NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Esko, 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 Esko, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 15
- 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 Esko
The strongest of the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 11, 1966; its path came within 24 miles. Of the 15, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 4 each. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2022. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Esko. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 116 times since 1971, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Esko has more hail reports within 10 miles than 65% of the 341 Minnesota cities.
Compare Esko's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Esko
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s2
- 1980s2
- 1970s5
- 1960s3(2 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 11, 1966 | F4 | 24 mi | 72.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1969 | F3 | 24 mi | 18.4 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Sep 3, 1980 | F2 | 25 mi | 9.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 1970 | F2 | 24 mi | 22.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 11, 2022 | EF1 | 24 mi | 4.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1986 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1976 | F1 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1973 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 1970 | F1 | 20 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 2022 | EF0 | 21 mi | 3.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2012 | EF0 | 15 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2012 | EF0 | 15 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 15, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Esko
The Storm Prediction Center has 116 hail reports within 10 miles of Esko since 1971, made on 56 separate days. Of these, 56 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on September 16, 2021. The most recent report is from July 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 35.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Esko
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cloquet, MN, 8 miles west of Esko at 1,265 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 54°F; January is the coolest, at 18°F and 2°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 32.8 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 191 nights a year. Snowfall averages 71.3 inches a year, most of it in December. That 32.8 inches is more than at 86 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (69%). Proctor, 7 miles northeast, has its own station (Duluth, MN): 31.3 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and a July average high of 78°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | 2 | 1.0 | 3 | 13.5 |
| Feb | 24 | 5 | 1.0 | 3 | 13.5 |
| Mar | 37 | 16 | 1.4 | 4 | 10.3 |
| Apr | 50 | 28 | 2.4 | 6 | 6.4 |
| May | 64 | 38 | 3.5 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Jun | 74 | 48 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 54 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 76 | 53 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 67 | 46 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 52 | 34 | 3.3 | 6 | 1.8 |
| Nov | 35 | 22 | 1.8 | 4 | 9.6 |
| Dec | 23 | 9 | 1.5 | 4 | 15.9 |
| Year | 50 | 30 | 32.8 | 66 | 71.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cloquet, MN (1,265 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 Esko
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 95 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Esko: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes and 3 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $25.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 4, 2018. June has had the most flash floods, 10 of 13. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 247 have had fewer than Esko.
July 27, 2010: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Esko — 1 injured.
June 20, 2012: flash flood in Esko — $20.0 million damage.
NWS: “Jay Cooke State Park was evacuated due to severe flooding of the St. |Highway 210 through the park was heavily damage.”
June 20, 2012: flood 4 miles from the centre of Esko — $3.0 million damage.
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
Carlton County, which includes Esko, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on July 19, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Carlton County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $31.7 million a year, the 17th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.4 million (36%), 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.