Cottonwood County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Cottonwood County: 0.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by USGS MN (84).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Mar 29, 1998Tornado$30.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong tornado which began in Murray County tracked across Cottonwood County and then further northeast. The tornado destroyed numerous farms, farm equipment, buildings, trees, power lines and poles, vehicles, and other structures in its path. A vehicle was tossed a hundred yards as it hit the first farm in southwest Cottonwood County. People in the basement of the house on this farm received minor injuries. The tornado also destroyed a church near Jeffers, and destroyed numerous homes in the southern part of Comfrey, a city which is only partly in Cottonwood County.

2. Jun 21, 2024Flood$20.7 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rainfall amounts across Cottonwood County from June 20-22 ranged from 6 to 9 inches. Overland flooding ensued with additional major to record flooding along the West Fork Des Moines River.||County-wide, there were significant impacts to personal property with an estimated 1,000 plus homes affected by flood waters. Five homes were declared destroyed and approximately 50 that received major damage. Fifty-two individuals were displaced at peak flooding. A voluntary evacuation order was issued for parts of Windom due to rising waters along the West Fork Des Moines River. Flood waters spared most businesses, but 7 in-home daycares had to close for some amount of time. Damage to private…

3. Apr 9, 2013Winter Storm, Cottonwood$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An extended period of precipitation began with freezing rain quickly producing heavy ice accumulations, ranging up to a half inch. The precipitation then changed to sleet and then snow, with sleet and snow accumulations reaching 7.4 inches at Windom. Many branches, limbs, whole trees, and power lines were downed by the weight of ice and accompanying wind. Both urban areas and rural electric cooperatives suffered major power line damage. Trees and tree debris blocked many roads, and damaged several vehicles and homes. Major power outages were reported, affecting thousands of people. The winter precipitation made travel impossible in many areas, resulting in schools and businesses…

4. Jul 1, 2018Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rainfall of 3 to 5 inches (locally 5 to 10 inches upstream) during the first three days of July exacerbated flooding through the Des Moines River basin. A state of emergency was declared in the City of Windom with water breaching Island Park, the golf course, and several homes. Several county, state and local roadways flooded for up to a week, including highway 62 and numerous city streets. Significant amounts of crop and pasture land near the Des Moines River were severely impacted by major flooding as river levels climbed to the second highest crest on record at 4.4 feet above flood stage at Windom (gage site WDOM5) on July 7.

5. Nov 14, 1996Ice Storm, Cottonwood$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An ice storm consisting of several periods of freezing rain caused widespread damage to power lines and poles, and to trees. Power lines snapped, cable wires were ripped down, and tree debris littered and blocked some roads. Thousands lost power, some for 5 days. Travel was curtailed by icy surfaces and there were numerous accidents, although no serious injuries were reported. The ice storm was described as the worst in 40 years in the Worthington area. Many small farm structures were damaged. A 600 foot radio tower in Worthington was toppled. Schools and business were forced to close. Damage continued after the ice storm ended, including some damage occurring when ice melted…

6. Jun 27, 2003Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, including numerous trees blown down. Falling trees damaged roofs of houses and destroyed the topper of a pickup truck, and severely damaged another pickup. Power lines were blown down, resulting in power outages. A large storage shed was destroyed. The roof of a house was blown off, and other roof damage to structures was reported.

7. Jun 13, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds blew the roof and wall of a large lumber yard building onto a nearby bowling alley. Widespread tree damage included large trees blown down, about a dozen of which fell onto houses and caused further damage. The winds caused roof damage to other structures and blew down power lines.

8. Apr 18, 2004Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a barn and destroyed a machine shed. Two cars, a combine, and a field sprayer in the machine shed were damaged. The winds destroyed a barn on another farm, damaging a tractor and a van inside. The winds blew over a sign anchored in cement, with two tractors being damaged when the sign fell on them. Widespread tree and power line damage was also reported.

9. Apr 11, 2019Blizzard, Cottonwood$380,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Blizzard conditions led to a shutdown of government offices and schools, and travel was not recommended with many roads closed due to the widespread whiteout conditions. Storm-total snowfall from 4 to 10 inches occurred, with 5.1 inches at Windom. With winds gusting at times from 40 to 50 mph, many areas had snow drifts of several feet, making roads impassable. Ice accumulation from one-quarter to one-half inch occurred, and helped to produce scattered power outages as snowfall and wind increased. Damage costs are rough estimates due to utility costs.

10. Jun 27, 2003Hail$200,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Large hail severely damaged crops, especially corn. Many fields were deemed a total loss. The wind blown hail also damaged vehicles, cracked windows, and damaged the siding of homes. At least one greenhouse was heavily damaged. The hail was blown into drifts several inches high in many places.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

105°FAug 1, 1988

All-time low

−36°FJan 7, 1988

Warmest night

86°FJun 5, 1942

Coldest day

−19°F2 times, most recently Feb 2, 1917

Wettest day

8.84 inSep 23, 2010

Snowiest day

15.5 inDec 24, 2009

Hottest year

2024mean 50.2°F

Coldest year

1917mean 40.3°F

Wettest year

200544.84 in

Driest year

191014.25 in

Snowiest season

87.8 in2009-10

Station Windom (USC00219033), 1,382 ft elevation, 4.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1905 to October 27, 2026; 96.4% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00219033.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.