NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Moose Lake, 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 Moose Lake, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 15
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Moose Lake
The strongest of the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on June 30, 1968; its path came within 22 miles. Of the 15, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on June 12, 2024. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Moose Lake. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1970, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 75% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Moose Lake.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Moose Lake
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2000s1
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s4
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 1968 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 1970 | F2 | 3 mi | 22.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 11, 2022 | EF1 | 18 mi | 4.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 2020 | EF1 | 4 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 2020 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1986 | F1 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1986 | F1 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1976 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1973 | F1 | 6 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 1970 | F1 | 23 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 2024 | EF0 | 18 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 2020 | EF0 | 13 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 Moose Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Moose Lake since 1970, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 30, 2022. The most recent report is from March 28, 2025. July has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Moose Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Moose Lake 1 SSE, MN, in Moose Lake at 1,110 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 20°F and 1°F. June and July are the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 31.6 inches over 65 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 175 nights a year. That 31.6 inches is more than at 72 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (58%). Carlton, 20 miles northeast, has its own station (Cloquet, MN): 32.8 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | 1 | 0.8 | 3 |
| Feb | 25 | 4 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Mar | 38 | 17 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Apr | 52 | 30 | 2.6 | 6 |
| May | 66 | 41 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Jun | 75 | 51 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 80 | 57 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Aug | 78 | 56 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Sep | 69 | 48 | 3.2 | 7 |
| Oct | 54 | 36 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 38 | 23 | 1.7 | 4 |
| Dec | 25 | 9 | 1.2 | 4 |
| Year | 52 | 31 | 31.6 | 65 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Moose Lake 1 SSE, MN (1,110 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 Moose Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 48 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Moose Lake: 38 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $16.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 9, 2005. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 7. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 190 have had fewer than Moose Lake.
August 26, 2013: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Moose Lake — 1 killed.
June 20, 2012: flood 1 mile from the centre of Moose Lake — $16.0 million damage.
NWS: “Moose Head Lake in Moose Lake overflowed its banks after the area received 6 to 8 inches of rain, flooding 30 percent of the town. One hundred and fifty homes were flooded.”
August 9, 2005: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Moose Lake — $200,000 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
Carlton County, which includes Moose Lake, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on July 19, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Carlton County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $31.7 million a year, the 17th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.4 million (36%), 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 Moose Lake
- Sturgeon Lake, MN5 mi
- Barnum, MN9 mi
- Carlton, MN20 mi
- Sandstone, MN22 mi
- Cloquet, MN24 mi
- Esko, MN27 mi
- Mcgregor, MN29 mi
- Hinckley, MN30 mi
- Proctor, MN33 mi
- Saginaw, MN35 mi
- Superior, WI36 mi
- Isle, MN36 mi
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