NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fairmont, 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 Fairmont, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 64 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 64
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Fairmont
The strongest of the 64 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on August 1, 2006; its path came within 19 miles. Of the 64, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2024. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 72% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Fairmont. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 80 times since 1958, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 54% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Fairmont.
Compare Fairmont's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Fairmont
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s14
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s11
- 1980s4
- 1970s11
- 1960s9
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2006 | F3 | 19 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1998 | F2 | 22 mi | 31.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1977 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1976 | F2 | 14 mi | 26.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 18, 1968 | F2 | 16 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1967 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1967 | F2 | 24 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1967 | F2 | 20 mi | 8.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1962 | F2 | 23 mi | 42.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 1960 | F2 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1951 | F2 | 3 mi | 14.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 2018 | EF1 | 6 mi | 6.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 64, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fairmont
The Storm Prediction Center has 80 hail reports within 10 miles of Fairmont since 1958, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 61 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 6, 1965. The most recent report is from May 20, 2024. June has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fairmont
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fairmont, MN, in Fairmont at 1,187 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 7°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 33.5 inches over 61 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 151 nights a year. That 33.5 inches is more than at 95 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (77%). Blue Earth, 18 miles east, has its own station (Winnebago, MN): 34.0 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 7 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Feb | 28 | 10 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Mar | 41 | 22 | 1.9 | 4 |
| Apr | 56 | 35 | 3.5 | 7 |
| May | 69 | 49 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Jul | 83 | 64 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Sep | 75 | 52 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Oct | 60 | 39 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Nov | 43 | 25 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Dec | 29 | 13 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Year | 56 | 37 | 33.5 | 61 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fairmont, MN (1,187 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 Fairmont
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 76 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fairmont: 63 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 5 heavy rain events, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 72 mph, on June 20, 2005. June has had the most flash floods, 2 of 6. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 168 have had fewer than Fairmont.
May 15, 1998: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Fairmont — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Grain bin blown over. Estimated windspeed.”
May 19, 1996: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Fairmont — $600,000 damage.
August 24, 2003: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Fairmont — $450,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees down, including some on houses, sheds, vehicles and power lines. Combination of strong wind and large hail destroyed an estimated 9000 acres of corn and beans.”
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
Martin County, which includes Fairmont, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 4 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 Martin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.1 million a year, the 48th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.3 million (33%), 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 Fairmont
- Truman, MN13 mi
- Blue Earth, MN18 mi
- Estherville, IA25 mi
- Saint James, MN25 mi
- Jackson, MN27 mi
- Madelia, MN28 mi
- Mountain Lake, MN31 mi
- Mapleton, MN33 mi
- Lake Crystal, MN35 mi
- Spirit Lake, IA36 mi
- Lakefield, MN37 mi
- Windom, MN37 mi
All Minnesota cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Fairmont with another place →