NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Park Rapids, 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 Park Rapids, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 35 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 35
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Park Rapids
The highest rating among the 35 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 6, 2008, came within 2 miles. Of the 35, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 24 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on June 24, 2022. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Park Rapids. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 76 times since 1959, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 57% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Park Rapids.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Park Rapids
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s7
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s4
- 1980s1
- 1970s1
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 6, 2008 | EF3 | 2 mi | 7.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1969 | F3 | 24 mi | 17.3 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 24, 2022 | EF2 | 16 mi | 30.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 2008 | EF2 | 3 mi | 14.11 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 26, 1996 | F2 | 24 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1965 | F2 | 22 mi | 24.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 9, 2021 | EF1 | 5 mi | 0.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2020 | EF1 | 8 mi | 6.18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 2017 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2011 | EF1 | 2 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF1 | 13 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 35, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Park Rapids
The Storm Prediction Center has 76 hail reports within 10 miles of Park Rapids since 1959, made on 49 separate days. Of these, 47 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on July 2, 1989. The most recent report is from June 24, 2023. July has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Park Rapids
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Park Rapids Municipal Airport, MN, 5 miles south of Park Rapids at 1,434 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 18°F and -3°F. June is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 23.8 inches over 51 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 185 nights a year. That 23.8 inches is more than at 4 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (3%). Laporte, 22 miles northeast, has its own station (Cass Lake, MN): 26.5 inches a year, 2.7 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 | 18 | -3 | 0.4 | 2 |
| Feb | 24 | 1 | 0.4 | 2 |
| Mar | 37 | 16 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Apr | 53 | 29 | 1.7 | 4 |
| May | 67 | 42 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Jun | 76 | 53 | 4.1 | 8 |
| Jul | 80 | 57 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Aug | 79 | 55 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Sep | 69 | 46 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 54 | 34 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 36 | 19 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Dec | 23 | 5 | 0.5 | 2 |
| Year | 51 | 30 | 23.8 | 51 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Park Rapids Municipal Airport, MN (1,434 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 Park Rapids
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 64 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Park Rapids: 60 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 14, 2019.
July 29, 2008: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Park Rapids — $600,000 damage.
NWS: “A two stall garage was demolished and the contents strewn downwind due to downburst winds. Nearby roofs received shingle or roofing damage and numerous trees were snapped or toppled over from northeast Carsonville into northern Osage Township.”
July 29, 2008: thunderstorm wind in Park Rapids — $350,000 damage.
NWS: “Several large trees were blown down between Fish Hook and Potato Lakes. Some homes nearby received shingle damage.”
September 4, 2014: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Park Rapids — $300,000 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
Hubbard County, which includes Park Rapids, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 7, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hubbard County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.2 million a year, the 55th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.6 million (68%), 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 Park Rapids
- Nevis, MN10 mi
- Menahga, MN14 mi
- Laporte, MN22 mi
- Sebeka, MN24 mi
- Walker, MN27 mi
- Backus, MN28 mi
- Frazee, MN31 mi
- New York Mills, MN34 mi
- Perham, MN34 mi
- Cass Lake, MN36 mi
- Bagley, MN36 mi
- Wadena, MN37 mi
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