NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Parkers Prairie, 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 Parkers Prairie, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Parkers Prairie
The highest rating among the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on July 8, 2020, came within 22 miles. Of the 74, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 48 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on June 16, 2025. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Parkers Prairie. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1974, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 81% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Parkers Prairie.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Parkers Prairie
By decade
- 2020s14(1 EF3+)
- 2010s21(2 EF3+)
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s6
- 1980s3
- 1970s5
- 1960s8
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 2020 | EF4 | 22 mi | 8.86 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF4 | 4 mi | 39.56 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF4 | 19 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jun 13, 2001 | F3 | 1 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 15, 1987 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 1 / 8 |
| May 30, 2022 | EF2 | 15 mi | 19.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 2022 | EF2 | 20 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2020 | EF2 | 11 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 2015 | EF2 | 20 mi | 12.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2005 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2005 | F2 | 21 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2000 | F2 | 23 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Parkers Prairie
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Parkers Prairie since 1974, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 11, 2001. The most recent report is from August 26, 2024. June has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Parkers Prairie
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wadena 3 S, MN, 19 miles northeast of Parkers Prairie at 1,372 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 18°F and -1°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 29.4 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 184 nights a year. Snowfall averages 50.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 29.4 inches is more than at 48 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (39%). Henning, 12 miles northwest, has its own station (New York Mills, MN): 26.8 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 78°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18 | -1 | 0.9 | 3 | 12.2 |
| Feb | 23 | 2 | 0.8 | 2 | 7.9 |
| Mar | 36 | 15 | 1.4 | 3 | 8.9 |
| Apr | 52 | 29 | 2.6 | 5 | 4.5 |
| May | 65 | 42 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 74 | 54 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 78 | 58 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 55 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 69 | 47 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 54 | 34 | 2.8 | 5 | 1.1 |
| Nov | 37 | 20 | 1.3 | 3 | 7.5 |
| Dec | 24 | 7 | 0.9 | 2 | 8.7 |
| Year | 50 | 30 | 29.4 | 56 | 50.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wadena 3 S, MN (1,372 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 Parkers Prairie
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 30 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Parkers Prairie: 26 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $868,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 145 mph, on June 17, 2010.
June 18, 2001: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Parkers Prairie — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Lightning struck a downtown Fergus Falls business, igniting a fire that destroyed the 3 story business.”
June 17, 2010: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Parkers Prairie — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Peak 3 second wind gusts of from 128 to 145 mph were measured by 6 different wind sensors placed at heights of from 160 to 380 feet AGL at a temporary wind energy monitoring tower site. Peak 3 second wind gusts of 119 mph were measured at a height of 20 feet AGL at this same tower site.”
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
Otter Tail County, which includes Parkers Prairie, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 5 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 Otter Tail County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.7 million a year, the 14th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $21.2 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.
Cities near Parkers Prairie
- Henning, MN12 mi
- Alexandria, MN19 mi
- Battle Lake, MN20 mi
- Osakis, MN22 mi
- Wadena, MN22 mi
- Browerville, MN24 mi
- New York Mills, MN26 mi
- Long Prairie, MN26 mi
- Verndale, MN26 mi
- Staples, MN30 mi
- Perham, MN33 mi
- Sauk Centre, MN34 mi
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