NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Granite Falls, 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 Granite Falls, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 68 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 68
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Granite Falls
The strongest of the 68 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on July 25, 2000; its path came within 2 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 68, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 69% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Granite Falls. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1957, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Granite Falls.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Granite Falls
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s16
- 2000s15(1 EF3+)
- 1990s18(3 EF3+)
- 1980s9
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 2000 | F4 | 2 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F3 | 11 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F3 | 24 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F3 | 7 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F2 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F2 | 7 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F2 | 24 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F2 | 21 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F2 | 19 mi | 5.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F2 | 23 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F2 | 15 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 5, 1981 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 68, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Granite Falls
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Granite Falls since 1957, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 9, 2004. The most recent report is from September 21, 2024. June has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Granite Falls
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Granite Falls, MN, 2 miles northeast of Granite Falls at 930 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 3°F. June is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 28.8 inches over 54 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 171 nights a year. Snowfall averages 51.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 28.8 inches is more than at 37 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (30%). Montevideo, 15 miles northwest, has its own station (Montevideo 1SW, MN): 29.7 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 3 | 0.8 | 2 | 9.4 |
| Feb | 29 | 7 | 0.8 | 3 | 11.7 |
| Mar | 42 | 20 | 1.5 | 3 | 7.9 |
| Apr | 57 | 33 | 2.4 | 5 | 3.9 |
| May | 71 | 45 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 80 | 55 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 60 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 58 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 48 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 35 | 2.4 | 5 | 0.8 |
| Nov | 43 | 22 | 1.4 | 3 | 6.6 |
| Dec | 29 | 10 | 1.1 | 3 | 11.1 |
| Year | 56 | 33 | 28.8 | 54 | 51.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Granite Falls, MN (930 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 Granite Falls
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 68 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Granite Falls: 57 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 4 heavy rain events and 3 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $6.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 7, 2000.
August 8, 2020: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Granite Falls — $1.8 million damage.
NWS: “Widespread wind damage occurred around the city of Granite Falls. Numerous trees, power lines and structural damage occurred in the city with the Yellow Medicine East School District main building sustaining major damage.”
July 16, 2016: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Granite Falls — $1.5 million damage.
NWS: “Several sources from the media, law enforcement and trained spotters reported widespread damage across the city of Granite Falls. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down along with some roof damage to businesses.”
July 16, 2016: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Granite Falls — $1.5 million damage.
NWS: “The Fagen Fighters Museum at the airport had three T-hangars destroyed, including the contents inside, and three planes.”
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 Granite Falls's ZIP code 56241 have filed 160 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 73 claims (46% of all) and $1.5 million, then Severe flooding in 2001 with 43. 73% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 120 Minnesota cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 109 have fewer than Granite Falls.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 73 | $1.5 million |
| Severe flooding2001 | 43 | $385,000 |
Yellow Medicine County, which includes Granite Falls, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 9 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 9, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Yellow Medicine County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.5 million a year, the 58th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.7 million (35%), 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 Granite Falls
- Montevideo, MN15 mi
- Clara City, MN16 mi
- Renville, MN18 mi
- Minneota, MN25 mi
- Dawson, MN25 mi
- Marshall, MN26 mi
- Redwood Falls, MN28 mi
- Olivia, MN28 mi
- Willmar, MN34 mi
- Madison, MN35 mi
- Canby, MN36 mi
- Benson, MN36 mi
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