NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fosston, 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 Fosston, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 65 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 65
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Fosston
The strongest of the 65 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on June 17, 2010; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F2 on July 5, 1978, killed 4 people. Of the 65, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on June 24, 2023. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 72% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Fosston. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1980, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Fosston.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Fosston
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s16(1 EF3+)
- 2000s22
- 1990s9
- 1980s3
- 1970s7
- 1960s5
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF3 | 21 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Jul 5, 1978 | F2 | in town | 57.5 mi | 4 / 44 |
| Jun 24, 2023 | EF2 | 19 mi | 6.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 2019 | EF2 | 20 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 2018 | EF2 | 1 mi | 15.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 2013 | EF2 | 17 mi | 21.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2008 | EF2 | 6 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 5, 1981 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 1960 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2022 | EF1 | 22 mi | 3.82 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 2018 | EF1 | 3 mi | 25.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 2018 | EF1 | 4 mi | 20.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 65, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fosston
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Fosston since 1980, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 4, 1999. The most recent report is from July 13, 2024. August has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Fosston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 40 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fosston: 39 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $105,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on August 26, 2018.
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
Polk County, which includes Fosston, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 26 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 floods, 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding, on July 13, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Polk County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $26.9 million a year, the 23rd highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.4 million (50%), 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 Fosston
- Bagley, MN18 mi
- Mahnomen, MN18 mi
- Red Lake Falls, MN34 mi
- Red Lake, MN35 mi
- Ada, MN40 mi
- Bemidji, MN41 mi
- Crookston, MN41 mi
- Thief River Falls, MN43 mi
- Laporte, MN47 mi
- Park Rapids, MN52 mi
- Lake Park, MN52 mi
- Detroit Lakes, MN53 mi
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