Minnesota, 1997
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
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.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1997 was 1,415 against 1,654 in 1996.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 May 1997 | McLeod | Strong Wind | — | — | 1 | 10 |
| 18 Sep 1997 | Morrison | Tornado | F3 | $1,700,000 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 Jan 1997 | Big Stone | Winter Storm | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 9 Jan 1997 | Forecast zone | Blizzard | — | — | 1 | — |
| 17 Apr 1997 | Forecast zone | Flood | — | $600,000,000 | — | — |
| 5 Apr 1997 | Norman | Blizzard | — | $5,000,000 | — | 3 |
| 17 Jul 1997 | Hennepin | Thunderstorm Wind | 69 mph | — | — | 3 |
| 16 Apr 1997 | Clay | Flood | — | $25,000,000 | — | — |
| 28 Jun 1997 | Hubbard | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $10,000 | — | 2 |
| 1 Jul 1997 | Wright | Thunderstorm Wind | 109 mph | $20,000,000 | — | — |
| 5 Apr 1997 | Wilkin | Flood | — | $20,000,000 | — | — |
| 5 Apr 1997 | Norman | Flood | — | $20,000,000 | — | — |
| 13 Apr 1997 | Wilkin | Flood | — | $20,000,000 | — | — |
| 22 Jun 1997 | Lincoln | Hail | 1.75 in | $100,000 | — | — |
| 8 Oct 1997 | Lac qui Parle | Thunderstorm Wind | 63 mph | $1,000,000 | — | 1 |
| 27 Jun 1997 | Roseau | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | 1 |
| 8 Oct 1997 | Hubbard | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $70,000 | — | 1 |
| 8 Oct 1997 | Polk | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $2,000 | — | 1 |
| 1 Jul 1997 | Sherburne | Thunderstorm Wind | 109 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 1 Jul 1997 | Ramsey | Flash Flood | — | — | — | 1 |
| 1 Jul 1997 | Carver | Thunderstorm Wind | 69 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 17 Apr 1997 | Norman | Flood | — | $10,000,000 | — | — |
| 19 Apr 1997 | Forecast zone | Flood | — | $10,000,000 | — | — |
| 28 Jun 1997 | Wright | Thunderstorm Wind | 58 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 28 Jun 1997 | Kandiyohi | Thunderstorm Wind | 63 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 22 Jun 1997 | Pipestone | Hail | 2.00 in | $100,000 | — | — |
| 5 Apr 1997 | Forecast zone | Blizzard | — | $5,000,000 | — | — |
| 5 Apr 1997 | Forecast zone | Blizzard | — | $5,000,000 | — | — |
| 21 Apr 1997 | Kittson | Flood | — | $5,000,000 | — | — |
| 5 Apr 1997 | Kittson | Blizzard | — | $5,000,000 | — | — |
| 5 Apr 1997 | Clay | Blizzard | — | $5,000,000 | — | — |
| 22 Jun 1997 | Lyon | Hail | 1.75 in | $100,000 | — | — |
| 9 Apr 1997 | Grant | Flood | — | $3,000,000 | — | — |
| 4 Apr 1997 | Forecast zone | Ice Storm | — | $2,000,000 | — | — |
| 4 Apr 1997 | Red Lake | Ice Storm | — | $2,000,000 | — | — |
| 4 Apr 1997 | Forecast zone | Ice Storm | — | $2,000,000 | — | — |
| 4 Apr 1997 | Pennington | Ice Storm | — | $2,000,000 | — | — |
| 4 Apr 1997 | Clay | Ice Storm | — | $2,000,000 | — | — |
| 4 Apr 1997 | Kittson | Ice Storm | — | $2,000,000 | — | — |
| 4 Apr 1997 | Roseau | Ice Storm | — | $2,000,000 | — | — |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 1997
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Aug 1997 | DR-1187 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, High Winds, Flooding | 7 |
| 8 Apr 1997 | DR-1175 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Flooding, High Winds,Severe Storms | 59 |
| 16 Jan 1997 | DR-1158 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms | 55 |
| 7 Jan 1997 | DR-1151 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Ice Storm | 12 |
Flood insurance claims with a 1997 date of loss
3,266 NFIP claims, 2,987 of them paid, for $60,579,443.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (1 Oct 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 1 Oct 2026.