NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit North Branch, 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 North Branch, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 81 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 81
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for North Branch
The highest rating among the 81 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 6, 1965, came within 24 miles. Of the 81, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on August 29, 2024. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than North Branch. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 42 times since 1975, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 91% have more hail reports within 10 miles than North Branch.
Compare North Branch's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of North Branch
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s14
- 2000s19(2 EF3+)
- 1990s16
- 1980s6
- 1970s2
- 1960s11(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 1965 | F4 | 24 mi | 17.3 mi | 6 / 158 |
| May 21, 1957 | F4 | 7 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 18, 2001 | F3 | 25 mi | 34 mi | 2 / 16 |
| Jun 23, 1952 | F3 | 18 mi | 18.2 mi | 2 / 6 |
| May 25, 2008 | EF3 | 23 mi | 5.96 mi | 1 / 17 |
| May 24, 1958 | F3 | 25 mi | 59.4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF2 | 16 mi | 7.82 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 13, 1981 | F2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1967 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1965 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1965 | F2 | 21 mi | 14.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 1952 | F2 | 22 mi | 70.9 mi | 0 / 15 |
The strongest 12 of 81, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in North Branch
The Storm Prediction Center has 42 hail reports within 10 miles of North Branch since 1975, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on June 20, 2007. The most recent report is from May 21, 2024. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in North Branch
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wild Rvr Sp, MN, 11 miles east of North Branch at 840 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 22°F and 0°F. June and July are the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 32.4 inches over 65 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 184 nights a year. That 32.4 inches is more than at 81 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (65%). Harris, 6 miles north, has its own station (Cambridge, MN): 29.6 inches a year, 2.8 less than here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | 0 | 0.8 | 3 |
| Feb | 27 | 4 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Mar | 40 | 17 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Apr | 55 | 30 | 3.0 | 7 |
| May | 69 | 43 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Jun | 78 | 52 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Jul | 82 | 58 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Aug | 80 | 55 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Sep | 72 | 47 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Oct | 57 | 34 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Nov | 41 | 22 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Dec | 27 | 8 | 1.3 | 4 |
| Year | 54 | 31 | 32.4 | 65 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wild Rvr Sp, MN (840 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 North Branch
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 46 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of North Branch: 45 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $600,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 84 mph, on July 19, 2019.
July 1, 2011: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of North Branch — $250,000 damage.
July 1, 2011: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of North Branch — $250,000 damage.
July 18, 2020: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of North Branch — $100,000 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
Chisago County, which includes North Branch, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 7, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Chisago County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.7 million a year, the 26th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.7 million (56%), 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.