NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Foley, 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 Foley, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 62 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 62
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Foley
The strongest of the 62 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on September 3, 1980; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 62, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 24 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on August 29, 2024. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Foley. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 66 times since 1965, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Foley.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Foley
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s13
- 2000s9
- 1990s8
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7
- 1960s9
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3, 1980 | F3 | 14 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Jul 22, 1967 | F2 | 18 mi | 16.4 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Mar 21, 1953 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Sep 18, 1997 | F2 | 16 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1995 | F2 | 14 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F2 | 2 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 1982 | F2 | 4 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1981 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 25, 1981 | F2 | 16 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 1977 | F2 | 3 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1970 | F2 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1961 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 62, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Foley
The Storm Prediction Center has 66 hail reports within 10 miles of Foley since 1965, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on July 1, 2011. The most recent report is from April 28, 2025. July has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Foley
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Milaca, MN, 12 miles east of Foley at 1,064 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 20°F and 1°F. July is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 30.8 inches over 60 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 179 nights a year. Snowfall averages 48.9 inches a year, most of it in February. That 30.8 inches is more than at 63 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (51%). Sauk Rapids, 13 miles southwest, has its own station (St Cloud Regional Airport, MN): 28.7 inches a year, 2.1 less 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 | 20 | 1 | 0.8 | 2 | 7.4 |
| Feb | 26 | 4 | 0.9 | 2 | 11.1 |
| Mar | 38 | 17 | 1.4 | 4 | 8.4 |
| Apr | 53 | 30 | 2.7 | 6 | 4.4 |
| May | 66 | 43 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 76 | 54 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 59 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 56 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 70 | 46 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 56 | 34 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.8 |
| Nov | 39 | 21 | 1.4 | 3 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 26 | 9 | 1.1 | 3 | 10.2 |
| Year | 52 | 31 | 30.8 | 60 | 48.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Milaca, MN (1,064 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 Foley
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 39 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Foley: 36 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $543,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 27, 2002.
July 27, 2002: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Foley — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Roof off house. House was also moved 5 feet off its foundation.”
June 21, 2013: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Foley — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “A barn was blown down near Gilman. In addition, numerous trees were blown down around the area.”
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
Benton County, which includes Foley, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 3 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 Benton 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, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.1 million a year, the 31st highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.3 million (57%), 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 Foley
- Foreston, MN9 mi
- Sauk Rapids, MN13 mi
- Rice, MN14 mi
- Milaca, MN14 mi
- Sartell, MN16 mi
- Clear Lake, MN16 mi
- Saint Cloud, MN17 mi
- Princeton, MN18 mi
- Waite Park, MN18 mi
- Becker, MN19 mi
- Royalton, MN20 mi
- Saint Joseph, MN22 mi
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