NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Detroit Lakes, 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 Detroit Lakes, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 71 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 71
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Detroit Lakes
The strongest of the 71 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on June 20, 1957; its path came within 18 miles, and it killed 10 people. Of the 71, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on June 16, 2025. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 65% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Detroit Lakes. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 98 times since 1966, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Detroit Lakes has more hail reports within 10 miles than 58% of the 341 Minnesota cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Detroit Lakes
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s5
- 2000s22
- 1990s10
- 1980s5
- 1970s8
- 1960s8
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 1957 | F5 | 18 mi | 52.4 mi | 10 / 103 |
| Jun 24, 2022 | EF2 | 8 mi | 30.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 2007 | EF2 | 10 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 5, 2004 | F2 | 20 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1996 | F2 | 20 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1965 | F2 | 17 mi | 24.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1964 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Aug 25, 1960 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 1959 | F2 | 24 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1959 | F2 | 22 mi | 14.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2022 | EF1 | 20 mi | 5.39 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2020 | EF1 | 16 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 71, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Detroit Lakes
The Storm Prediction Center has 98 hail reports within 10 miles of Detroit Lakes since 1966, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on July 4, 1966. The most recent report is from July 23, 2024. July has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Detroit Lakes
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Detroit Lakes 1 NNE, MN, 2 miles north of Detroit Lakes at 1,355 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 17°F and -4°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 29.6 inches over 60 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 177 nights a year. Snowfall averages 47.6 inches a year, most of it in December. That 29.6 inches is more than at 50 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (40%). Pelican Rapids, 17 miles southwest, has its own station (Rothsay, MN): 24.8 inches a year, 4.8 less than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 17 | -4 | 0.8 | 2 | 8.3 |
| Feb | 23 | 0 | 0.7 | 2 | 9.4 |
| Mar | 36 | 15 | 1.0 | 3 | 7.7 |
| Apr | 52 | 29 | 2.0 | 4 | 5.3 |
| May | 66 | 42 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 53 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 58 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 55 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 70 | 46 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 53 | 34 | 2.8 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Nov | 37 | 19 | 1.4 | 3 | 4.8 |
| Dec | 22 | 6 | 1.0 | 4 | 11.0 |
| Year | 51 | 30 | 29.6 | 60 | 47.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Detroit Lakes 1 NNE, MN (1,355 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 Detroit Lakes
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 71 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Detroit Lakes: 66 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on October 13, 2021.
July 11, 2017: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Detroit Lakes — $400,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous large trees were snapped or uprooted around Lake Sallie, Lake Melissa, and the greater Detroit Lakes area. Roads were blocked by fallen trees and power lines were blown down.”
July 11, 2017: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Detroit Lakes — $350,000 damage.
NWS: “The wind gust was measured by a RAWS station. Numerous trees were snapped near Floyd Lake.”
July 4, 2010: flash flood in Detroit Lakes — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Street flooding occurred in Detroit Lakes. Roosevelt Avenue was barricaded due to water over the roadway, mainly on the north side of U.”
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Detroit Lakes's ZIP code 56501 have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1997, and were paid $279,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 25% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 120 Minnesota cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 27 have fewer than Detroit Lakes.
Becker County, which includes Detroit Lakes, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 7 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 Becker County a Very 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 $11.7 million a year, the 52nd highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.0 million (60%), 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 Detroit Lakes
- Frazee, MN12 mi
- Lake Park, MN13 mi
- Pelican Rapids, MN17 mi
- Perham, MN20 mi
- Hawley, MN22 mi
- New York Mills, MN29 mi
- Barnesville, MN29 mi
- Glyndon, MN34 mi
- Menahga, MN36 mi
- Mahnomen, MN36 mi
- Battle Lake, MN37 mi
- Fergus Falls, MN38 mi
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