NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Backus, 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 Backus, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 27 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 27
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Backus
The highest rating among the 27 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 6, 1969, came within 14 miles. Of the 27, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on June 12, 2024. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 90% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Backus. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 59 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Backus.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Backus
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s1
- 2000s7
- 1990s2
- 1970s6
- 1960s7(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 6, 1969 | F4 | 14 mi | 32.3 mi | 12 / 70 |
| Jun 11, 1966 | F4 | 15 mi | 72.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1969 | F3 | in town | 17.3 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 12, 2024 | EF2 | 15 mi | 3.16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 2022 | EF2 | 25 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 1977 | F2 | 19 mi | 110.4 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jul 5, 1991 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.3 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 30, 2022 | EF1 | 16 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2020 | EF1 | 15 mi | 6.18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 2008 | EF1 | 16 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 2008 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2002 | F1 | 13 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 27, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Backus
The Storm Prediction Center has 59 hail reports within 10 miles of Backus since 1984, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 12, 2024. The most recent report is from August 3, 2024. June has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Backus
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Walker, MN, 19 miles north of Backus at 1,430 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 19°F and 1°F. June is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 28.1 inches over 60 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 174 nights a year. That 28.1 inches is more than at 32 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (26%). Pine River, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (Pine Rvr Dam, MN): 28.8 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | 1 | 0.8 | 3 |
| Feb | 25 | 4 | 0.7 | 3 |
| Mar | 38 | 18 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Apr | 52 | 31 | 2.2 | 5 |
| May | 66 | 44 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Jun | 75 | 55 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 79 | 59 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 77 | 57 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Sep | 68 | 49 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Oct | 53 | 36 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 37 | 22 | 1.3 | 4 |
| Dec | 25 | 8 | 0.8 | 3 |
| Year | 51 | 32 | 28.1 | 60 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Walker, MN (1,430 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 Backus
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 34 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Backus: 33 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flash flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $52,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 29, 1996.
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
Cass County, which includes Backus, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 5 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 Cass County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.9 million a year, the 45th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.9 million (56%), 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 Backus
- Pine River, MN9 mi
- Pequot Lakes, MN18 mi
- Walker, MN19 mi
- Nevis, MN19 mi
- Crosslake, MN22 mi
- Nisswa, MN24 mi
- Sebeka, MN28 mi
- Merrifield, MN28 mi
- Menahga, MN28 mi
- Park Rapids, MN28 mi
- Pillager, MN31 mi
- Crosby, MN32 mi
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