NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit East Grand Forks, 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 East Grand Forks, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 112 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 112
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for East Grand Forks
The strongest of the 112 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on June 17, 2010; its path came within 19 miles. Of the 112, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 73 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 51. The most recent tornado was on August 8, 2025. East Grand Forks has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 87% of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 168 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). East Grand Forks has more hail reports within 10 miles than 76% of the 341 Minnesota cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of East Grand Forks
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s34(1 EF3+)
- 2000s27
- 1990s13
- 1980s8
- 1970s10
- 1960s1
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF4 | 19 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 11, 1958 | F3 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 27, 2015 | EF2 | 23 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2014 | EF2 | 19 mi | 37.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 2010 | EF2 | 22 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF2 | 15 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 2007 | EF2 | 17 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2005 | F2 | 14 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2005 | F2 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2005 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1999 | F2 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1977 | F2 | 19 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 112, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in East Grand Forks
The Storm Prediction Center has 168 hail reports within 10 miles of East Grand Forks since 1962, made on 86 separate days. Of these, 85 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 16, 1987. The most recent report is from July 7, 2025. July has the most reports, 46.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in East Grand Forks
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Grand Forks Univ (NWS), ND, 6 miles southwest of East Grand Forks at 830 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 15°F and -1°F. June is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 22.8 inches over 47 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 179 nights a year. Snowfall averages 48.7 inches a year, most of it in December. That 22.8 inches is more than at 1 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (1%). Warren, 20 miles northeast, has its own station (Argyle, MN): 23.0 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | -1 | 0.5 | 2 | 9.5 |
| Feb | 20 | 3 | 0.6 | 2 | 8.2 |
| Mar | 34 | 17 | 0.9 | 3 | 7.8 |
| Apr | 52 | 31 | 1.2 | 3 | 3.0 |
| May | 67 | 44 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 76 | 55 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 59 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 57 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 70 | 47 | 2.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 53 | 35 | 2.0 | 4 | 1.5 |
| Nov | 35 | 20 | 0.8 | 2 | 5.1 |
| Dec | 21 | 6 | 0.7 | 2 | 13.5 |
| Year | 50 | 31 | 22.8 | 47 | 48.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Grand Forks Univ (NWS), ND (830 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 East Grand Forks
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 208 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of East Grand Forks: 179 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 flash floods, 5 heavy rain events, 4 floods and 3 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on May 22, 2016. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 266 have had fewer than East Grand Forks.
April 18, 2023: flood 3 miles from the centre of East Grand Forks — $1.0 million damage.
August 8, 2001: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of East Grand Forks — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “The strong wind hit East Grand Forks, knocking over trees, powerlines, signs, and traffic lights. An estimated 400 trees were flattened by the storm, falling on roofs, vehicles, and homes.”
July 8, 2018: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of East Grand Forks — $105,000 damage.
NWS: “Roof panels and roofing material was peeled up from a steel clad pole shed and flung over 100 yards to the east-southeast. Nearby farmsteads across northern Huntsville and southern Sullivan townships had large tree branches blown down and had shingles and gutters torn off the houses and sheds.”
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 East Grand Forks's ZIP code 56721 have filed 1,226 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $33.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 926 claims (76% of all) and $32.6 million, then Not a named storm in 1979 with 134 and Severe flooding in 2001 with 15. 88% 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, 119 have fewer than East Grand Forks.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 926 | $32.6 million |
| Not a named storm1979 | 134 | $667,000 |
| Severe flooding2001 | 15 | $23,000 |
Polk County, which includes East Grand Forks, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 26 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 floods, 8 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 Polk County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $26.9 million a year, the 23rd highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.4 million (50%), 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 East Grand Forks
- Grand Forks, ND5 mi
- Thompson, ND14 mi
- Warren, MN20 mi
- Crookston, MN23 mi
- Red Lake Falls, MN33 mi
- Mayville, ND35 mi
- Grafton, ND37 mi
- Thief River Falls, MN39 mi
- Hillsboro, ND39 mi
- Ada, MN49 mi
- Fosston, MN64 mi
- Cavalier, ND67 mi
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