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Stearns County, Minnesota
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
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. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
The NCEI record lists 1,055 events for Stearns County, Minnesota, between 1950 and 2026; hail account for the largest share.
That is 78.6 events per 100 square miles, in line with the Minnesota figure of 71.0, and 66.4 per 10,000 residents against 99.0 statewide.
25 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 7 deaths and 81 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $63M and crop damage at $6.7M.
FEMA has designated the county in 13 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (major disaster, 8 Jul 2022).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 112 claims since 1978, of which 82 were paid, totalling $1.1M (about $13K per paid claim). FEMA counts 153 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Moderate" ($79M a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with Minnesota and the United States
| Measure | Stearns County | Minnesota | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 1,055 | 56,524 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 78.6 | 71.0 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 66.4 | 99.0 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 25 | 1,956 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 7 | 293 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $63M | $5.9B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 2.2 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $13K | $16K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 15.7 | 13.9 | 16.1 |
County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.
Events by decade
Trend: 600 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 336 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.
Events by type
Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.
Largest recorded events
| Date | Event type | Group | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 May 1998 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $3.0M | — | 1 | 30 | County |
| 3 Sep 1980 | Tornado | Tornado | F3 | $25M | — | 1 | 15 | County |
| 21 Mar 1953 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | 1 | 3 | County |
| 6 May 2009 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | County |
| 26 Jun 1998 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 10 Dec 2010 | Winter Storm | Winter | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 9 Jan 2014 | Cold/Wind Chill | Cold | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 20 Jun 2007 | Hail | Hail | 3.50 in | $7.0M | — | — | 20 | County |
| 18 May 1962 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $3K | — | — | 3 | County |
| 26 Oct 1996 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | — | — | — | 3 | County |
| 4 Jun 1958 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | 2 | County |
| 14 Aug 1978 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $25K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 6 Jun 2015 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $1K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 4 Jun 1958 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $30 | — | — | 1 | County |
| 25 Aug 2000 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 21 Sep 1994 | Hail | Hail | 0.50 in | — | $6.0M | — | — | County |
| 7 Apr 2001 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $6.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Sep 1994 | Hail | Hail | 1.00 in | $5.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Jul 1967 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | — | — | County |
| 3 Sep 1980 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | — | — | County |
Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.
Federal disaster declarations
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Jul 2022 | DR-4658 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 7 Apr 2020 | DR-4531 | Major disaster | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2020 | EM-3453 | Emergency | Biological | Covid-19 | Public assistance |
| 25 Jul 2013 | DR-4131 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 28 Jul 2011 | DR-4009 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Public assistance |
| 13 Sep 2005 | EM-3242 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 16 May 2001 | DR-1370 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 8 Apr 1997 | DR-1175 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Flooding, High Winds,Severe Storms | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 16 Jan 1997 | DR-1158 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms | Public assistance |
| 17 Jun 1976 | EM-3013 | Emergency | Drought | Drought | Public assistance |
| 18 Apr 1969 | DR-255 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 22 Mar 1966 | DR-215 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 11 Apr 1965 | DR-188 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.
Flood insurance claims
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2023 | 5 | 4 | $30,927 | $7,732 |
| 2022 | 13 | 9 | $160,683 | $17,854 |
| 2019 | 4 | 3 | $80,233 | $26,744 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | $5,906 | $5,906 |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | $4,038 | $4,038 |
| 2014 | 6 | 4 | $35,905 | $8,976 |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | $417 | $417 |
| 2011 | 9 | 6 | $42,610 | $7,102 |
| 2009 | 8 | 6 | $237,522 | $39,587 |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2005 | 1 | 1 | $1,201 | $1,201 |
| 2002 | 1 | 1 | $3,096 | $3,096 |
| 2001 | 13 | 10 | $203,017 | $20,302 |
| 1997 | 24 | 20 | $133,825 | $6,691 |
| 1995 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1994 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1993 | 2 | 1 | $2,022 | $2,022 |
| 1986 | 3 | 3 | $43,277 | $14,426 |
| 1984 | 9 | 6 | $88,195 | $14,699 |
| 1983 | 5 | 4 | $8,948 | $2,237 |
| 1982 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1979 | 1 | 1 | $427 | $427 |
OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).
National Risk Index
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Inland flooding | $48,417,809 | |
| Tornado | $10,736,895 | |
| Cold wave | $6,200,600 | |
| Strong wind | $5,324,669 | |
| Hail | $4,275,617 | |
| Heat wave | $1,286,402 | |
| Lightning | $1,128,626 | |
| Winter weather | $557,729 | |
| Wildfire | $335,987 | |
| Ice storm | $284,260 | |
| Drought | $266,099 | |
| Earthquake | $51,020 | |
| Landslide | $5,139 |
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.
Hurricane and tropical storm passes
No HURDAT2 track at tropical-storm strength passes within 100 miles of the county's centre point (through the 2025 season).
ZIP codes with flood claims
ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.
Questions and answers
How often does it hail in Stearns County, MN?
NCEI records 431 hail events in Stearns County since 1950, in 57 different years; that is about 5.6 recorded events a year. 82 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Stearns County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 57 tornadoes in Stearns County since 1950, 7 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 3.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Stearns County?
8 Jul 2022: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding, a major disaster declaration for severe storm. The county appears in 13 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Stearns County, and how much was paid?
112 NFIP claims since 1978, 82 of them paid, for $1.1M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Stearns County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Moderate" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Low" for social vulnerability and "Very High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Stearns County compare with the rest of Minnesota?
78.6 recorded events per 100 square miles against 71.0 statewide, and 0.7 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 2.2. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.
Provenance
Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.