NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fergus Falls, 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 Fergus Falls, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 92 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 92
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Fergus Falls
The highest rating among the 92 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 8, 2020, came within 14 miles. Of the 92, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on June 16, 2025. Fergus Falls has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1958, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 62% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Fergus Falls.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Fergus Falls
By decade
- 2020s15(1 EF3+)
- 2010s24(1 EF3+)
- 2000s27
- 1990s4
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s4
- 1960s5
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 2020 | EF4 | 14 mi | 8.86 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Aug 7, 2010 | EF4 | 23 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1982 | F3 | 15 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1955 | F3 | 22 mi | 18.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 15, 1987 | F2 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 1 / 8 |
| May 30, 2022 | EF2 | 17 mi | 11.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2022 | EF2 | 23 mi | 6.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 2022 | EF2 | 17 mi | 9.77 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 2020 | EF2 | 20 mi | 13.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 4, 2014 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 2007 | EF2 | 20 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 2005 | F2 | 8 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 92, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fergus Falls
The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of Fergus Falls since 1958, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.25 inches, was reported on 2 days, most recently August 9, 2005. The most recent report is from July 13, 2024. August has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fergus Falls
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fergus Falls, MN, 2 miles west of Fergus Falls at 1,250 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 18°F and 0°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 27.0 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 174 nights a year. That 27.0 inches is more than at 21 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (17%). Pelican Rapids, 23 miles north, has its own station (Rothsay, MN): 24.8 inches a year, 2.2 less than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | 0 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Feb | 22 | 3 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Mar | 36 | 18 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Apr | 53 | 32 | 2.0 | 4 |
| May | 67 | 45 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Jun | 76 | 56 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Jul | 81 | 61 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Aug | 79 | 57 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Sep | 71 | 49 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 56 | 35 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 38 | 21 | 1.0 | 4 |
| Dec | 24 | 8 | 0.7 | 3 |
| Year | 52 | 32 | 27.0 | 53 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fergus Falls, MN (1,250 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 Fergus Falls
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 88 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fergus Falls: 77 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 2 floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 20, 2005. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 190 have had fewer than Fergus Falls.
July 8, 2020: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Fergus Falls — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Several large oak trees were snapped across the northern half of Western Township. A wide snarl was evident, indicating a weak embedded circulation in an otherwise downburst pattern.”
June 13, 2017: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Fergus Falls — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Roofs were blown off turkey barns, trees were uprooted, and a barn was leveled.”
June 13, 2017: thunderstorm wind in Fergus Falls — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Trees and limbs were blown down around town, with some minor street flooding also reported.”
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
Otter Tail County, which includes Fergus Falls, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 5 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 Otter Tail County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.7 million a year, the 14th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.2 million (56%), 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 Fergus Falls
- Battle Lake, MN17 mi
- Pelican Rapids, MN23 mi
- Breckenridge, MN23 mi
- Henning, MN29 mi
- Wahpeton, ND29 mi
- Barnesville, MN31 mi
- Perham, MN33 mi
- Parkers Prairie, MN36 mi
- New York Mills, MN37 mi
- Detroit Lakes, MN38 mi
- Frazee, MN38 mi
- Lake Park, MN40 mi
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