Hennepin County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Hennepin County: 14.
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 (474), NASA (3).

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. May 15, 1998Hail$450 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Severe damage to automobile dealership. Damage estimate for entire county.

2. May 22, 2011Tornado$166 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A strong EF-1 tornado touched down approximately 3/4 of a mile south-southwest of the intersection of Interstate 394 and Highway 100 in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. It traveled north-northeast through Golden Valley, and across North Minneapolis, before moving into Anoka County. ||Damage was widespread along the path and caused damage to businesses near the intersection of Interstate 394, and Highway 100. As it crossed Highway 100, it began to damage numerous residences along Cedar Lake Road before moving into Theodore Wirth Park. The tornado moved across Wirth Park, and into the City of North Minneapolis, between Glenwood Avenue and 16th Avenue. ||Most of the damage at this point…

3. Sep 21, 2005Thunderstorm Wind$130 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A large storm swept across most of northern Hennepin County, accompanied by large hail and a brief tornado. An NWS damage survey, spotter reports, video, and radar imagery indicate the storm had a very strong rear flank downdraft which was reported to have been sustained as long as 10 minutes in some locations. The wind and hail were responsible for virtually all damage (see separate reports for the hail), and a tornado was on the ground only briefly in Brooklyn Park (see separate tornado entry for Hennepin County). Tens of thousands of trees were downed, including some snapped a few feet off the ground. Many roads were blocked. Some neighborhoods were without power for more than…

4. Sep 16, 2006Tornado$30.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down on the western edge of Sylvan Lake and moved quickly northeast. It produced F0 damage to some farms and rural residences in Hassan Township before strengthening and entering the northwest corner of Rogers. It gained F2 status briefly as it moved through a residential neighborhood in Rogers, where it took the life of a 10 year old girl in a home. A home weather station 2/3 mile southeast of the tornado at this point measured 65 mph inflow winds. The tornado crossed Interstate 94 and entered another neighborhood, where F1 damage was produced. One house with significant damage had a home weather station in the back yard. Once the data were retrieved, its peak…

5. Jun 11, 2001Hail$25.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Many vehicles and structures damaged. Damage estimate is for all wind and hail damage in Hennepin County from the storm that occurred from 1630 to 1708.

6. Aug 24, 2006Hail$20.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Vehicles, homes and businesses damaged. Damage total includes all storm reports from August 24 in Hennepin County.

7. Dec 10, 2010Winter Storm, Hennepin$18.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Snowfall amounts averaged around 16 inches across the southern part of the county, with lesser amounts in the north. The metrodome roof collapsed under the weight of the snow, with a replacement cost of approximately 18.3 Million dollars.

8. Jun 21, 2013Thunderstorm Wind$17.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread trees and power lines were blown down between Uptown, Powderhorn and Longfellow neighborhoods in south Minneapolis. Some of the trees were in excess of two feet in diameter.

9. May 1, 2001Hail$10.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Reported at 60th and Penn. Ave. Damage estimate pertains to all of the hail reports across Hennepin County. Numerous buildings and vehicles damaged.

10. Aug 11, 2023Hail$5.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    In the Bryn Mawr nieghborhood the hail was mostly golf ball size, with a few 2.5 to 3 inch stones.

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°FJul 31, 1988

All-time low

−34°FJan 19, 1970

Warmest night

82°FJun 22, 2025

Coldest day

−17°F2 times, most recently Feb 2, 1996

Wettest day

9.15 inJul 23, 1987

Snowiest day

18.5 inNov 1, 1991

Hottest year

2024mean 50.9°F

Coldest year

1972mean 41.3°F

Wettest year

201943.17 in

Driest year

195816.20 in

Snowiest season

98.6 in1983-84

Station Minneapolis-st Paul International Airport (USW00014922), 835 ft elevation, 9.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1938 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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 USW00014922.
• 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.