NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Red 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 Red Lake, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 42 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 42
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Red Lake
The highest rating among the 42 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 3 times; the most recent, on August 5, 1981, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on July 5, 1978, killed 4 people. Of the 42, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on June 20, 2022. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 84% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Red Lake. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 18 times since 1997, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 99% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Red Lake.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Red Lake
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s11
- 2000s17
- 1990s3
- 1980s2
- 1970s3
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 1978 | F2 | 10 mi | 57.5 mi | 4 / 44 |
| Aug 5, 1981 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 1960 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2022 | EF1 | 24 mi | 3.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2021 | EF1 | 13 mi | 4.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2021 | EF1 | 6 mi | 0.83 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 2018 | EF1 | 8 mi | 25.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2018 | EF1 | 20 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2018 | EF1 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2017 | EF1 | 23 mi | 2.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 2016 | EF1 | 14 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 2013 | EF1 | 19 mi | 7.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 42, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Red Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 18 hail reports within 10 miles of Red Lake since 1997, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 24, 2024, the most recent report. August has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Red Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Red Lake Indian Agcy, MN, 6 miles east of Red Lake at 1,216 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 77°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 16°F and -3°F. June is the wettest at 3.6 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 22.8 inches over 49 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 187 nights a year. That 22.8 inches is more than at 2 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (2%). Bemidji, 28 miles southeast, has its own station (Cass Lake, MN): 26.5 inches a year, 3.7 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 77°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | -3 | 1.0 | 2 |
| Feb | 21 | 1 | 0.6 | 1 |
| Mar | 34 | 15 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Apr | 48 | 29 | 1.3 | 3 |
| May | 62 | 43 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Jun | 72 | 54 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 77 | 60 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Aug | 76 | 57 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Sep | 66 | 48 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Oct | 51 | 36 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 34 | 21 | 1.1 | 2 |
| Dec | 21 | 6 | 0.4 | 2 |
| Year | 48 | 31 | 22.8 | 49 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Red Lake Indian Agcy, MN (1,216 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 Red Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 13 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Red Lake: 11 thunderstorm wind reports and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $12,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 25, 2013.
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
Beltrami County, which includes Red Lake, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 floods, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding, on July 13, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Beltrami County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.1 million a year, the 30th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.5 million (67%), 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 Red Lake
- Bemidji, MN28 mi
- Blackduck, MN30 mi
- Bagley, MN33 mi
- Fosston, MN35 mi
- Cass Lake, MN43 mi
- Laporte, MN44 mi
- Mahnomen, MN51 mi
- Thief River Falls, MN51 mi
- Red Lake Falls, MN53 mi
- Walker, MN60 mi
- Baudette, MN61 mi
- Park Rapids, MN62 mi
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