NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bemidji, 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 Bemidji, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 38 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 38
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Bemidji
The highest rating among the 38 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 5, 1981, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on July 5, 1978, killed 4 people. Of the 38, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on July 19, 2023. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 86% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bemidji. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 120 times since 1956, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Bemidji has more hail reports within 10 miles than 66% of the 341 Minnesota cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Bemidji
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s8
- 2000s11
- 1990s3
- 1980s4
- 1970s4
- 1960s3
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 1978 | F2 | 25 mi | 57.5 mi | 4 / 44 |
| Aug 5, 1981 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2022 | EF1 | 11 mi | 3.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2021 | EF1 | 24 mi | 4.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 2018 | EF1 | 25 mi | 25.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 2018 | EF1 | 1 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 2017 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 2016 | EF1 | 14 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF1 | 22 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 2008 | EF1 | 24 mi | 5.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 2008 | EF1 | 22 mi | 2.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2005 | F1 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 38, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bemidji
The Storm Prediction Center has 120 hail reports within 10 miles of Bemidji since 1956, made on 65 separate days. Of these, 77 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 4, 2019. The most recent report is from August 3, 2024. July has the most reports, 46.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bemidji
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cass Lake, MN, 15 miles southeast of Bemidji at 1,296 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 18°F and -4°F. June is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 26.5 inches over 58 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 187 nights a year. Snowfall averages 48.9 inches a year, most of it in December. That 26.5 inches is more than at 18 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (15%). Bagley, 26 miles west, has its own station (Itasca Univ Of Minn, MN): 27.6 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | -4 | 0.8 | 3 | 9.1 |
| Feb | 24 | 0 | 0.7 | 3 | 9.3 |
| Mar | 37 | 15 | 1.2 | 3 | 6.2 |
| Apr | 51 | 29 | 2.0 | 5 | 5.6 |
| May | 65 | 42 | 2.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 75 | 53 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 58 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 56 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 68 | 47 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 52 | 34 | 2.8 | 6 | 1.4 |
| Nov | 36 | 20 | 1.3 | 4 | 5.8 |
| Dec | 23 | 6 | 1.0 | 3 | 11.5 |
| Year | 50 | 30 | 26.5 | 58 | 48.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cass Lake, MN (1,296 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 Bemidji
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 98 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bemidji: 92 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $201,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 106 mph, on June 20, 2025. July has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 132 have had fewer than Bemidji.
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
Beltrami County, which includes Bemidji, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 floods, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding, on July 13, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Beltrami County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.1 million a year, the 30th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.5 million (67%), 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 Bemidji
- Cass Lake, MN16 mi
- Laporte, MN17 mi
- Blackduck, MN22 mi
- Bagley, MN26 mi
- Red Lake, MN28 mi
- Walker, MN32 mi
- Nevis, MN37 mi
- Park Rapids, MN38 mi
- Fosston, MN41 mi
- Deer River, MN49 mi
- Mahnomen, MN49 mi
- Backus, MN50 mi
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