NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chatfield, 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 Chatfield, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 84 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 84
- 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 Chatfield
The highest rating among the 84 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on September 16, 1962, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 10, 1953, killed 2 people. Of the 84, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2025. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 51% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Chatfield. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 65 times since 1959, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 67% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Chatfield.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Chatfield
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s17
- 2000s5
- 1990s10
- 1980s7
- 1970s8
- 1960s19(2 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1953 | F4 | 6 mi | 162 mi | 2 / 24 |
| Sep 16, 1962 | F4 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 34 |
| May 5, 1965 | F3 | 23 mi | 65.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 20 mi | 28.68 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 8, 1999 | F2 | 17 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 17, 1982 | F2 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1982 | F2 | 10 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 5, 1980 | F2 | 16 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1979 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1977 | F2 | 3 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 30, 1967 | F2 | 11 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1965 | F2 | 11 mi | 23.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 84, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Chatfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 65 hail reports within 10 miles of Chatfield since 1959, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently July 22, 2013. The most recent report is from August 27, 2025. May has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Chatfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Preston, MN, 12 miles south of Chatfield at 930 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 4°F. June is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 36.8 inches over 69 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 166 nights a year. Snowfall averages 42.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 36.8 inches is more than at 118 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (95%). Saint Charles, 11 miles northeast, has its own station (Minnesota City Dam 5, MN): 35.4 inches a year, 1.4 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 4 | 1.1 | 4 | 11.0 |
| Feb | 28 | 8 | 1.2 | 3 | 8.2 |
| Mar | 41 | 21 | 2.0 | 5 | 7.5 |
| Apr | 55 | 32 | 3.8 | 7 | 2.5 |
| May | 68 | 44 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.3 |
| Jun | 78 | 54 | 6.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 58 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 56 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 47 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 35 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 43 | 23 | 1.9 | 4 | 2.6 |
| Dec | 29 | 12 | 1.4 | 4 | 9.8 |
| Year | 55 | 33 | 36.8 | 69 | 42.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Preston, MN (930 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 Chatfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 58 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Chatfield: 45 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 heavy rain events, 4 flash floods and 4 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $9.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 27, 1998.
September 23, 2010: flood 8 miles from the centre of Chatfield — $3.5 million damage.
NWS: “Flooding occurred on most of the rivers, streams, and creeks throughout the county. S.”
June 23, 2013: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Chatfield — $3.5 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain produced widespread flash flooding across the eastern half of Fillmore County. Mahoney Creek north of Lanesboro quickly came out of its banks sending water over State Highway 250.”
September 23, 2010: flood 4 miles from the centre of Chatfield — $1.4 million damage.
NWS: “Flooding occurred along rivers, creeks, and streams as well as in low-lying areas, with the worst impacts seen in the northern parts of the county. Numerous roads were closed and some were damaged by flood waters.”
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
Fillmore County, which includes Chatfield, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 6 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 Fillmore County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.0 million a year, the 38th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.9 million (70%), 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 Chatfield
- Saint Charles, MN11 mi
- Eyota, MN12 mi
- Preston, MN14 mi
- Spring Valley, MN15 mi
- Stewartville, MN17 mi
- Lewiston, MN18 mi
- Rochester, MN20 mi
- Rushford, MN21 mi
- Elgin, MN21 mi
- Plainview, MN22 mi
- Byron, MN27 mi
- Oronoco, MN29 mi
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