NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Foreston, 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 Foreston, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 53 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 53
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Foreston
The highest rating among the 53 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on September 18, 1997, came within 24 miles. Of the 53, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on August 14, 2020. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 79% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Foreston. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 59 times since 1974, with stones up to 3.2 inches. Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Foreston.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Foreston
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s9
- 2000s7
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s3
- 1960s7
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 1997 | F3 | 24 mi | 17 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Sep 3, 1980 | F3 | 23 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Jul 22, 1967 | F2 | 21 mi | 16.4 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Mar 21, 1953 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Sep 18, 1997 | F2 | 21 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1995 | F2 | 8 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 1982 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1981 | F2 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 25, 1981 | F2 | 23 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 1977 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 1959 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 53, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Foreston
The Storm Prediction Center has 59 hail reports within 10 miles of Foreston since 1974, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.2 inches, fell on May 10, 2011. The most recent report is from May 12, 2022. May has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Foreston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Milaca, MN, 4 miles northeast of Foreston 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%). Princeton, 13 miles southeast, has its own station (Santiago 3 E, MN): 30.7 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and a July average high of 81°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 Foreston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 44 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Foreston: 38 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $93,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 78 mph, on May 18, 2012.
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
Mille Lacs County, which includes Foreston, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 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 Mille Lacs County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.3 million a year, the 54th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.1 million (63%), 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 Foreston
- Milaca, MN5 mi
- Foley, MN9 mi
- Princeton, MN13 mi
- Ogilvie, MN16 mi
- Clear Lake, MN21 mi
- Zimmerman, MN21 mi
- Sauk Rapids, MN21 mi
- Rice, MN22 mi
- Becker, MN22 mi
- Onamia, MN24 mi
- Mora, MN24 mi
- Sartell, MN24 mi
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