NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Aurora, MN
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Aurora, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 12 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 12
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Aurora
The highest rating among the 12 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 6, 1969, came within 25 miles. Of the 12, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 3 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 7. The most recent tornado was on September 19, 2024. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Aurora. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1977, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 96% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Aurora.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Aurora
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 1990s3
- 1970s2
- 1960s4(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 6, 1969 | F3 | 24 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1969 | F3 | 25 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Aug 6, 1969 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1969 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 19, 2024 | EF1 | 21 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 2016 | EF1 | 20 mi | 7.23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 2015 | EF1 | 11 mi | 1.58 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 1974 | F1 | 8 mi | 34.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1971 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 12, 1995 | F0 | 15 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 1992 | F0 | 23 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 1992 | F0 | 15 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 12, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Aurora
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Aurora since 1977, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 17, 2017. The most recent report is from June 12, 2024. August has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Aurora
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Embarrass, MN, 13 miles north of Aurora at 1,425 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 49°F; January is the coolest, at 17°F and -7°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 28.3 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 1 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 223 nights a year. That 28.3 inches is more than at 34 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (27%). Gilbert, 8 miles west, has its own station (Eveleth Wwtp, MN): 27.8 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and a July average high of 77°F against 78°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | -7 | 0.8 | 3 |
| Feb | 23 | -5 | 0.7 | 3 |
| Mar | 36 | 9 | 1.2 | 4 |
| Apr | 50 | 23 | 2.0 | 5 |
| May | 64 | 35 | 3.0 | 8 |
| Jun | 73 | 45 | 4.4 | 9 |
| Jul | 78 | 49 | 3.6 | 8 |
| Aug | 76 | 47 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 66 | 41 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Oct | 51 | 30 | 2.9 | 7 |
| Nov | 34 | 17 | 1.1 | 4 |
| Dec | 22 | 3 | 1.2 | 4 |
| Year | 49 | 24 | 28.3 | 68 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Embarrass, MN (1,425 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Aurora
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 39 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Aurora: 32 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $85,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 107 mph, on September 5, 2023. September has had the most flash floods, 5 of 6. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 168 have had fewer than Aurora.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
St. Louis County, which includes Aurora, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on June 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives St. Louis County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $112.4 million a year, the 5th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $49.8 million (44%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. 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).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets 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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Aurora
- Gilbert, MN8 mi
- Hoyt Lakes, MN9 mi
- Eveleth, MN13 mi
- Virginia, MN15 mi
- Mountain Iron, MN20 mi
- Chisholm, MN30 mi
- Hibbing, MN33 mi
- Ely, MN35 mi
- Two Harbors, MN37 mi
- Saginaw, MN39 mi
- Nashwauk, MN43 mi
- Duluth, MN43 mi
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