NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Houston, 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 Houston, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 59 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 59
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Houston
The strongest of the 59 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 10, 1953; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 59, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2025. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Houston. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 35 times since 1972, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Houston.
Compare Houston's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Houston
By decade
- 2020s20
- 2010s8
- 2000s4
- 1990s6
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s2
- 1960s10(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1953 | F4 | 21 mi | 162 mi | 2 / 24 |
| Jun 5, 1980 | F3 | 19 mi | 26.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 5, 1965 | F3 | 2 mi | 65.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 26, 1959 | F3 | 18 mi | 34.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 6 mi | 13.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 28.68 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 8, 1999 | F2 | 19 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 5, 1980 | F2 | 16 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1961 | F2 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1957 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | EF1 | 22 mi | 5.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | EF1 | 7 mi | 6.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 59, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Houston
The Storm Prediction Center has 35 hail reports within 10 miles of Houston since 1972, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 10, 2011. The most recent report is from May 19, 2022. May has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Houston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rushford, MN, 9 miles west of Houston at 770 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 5°F. June is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 37.1 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 167 nights a year. That 37.1 inches is more than at 119 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (96%). Caledonia, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (Caledonia, MN): 38.4 inches a year, 1.3 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 5 | 1.1 | 4 |
| Feb | 30 | 8 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Mar | 42 | 20 | 1.8 | 5 |
| Apr | 57 | 32 | 3.9 | 7 |
| May | 69 | 44 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Jun | 78 | 56 | 5.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Aug | 80 | 57 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Sep | 73 | 48 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Oct | 60 | 36 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 45 | 24 | 1.8 | 4 |
| Dec | 31 | 13 | 1.3 | 4 |
| Year | 56 | 34 | 37.1 | 67 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rushford, MN (770 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 Houston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 67 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Houston: 40 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 floods, 8 flash floods, 6 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $19.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 25, 2005. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 204 have had fewer than Houston.
August 18, 2007: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Houston — 1 killed, $670,000 damage.
NWS: “A 55-year old man was killed near Storer Creek when his mobile home was swept away by flash flooding. The man had been asked to evacuate twice before flood waters swept him and his home away.”
June 22, 2013: flash flood in Houston — $7.8 million damage.
NWS: “Very heavy rain caused widespread flash flooding across a good portion of Houston County. Roads around the town of Houston became covered with water and impassable.”
August 18, 2007: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Houston — $6.3 million damage.
NWS: “Tremendous flash flooding and mudslides covered many highways in the area, including Highway 76 between Money Creek and Houston. Highway bridges were completely blown out and sections of roads were quickly eroded away.”
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
Houston County, which includes Houston, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on June 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Houston County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.0 million a year, the 44th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.6 million (62%), 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.