NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Grand Marais, 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 Grand Marais, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 4
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Grand Marais
The strongest of the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF2 on October 10, 2021; its path came within 14 miles. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 99% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Grand Marais. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 4 times since 2015, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 100% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Grand Marais.
Compare Grand Marais's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Grand Marais
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
- 1990s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 10, 2021 | EF2 | 14 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 1992 | F0 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1991 | F0 | 17 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 2019 | Unrated | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 4 of 4, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Grand Marais
The Storm Prediction Center has 4 hail reports within 10 miles of Grand Marais since 2015, made on 2 separate days. Of these, 2 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on October 10, 2021, the most recent report.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Grand Marais
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Grand Marais, MN, 16 miles southeast of Grand Marais at 610 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 70°F and low of 54°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 7°F. June is the wettest at 3.7 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 25.9 inches over 59 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs of 90°F are rare: fewer than one day a year on average. Lows fall below freezing on about 169 nights a year. That 25.9 inches is more than at 15 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (12%).
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 7 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Feb | 27 | 10 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Mar | 35 | 20 | 1.2 | 4 |
| Apr | 45 | 30 | 2.2 | 5 |
| May | 55 | 38 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Jun | 62 | 44 | 3.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 70 | 51 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Aug | 70 | 54 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Sep | 63 | 48 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 52 | 38 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Nov | 39 | 26 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Dec | 29 | 14 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Year | 48 | 32 | 25.9 | 59 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Grand Marais, MN (610 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 Grand Marais
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 7 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Grand Marais: 5 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flash flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $30,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 21, 2016.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Grand Marais's ZIP code 55604 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1986, and were paid $24,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 120 Minnesota cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 7 have fewer than Grand Marais.
Cook County, which includes Grand Marais, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on June 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cook County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, coastal flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.5 million a year, the 81st highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.1 million (47%), 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 Grand Marais
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- Two Harbors, MN79 mi
- Aurora, MN86 mi
- Washburn, WI88 mi
- Gilbert, MN92 mi
- Ontonagon, MI94 mi
- Ashland, WI96 mi
- Virginia, MN97 mi
- Eveleth, MN98 mi
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