NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Grand Rapids, 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 Rapids, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 15
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Grand Rapids
The strongest of the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on August 6, 1969; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 12 people. Of the 15, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on May 30, 2022. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Grand Rapids. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 105 times since 1970, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Grand Rapids has more hail reports within 10 miles than 61% of the 341 Minnesota cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Grand Rapids
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s3
- 1990s3
- 1980s3
- 1970s2
- 1960s2(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 6, 1969 | F4 | 19 mi | 32.3 mi | 12 / 70 |
| Aug 6, 1969 | F3 | 24 mi | 12.5 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jun 7, 1977 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2022 | EF1 | 14 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 2016 | EF1 | 20 mi | 8.12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 2013 | EF1 | 20 mi | 12.93 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1987 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 17, 1985 | F1 | 6 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1978 | F1 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2022 | EF0 | 6 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1999 | F0 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 15, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Grand Rapids
The Storm Prediction Center has 105 hail reports within 10 miles of Grand Rapids since 1970, made on 60 separate days. Of these, 59 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 29, 2022. The most recent report is from June 20, 2025. June has the most reports, 41.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Grand Rapids
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Grand Rpds Forest Lab, MN, 1 mile east of Grand Rapids at 1,310 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 19°F and -1°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 29.4 inches over 64 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 187 nights a year. Snowfall averages 59.6 inches a year, most of it in December. That 29.4 inches is more than at 48 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (39%). Cohasset, 7 miles west, has its own station (Pokegama Dam, MN): 27.7 inches a year, 1.7 less than here, and a July average high of 78°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | -1 | 1.0 | 3 | 12.2 |
| Feb | 26 | 2 | 0.9 | 3 | 9.7 |
| Mar | 39 | 15 | 1.3 | 4 | 7.5 |
| Apr | 53 | 28 | 2.1 | 5 | 5.6 |
| May | 66 | 40 | 3.2 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 75 | 51 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 55 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 53 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 68 | 45 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 53 | 33 | 2.8 | 6 | 2.0 |
| Nov | 36 | 20 | 1.6 | 4 | 9.0 |
| Dec | 23 | 7 | 1.2 | 4 | 13.4 |
| Year | 51 | 29 | 29.4 | 64 | 59.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Grand Rpds Forest Lab, MN (1,310 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 Rapids
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 90 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Grand Rapids: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $210,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 2, 2012. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 12. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 240 have had fewer than Grand Rapids.
July 2, 2012: thunderstorm wind in Grand Rapids — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Many streets and roads were impassable and closed due to downed large trees and power lines. Extensive street flooding also took place.”
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
Itasca County, which includes Grand Rapids, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on June 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Itasca County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $31.4 million a year, the 18th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.1 million (45%), 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 Rapids
- Cohasset, MN7 mi
- Bovey, MN11 mi
- Deer River, MN18 mi
- Nashwauk, MN20 mi
- Hibbing, MN30 mi
- Chisholm, MN36 mi
- Mcgregor, MN41 mi
- Mountain Iron, MN44 mi
- Crosslake, MN48 mi
- Walker, MN48 mi
- Eveleth, MN49 mi
- Virginia, MN50 mi
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