NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elgin, 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 Elgin, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 83 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 83
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Elgin
The highest rating among the 83 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on September 16, 1962, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 10, 1953, killed 2 people. Of the 83, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 27 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2025. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Elgin. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 90 times since 1965, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Elgin has more hail reports within 10 miles than 53% of the 341 Minnesota cities.
Compare Elgin's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Elgin
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s14
- 2000s2
- 1990s12
- 1980s16
- 1970s9
- 1960s17(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1953 | F4 | 22 mi | 162 mi | 2 / 24 |
| Sep 16, 1962 | F4 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 34 |
| Jul 8, 1999 | F2 | 21 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 17, 1982 | F2 | 13 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1982 | F2 | 14 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 29, 1981 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 5, 1980 | F2 | 24 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1979 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1977 | F2 | 24 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 30, 1967 | F2 | 10 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1965 | F2 | 24 mi | 23.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1964 | F2 | 11 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 83, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elgin
The Storm Prediction Center has 90 hail reports within 10 miles of Elgin since 1965, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 59 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 11, 2022. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 29.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elgin
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Theilman 1SSW, MN, 11 miles northeast of Elgin at 753 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 4°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 35.7 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 170 nights a year. Snowfall averages 48.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 35.7 inches is more than at 114 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (92%). Eyota, 9 miles south, has its own station (Rochester International Airport, MN): 34.7 inches a year, 1.0 less than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 4 | 1.0 | 3 | 9.9 |
| Feb | 30 | 8 | 1.1 | 3 | 12.1 |
| Mar | 42 | 21 | 2.0 | 5 | 9.0 |
| Apr | 57 | 33 | 3.4 | 7 | 2.7 |
| May | 69 | 45 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 60 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 58 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 49 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 36 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Nov | 43 | 25 | 2.0 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 30 | 13 | 1.3 | 4 | 11.7 |
| Year | 56 | 34 | 35.7 | 69 | 48.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Theilman 1SSW, MN (753 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 Elgin
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 53 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elgin: 45 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 2 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $6.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on December 15, 2021.
September 23, 2010: flood 8 miles from the centre of Elgin — $4.6 million damage.
NWS: “Major flooding occurred in the town of Hammond due to record flooding on the Zumbro River. Of the 75 homes in the town, 19 were damaged and 20 were destroyed.”
August 18, 2007: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Elgin — $1.2 million damage.
NWS: “Flash flooding quickly hit area creeks, even into the Millville, Plainview, and Zumbro Falls area. Several roads were closed as flood waters peaked overnight including damage to some businesses and homes.”
August 19, 2007: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Elgin — $430,000 damage.
NWS: “County Highways 2 and 25 were closed near the Wabasha/Olmsted county line.”
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
Wabasha County, which includes Elgin, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on June 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wabasha 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 $17.5 million a year, the 35th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.3 million (65%), 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.