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Tornado in Olmsted County, Minnesota
40 tornadoes events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Tornado.
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.
Olmsted County, Minnesota, has 40 tornado events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 22 different years.
June is the busiest month, with 15 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 12 events against 4 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.
The county holds 1.6% of the 2,433 tornado events recorded in Minnesota; its 6.1 per 100 square miles compares with 3.1 statewide.
NCEI attributes 1 death in the county to tornadoes.
By rating: 19 at (E)F0, 11 at (E)F1, 8 at (E)F2, 0 at (E)F3, 2 at (E)F4, 0 at (E)F5. Tornadoes before 2007 carry the original Fujita rating.
Compared with Minnesota
| Measure | Olmsted County | Minnesota | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado events since 1950 | 40 | 2,433 | 81,281 |
| Per 100 square miles | 6.1 | 3.1 | 2.3 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 2.4 | 4.3 | 2.4 |
| Deaths recorded | 1 | 101 | 6,410 |
| Busiest month | June | June | May |
By year
Seasonality
0Feb
0Mar
0Apr
9May
7Jun
15Jul
2Aug
2Sep
4Oct
1Nov
0Dec
0
Magnitude distribution
Enhanced Fujita scale wind estimates
- EF0/F0
- 65–85 mph (EF0)
- EF1/F1
- 86–110 mph (EF1)
- EF2/F2
- 111–135 mph (EF2)
- EF3/F3
- 136–165 mph (EF3)
- EF4/F4
- 166–200 mph (EF4)
- EF5/F5
- over 200 mph (EF5)
- Unrated
- no rating recorded
Tornado rating as recorded (Fujita scale before February 2007, Enhanced Fujita after).
Recorded events
All 40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Apr 2026 | Tornado | EF0 | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Apr 2026 | Tornado | EF2 | $546K | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Apr 2026 | Tornado | EF2 | $8.2M | — | — | 3 | County |
| 17 Apr 2026 | Tornado | EF1 | $87K | — | — | — | County |
| 20 Sep 2021 | Tornado | EF0 | $100K | — | — | — | County |
| 4 Jun 2019 | Tornado | EF1 | $40K | — | — | — | County |
| 19 Jul 2017 | Tornado | EF1 | $40K | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Jun 2017 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Jun 2017 | Tornado | EF0 | $5K | — | — | — | County |
| 28 Jun 2017 | Tornado | EF0 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Aug 2010 | Tornado | EF0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Jun 2010 | Tornado | EF1 | $1.9M | — | — | — | County |
| 1 May 2001 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 24 Jun 1998 | Tornado | F0 | — | $25K | — | — | County |
| 15 May 1998 | Tornado | F1 | $50K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Aug 1995 | Tornado | F0 | $70K | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Jun 1984 | Tornado | F1 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 17 May 1982 | Tornado | F0 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Apr 1981 | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | — | 2 | County |
| 29 Apr 1981 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Apr 1981 | Tornado | F0 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Jun 1980 | Tornado | F1 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 3 Jul 1979 | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Jun 1974 | Tornado | F1 | $25K | — | — | 2 | County |
| 9 Jun 1974 | Tornado | F1 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 26 Sep 1973 | Tornado | F1 | $25K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 7 Jun 1971 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Jun 1971 | Tornado | F0 | $3K | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Apr 1967 | Tornado | F2 | $25M | — | — | — | County |
| 25 Jun 1966 | Tornado | F0 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 25 May 1964 | Tornado | F0 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Apr 1964 | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 4 Oct 1962 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 16 Sep 1962 | Tornado | F4 | $250K | — | — | 34 | County |
| 16 Sep 1962 | Tornado | F2 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Jun 1962 | Tornado | F1 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 22 May 1962 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 May 1962 | Tornado | F2 | $25K | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Jun 1956 | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — | — | County |
| 10 May 1953 | Tornado | F4 | $2.5M | — | 1 | 6 | County |
Questions and answers
How many tornado events has Olmsted County had?
40 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of tornadoes became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.
When was the last recorded tornado event in Olmsted County?
17 Apr 2026 (Tornado, EF1). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging tornado event recorded in Olmsted County?
The tornado of 30 Apr 1967, with property damage estimated by NCEI at $25M.
How does Olmsted County compare with Minnesota for tornado?
6.1 events per 100 square miles against 3.1 statewide; the county holds 40 of the state's 2,433 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 Tornado hub and the county page.