep 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Jul 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Jul 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jun 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | — | — | 1 | 1 | County |
| 19 Jun 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 22 Jul 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Jul 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 25 May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Apr 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | 64 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Aug 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 4 Jul 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | 69 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Aug 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Jun 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Jun 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | 63 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Sep 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Jul 1983 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | — | County |
Questions and answers
How many wind events has Cook County had?
33 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of damaging wind became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.
When was the last recorded wind event in Cook County?
9 Aug 2025 (Thunderstorm Wind, 63 mph). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging wind event recorded in Cook County?
NCEI records no damage estimate for events of this type in the county.
How does Cook County compare with Minnesota for wind?
2.3 events per 100 square miles against 19.1 statewide; the county holds 33 of the state's 15,237 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 Wind hub and the county page.