NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Blue Earth, 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 Blue Earth, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 97 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 97
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Blue Earth
The strongest of the 97 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on June 17, 2010; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 97, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 43 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 48. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2025. Blue Earth has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 63% of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 43 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 90% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Blue Earth.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Blue Earth
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s28(1 EF3+)
- 2000s8
- 1990s19
- 1980s15(1 EF3+)
- 1970s6
- 1960s9
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF4 | 23 mi | 16.91 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Jun 7, 1984 | F3 | 22 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 21, 1953 | F3 | 23 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1976 | F2 | 20 mi | 24.6 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Jun 25, 2010 | EF2 | 24 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF2 | 20 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF2 | 20 mi | 1.46 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1998 | F2 | 11 mi | 31.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1994 | F2 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1984 | F2 | 20 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1984 | F2 | 21 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 17, 1982 | F2 | 22 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 97, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Blue Earth
The Storm Prediction Center has 43 hail reports within 10 miles of Blue Earth since 1961, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently July 25, 2018. The most recent report is from August 11, 2023. June has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Blue Earth
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Winnebago, MN, 10 miles north of Blue Earth at 1,110 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 23°F and 6°F. June is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 34.0 inches over 64 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from May to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 159 nights a year. Snowfall averages 47.2 inches a year, most of it in December. That 34.0 inches is more than at 99 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (80%). Fairmont, 18 miles west, has its own station (Fairmont, MN): 33.5 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | 6 | 0.9 | 3 | 10.4 |
| Feb | 28 | 10 | 1.0 | 3 | 9.1 |
| Mar | 40 | 23 | 1.9 | 5 | 7.3 |
| Apr | 56 | 36 | 3.5 | 7 | 4.1 |
| May | 69 | 48 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 59 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 51 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 38 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 43 | 25 | 1.6 | 4 | 5.4 |
| Dec | 29 | 13 | 1.2 | 4 | 10.5 |
| Year | 55 | 36 | 34.0 | 64 | 47.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Winnebago, MN (1,110 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 Blue Earth
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 37 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Blue Earth: 26 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods, 3 flash floods, 3 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $10.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 19, 1996.
May 6, 2012: lightning strike 1 mile from the centre of Blue Earth — 2 killed, 2 injured.
NWS: “m. The deceased were a 39 year old male, and a 47 year old male.”
May 15, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Blue Earth — $10.0 million damage.
NWS: “20 to 40 homes damaged. Estimated windspeed.”
June 18, 2014: flood 9 miles from the centre of Blue Earth — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Multiple local and county roads were closed and there were some impacts to wastewater treatment plants and drinking water systems.”
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
Faribault County, which includes Blue Earth, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on June 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Faribault County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.9 million a year, the 49th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.7 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 Blue Earth
- Fairmont, MN18 mi
- Wells, MN20 mi
- Truman, MN22 mi
- Mapleton, MN22 mi
- Lake Mills, IA33 mi
- Madelia, MN33 mi
- New Richland, MN34 mi
- Forest City, IA34 mi
- Lake Crystal, MN35 mi
- Saint James, MN36 mi
- Albert Lea, MN37 mi
- Mankato, MN37 mi
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