NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Plainview, 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 Plainview, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Plainview
The highest rating among the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on September 16, 1962, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 10, 1953, killed 2 people. Of the 74, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 31 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2025. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Plainview. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 73 times since 1965, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Plainview.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Plainview
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s15
- 2000s2
- 1990s10
- 1980s13
- 1970s6
- 1960s13(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1953 | F4 | 19 mi | 162 mi | 2 / 24 |
| Sep 16, 1962 | F4 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 34 |
| Jul 8, 1999 | F2 | 18 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 17, 1982 | F2 | 19 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1982 | F2 | 10 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 29, 1981 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 5, 1980 | F2 | 21 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1979 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1967 | F2 | 12 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1964 | F2 | 12 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 1964 | F2 | 19 mi | 3.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 1962 | F2 | 22 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Plainview
The Storm Prediction Center has 73 hail reports within 10 miles of Plainview since 1965, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 11, 2022. The most recent report is from March 28, 2025. May has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Plainview
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Theilman 1SSW, MN, 8 miles north of Plainview at 753 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 4°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 35.7 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 170 nights a year. Snowfall averages 48.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 35.7 inches is more than at 114 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (92%). Eyota, 12 miles south, has its own station (Rochester International Airport, MN): 34.7 inches a year, 1.0 less than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 4 | 1.0 | 3 | 9.9 |
| Feb | 30 | 8 | 1.1 | 3 | 12.1 |
| Mar | 42 | 21 | 2.0 | 5 | 9.0 |
| Apr | 57 | 33 | 3.4 | 7 | 2.7 |
| May | 69 | 45 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 60 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 58 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 49 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 36 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Nov | 43 | 25 | 2.0 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 30 | 13 | 1.3 | 4 | 11.7 |
| Year | 56 | 34 | 35.7 | 69 | 48.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Theilman 1SSW, MN (753 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 Plainview
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 75 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Plainview: 39 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 floods, 8 flash floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $7.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on December 15, 2021. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 204 have had fewer than Plainview.
September 23, 2010: flood 5 miles from the centre of Plainview — $4.5 million damage.
NWS: “Flooding occurred along rivers, streams and creeks as well as low-lying areas throughout the county. S.”
August 18, 2007: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Plainview — $1.2 million damage.
August 19, 2007: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Plainview — $430,000 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
Wabasha County, which includes Plainview, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on June 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wabasha 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 and lightning; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.5 million a year, the 35th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.3 million (65%), 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 Plainview
- Elgin, MN6 mi
- Eyota, MN12 mi
- Saint Charles, MN14 mi
- Wabasha, MN16 mi
- Rochester, MN18 mi
- Cochrane, WI18 mi
- Oronoco, MN18 mi
- Lake City, MN19 mi
- Mazeppa, MN20 mi
- Lewiston, MN21 mi
- Chatfield, MN22 mi
- Pine Island, MN24 mi
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