NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Battle Lake, 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 Battle Lake, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 86 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 86
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Battle Lake
The highest rating among the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 8, 2020, came within 9 miles. Of the 86, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on June 16, 2025. Battle Lake has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 49 times since 1967, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 85% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Battle Lake.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Battle Lake
By decade
- 2020s15(1 EF3+)
- 2010s21(1 EF3+)
- 2000s21(1 EF3+)
- 1990s6
- 1980s4
- 1970s6
- 1960s7
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 2020 | EF4 | 9 mi | 8.86 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF4 | 16 mi | 39.56 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jun 13, 2001 | F3 | 20 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 15, 1987 | F2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 1 / 8 |
| May 30, 2022 | EF2 | 19 mi | 11.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2022 | EF2 | 24 mi | 6.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 2020 | EF2 | 19 mi | 13.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2020 | EF2 | 11 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 2007 | EF2 | 24 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 2005 | F2 | 12 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2005 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2005 | F2 | 12 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 86, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Battle Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 49 hail reports within 10 miles of Battle Lake since 1967, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on August 9, 2005. The most recent report is from July 13, 2023. July has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Battle Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fergus Falls, MN, 20 miles west of Battle Lake at 1,250 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 18°F and 0°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 27.0 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 174 nights a year. That 27.0 inches is more than at 21 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (17%). Henning, 12 miles east, has its own station (New York Mills, MN): 26.8 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | 0 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Feb | 22 | 3 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Mar | 36 | 18 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Apr | 53 | 32 | 2.0 | 4 |
| May | 67 | 45 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Jun | 76 | 56 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Jul | 81 | 61 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Aug | 79 | 57 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Sep | 71 | 49 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 56 | 35 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 38 | 21 | 1.0 | 4 |
| Dec | 24 | 8 | 0.7 | 3 |
| Year | 52 | 32 | 27.0 | 53 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fergus Falls, MN (1,250 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 Battle Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 52 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Battle Lake: 51 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flash flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $270,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 29, 2001.
May 30, 2022: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Battle Lake — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “A fifth wheel dual-axle camper was flipped over near Stalker Lake. Numerous large trees were snapped or uprooted around Stalker and Long Lakes.”
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
Otter Tail County, which includes Battle Lake, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 7, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Otter Tail County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.7 million a year, the 14th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.2 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 Battle Lake
- Henning, MN12 mi
- Fergus Falls, MN17 mi
- Parkers Prairie, MN20 mi
- New York Mills, MN23 mi
- Perham, MN23 mi
- Pelican Rapids, MN28 mi
- Wadena, MN29 mi
- Alexandria, MN32 mi
- Frazee, MN32 mi
- Detroit Lakes, MN37 mi
- Verndale, MN37 mi
- Osakis, MN40 mi
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