NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hugo, 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 Hugo, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 97 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 97
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
24 deaths in all
What the records show for Hugo
The highest rating among the 97 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on July 3, 1983, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 6, 1965, killed 6 people. Of the 97, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on August 29, 2024. Hugo has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 63% of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 153 times since 1962, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Hugo has more hail reports within 10 miles than 73% of the 341 Minnesota cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Hugo
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s16
- 2000s21(1 EF3+)
- 1990s17
- 1980s7(4 EF3+)
- 1970s6
- 1960s11(2 EF3+)
- 1950s9(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 1965 | F4 | 4 mi | 17.3 mi | 6 / 158 |
| May 6, 1965 | F4 | 12 mi | 6.8 mi | 3 / 175 |
| Jun 19, 1951 | F4 | 18 mi | 52.6 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Jul 3, 1983 | F4 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jul 20, 1951 | F3 | 24 mi | 11.6 mi | 5 / 40 |
| May 25, 2008 | EF3 | in town | 5.96 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Apr 26, 1984 | F3 | 11 mi | 5.5 mi | 1 / 52 |
| Jun 14, 1981 | F3 | 11 mi | 16.2 mi | 1 / 83 |
| Jul 23, 1987 | F3 | 17 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1958 | F3 | 2 mi | 59.4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 10, 1953 | F2 | 24 mi | 105.7 mi | 4 / 27 |
| Sep 16, 2006 | F2 | 22 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 97, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hugo
The Storm Prediction Center has 153 hail reports within 10 miles of Hugo since 1962, made on 67 separate days. Of these, 102 were 1 inch across or larger, and 17 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 26, 2019. The most recent report is from August 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 46.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hugo
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Vadnais Lake, MN, 9 miles southwest of Hugo at 890 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 8°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 157 nights a year. That 33.1 inches is more than at 90 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (73%). Forest Lake, 8 miles north, has its own station (Forest Lake 5NE, MN): 33.2 inches a year, 0.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 8 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Feb | 30 | 11 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Mar | 42 | 24 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Apr | 57 | 37 | 3.1 | 6 |
| May | 69 | 50 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jun | 79 | 60 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Jul | 83 | 64 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Aug | 81 | 62 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 73 | 54 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 59 | 42 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 43 | 28 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Dec | 30 | 16 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Year | 56 | 38 | 33.1 | 61 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Vadnais Lake, MN (890 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 Hugo
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 100 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hugo: 88 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 heavy rain events, 4 flash floods and 3 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 7, 2000.
July 16, 2011: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Hugo — $500,000 damage.
June 10, 2012: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Hugo — $350,000 damage.
July 10, 2011: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Hugo — $250,000 damage.
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
Washington County, which includes Hugo, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 7, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively High for tornadoes, hail and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $92.7 million a year, the 7th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $41.5 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 Hugo
- White Bear Lake, MN6 mi
- Vadnais Heights, MN7 mi
- Mahtomedi, MN7 mi
- Lino Lakes, MN7 mi
- Forest Lake, MN8 mi
- Shoreview, MN9 mi
- Marine On Saint Croix, MN9 mi
- Maplewood, MN10 mi
- Stillwater, MN11 mi
- Blaine, MN11 mi
- New Brighton, MN11 mi
- Scandia, MN11 mi
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