NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Medford, 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 Medford, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 127 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 127
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Medford
The highest rating among the 127 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 30, 1967, came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 30, 1967, killed 6 people. Of the 127, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on August 29, 2025. Medford has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 96% of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 77 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Medford.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Medford
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s39(3 EF3+)
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s24
- 1980s12(3 EF3+)
- 1970s6
- 1960s16(2 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 1967 | F4 | 12 mi | 20.1 mi | 6 / 22 |
| Apr 30, 1967 | F4 | 5 mi | 38.7 mi | 5 / 35 |
| Aug 24, 2006 | F3 | 20 mi | 33 mi | 1 / 37 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF3 | 20 mi | 4.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF3 | 24 mi | 5.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF3 | 17 mi | 18.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1987 | F3 | 18 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1984 | F3 | 21 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 17, 1982 | F3 | 8 mi | 46 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 2018 | EF2 | 11 mi | 2.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 2018 | EF2 | 10 mi | 4.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF2 | 21 mi | 6.61 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 127, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Medford
The Storm Prediction Center has 77 hail reports within 10 miles of Medford since 1958, made on 58 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 17, 2009. The most recent report is from April 28, 2025. June has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Medford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Owatonna, MN, 5 miles south of Medford at 1,140 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 22°F and 5°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 35.6 inches over 65 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 160 nights a year. Snowfall averages 44.2 inches a year, most of it in December. That 35.6 inches is more than at 113 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (91%). Faribault, 9 miles north, has its own station (Faribault, MN): 35.5 inches a year, the same as here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | 5 | 0.9 | 3 | 9.5 |
| Feb | 27 | 9 | 0.9 | 3 | 10.2 |
| Mar | 40 | 22 | 2.0 | 5 | 6.8 |
| Apr | 55 | 34 | 3.2 | 7 | 2.6 |
| May | 68 | 47 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Jun | 78 | 58 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 60 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 51 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 38 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 42 | 25 | 1.7 | 4 | 3.1 |
| Dec | 28 | 13 | 1.1 | 4 | 11.2 |
| Year | 54 | 35 | 35.6 | 65 | 44.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Owatonna, MN (1,140 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 Medford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 89 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Medford: 57 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 5 floods and 5 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $29.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 19, 1996. June has had the most flash floods, 9 of 22. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 281 have had fewer than Medford.
September 3, 2005: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Medford — 3 injured.
April 12, 2022: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Medford — $10.0 million damage.
May 19, 1996: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Medford — $5.0 million 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
Steele County, which includes Medford, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 severe storms, 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 Steele County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.6 million a year, the 27th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.7 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 Medford
- Owatonna, MN7 mi
- Faribault, MN9 mi
- Kenyon, MN15 mi
- Waseca, MN15 mi
- Dundas, MN17 mi
- Waterville, MN18 mi
- Northfield, MN20 mi
- Dodge Center, MN21 mi
- Blooming Prairie, MN21 mi
- Lonsdale, MN22 mi
- New Richland, MN24 mi
- Janesville, MN24 mi
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