Polk County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Polk County: 4.
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.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by USGS MN (633), ND GS (14).

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. Apr 17, 1997Flood, West Polk$600 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Red River crested in East Grand Forks on the 21st/22nd just over 54 feet, shattering the previous record by over 5 feet. Problems with the river gauge led to difficulties in obtaining stages. The 9,000 residents of East Grand Forks were evacuated from their homes on the 18th and 19th, due to the failure of the city dikes. Many homes were completely submerged in water. All of the bridges to Grand Forks were covered with water. Schools in East Grand Forks were cancelled for the remainder of the year. The Red Lake River set a new record in Crookston on the 17th, causing hundreds of people to evacuate their homes.

2. Jun 29, 2018Tornado$6.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado was likely wrapped in downburst winds and heavy rain for most of its path. It tracked nearly due east at about 60 mph, for at least 15 miles. It tore down trees in shelterbelts and tore roofing off of a couple of homes and farm buildings. It tore down 11 miles, or more than 50 high voltage towers, and snapped wooden power poles at cross roads along its path. Peak winds were estimated at 120 mph.

3. Apr 5, 1997Blizzard, West Polk$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   With falling temperatures on the back side of the low, the freezing rain changed to snow. A strong pressure gradient created winds up to 65 mph, dropping visibilities down to near zero. The strong wind, on top of heavy ice accumulations, caused thousands of power poles to snap. This cut power to over 100,000 people in eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota and caused $30 million in damages to the power infrastructure. With no heat, many people had to seek shelters with generator power. Some smaller communities were without power for more than a week. Snowfall totals on the 6th ranged around 7 inches. Three men from China slid off a road 3 miles south of Borup into a…

4. Apr 7, 2001Flood, West Polk$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The winter brought 45.3 inches of snow to the Grand Forks-East Grand Forks area, which is slightly above the average of 40 inches. Snow water contents across Polk county ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 inches. The snow over Polk county had melted by the 1st of April, and the snowmelt began to affect the rivers. Then, a heavy rain event occurred on the 7th, and brought 1 to 2 inches of rain to the Red River basin. The Red Lake River rose quickly after this rain event. In Crookston, an ice jam developed in Hewitt Park on the night of the 9th, rocketing the Red Lake River to 26.38 feet. At its peak rate of rise, the Red Lake River jumped nearly 8 feet in 6 hours. 60 National Guard troops were…

5. Apr 4, 1997Ice Storm, West Polk$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An intense low pressure system, with center pressures around 28.8 inches, tracked from Fergus Falls to International Falls. The initial rain was accompanied by thunder and lightning in Polk county, and then changed to freezing rain as the temperature fell. One-half to one inch of ice built up on exposed surfaces. Hundreds of power poles and lines snapped due to the weight of the ice, cutting power to many homes and businesses, many of which were beginning to fight the spring flood. The wind equipment froze up on ASOS and AWOS units across northwest Minnesota, and remained frozen for 7 days. The 3 inches of liquid equivalent from the storm fell on top of a record snowpack.

6. Apr 1, 2006Flood$932,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Red River at Grand Forks/East Grand Forks rose above flood stage around 4 PM CST on March 31st and remained above flood stage until around 6 PM CST on April 22nd. The river peaked at roughly 47.85 feet around 2 AM CST on April 6th. Unofficially, 47.85 feet would be the fifth highest modern-day river stage recorded. The seventh highest modern-day river stage of 25.00 feet (unofficial) was recorded on the Red Lake River at Crookston on April 2nd. The Red Lake River crest actually arrived in the Grand Forks/East Grand Forks area prior to the Red River crest. On the Red Lake River, an ice jam caused the river to peak a second time, just after the first crest. A voluntary…

7. Aug 8, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The strong wind hit East Grand Forks, knocking over trees, powerlines, signs, and traffic lights. An estimated 400 trees were flattened by the storm, falling on roofs, vehicles, and homes. Power was knocked out for about half of the city. Windows in the new city hall building were broken and the roof on an apartment building was torn off. A semi trailer was also blown over as were the outer boards on an outdoor skating rink.

8. May 30, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   There were many reports of damage around Crookston, with many trees, power lines, and street signs blown over. A small shed was blown down and falling tree limbs damaged the roofs of numerous homes.

9. May 14, 1998Lightning$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck a church in Angus, igniting a fire that totally destroyed the church.

10. Jun 24, 1997Flash Flood$200,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Seven inches of rain caused many basements to fill with several inches to several feet of water. Several township roads were also washed out.

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°F3 times, most recently Jul 12, 1936

All-time low

−51°FFeb 15, 1936

Warmest night

82°FJul 17, 1894

Coldest day

−29°FFeb 2, 1996

Wettest day

5.85 inAug 31, 1908

Snowiest day

15.0 inNov 18, 1998

Hottest year

2024mean 45.1°F

Coldest year

1950mean 35.0°F

Wettest year

194130.83 in

Driest year

19369.99 in

Snowiest season

100.6 in1996-97

Station Crookston Nw Experiment Station (USC00211891), 891 ft elevation, 3.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1890 to October 27, 2026; 90.6% 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 USC00211891.
• 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.