NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rushford, 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 Rushford, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 54 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 54
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Rushford
The strongest of the 54 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 10, 1953; its path came within 12 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 54, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2025. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Rushford. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 51 times since 1972, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 82% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Rushford.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Rushford
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s8
- 2000s3
- 1990s7
- 1980s5
- 1970s3
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1953 | F4 | 12 mi | 162 mi | 2 / 24 |
| May 5, 1965 | F3 | 9 mi | 65.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 26, 1959 | F3 | 21 mi | 34.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 15 mi | 13.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 19 mi | 28.68 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 8, 1999 | F2 | 12 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 17, 1982 | F2 | 20 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 5, 1980 | F2 | 7 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1977 | F2 | 19 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 25, 2025 | EF1 | 10 mi | 6.53 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2024 | EF1 | 18 mi | 19.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | EF1 | 16 mi | 4.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 54, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rushford
The Storm Prediction Center has 51 hail reports within 10 miles of Rushford since 1972, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 22, 2013. The most recent report is from April 28, 2025. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rushford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rushford, MN, in Rushford at 770 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 5°F. June is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 37.1 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 167 nights a year. That 37.1 inches is more than at 119 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (96%). Winona, 16 miles north, has its own station (Winona Dam 5 A, MN): 34.5 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 5 | 1.1 | 4 |
| Feb | 30 | 8 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Mar | 42 | 20 | 1.8 | 5 |
| Apr | 57 | 32 | 3.9 | 7 |
| May | 69 | 44 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Jun | 78 | 56 | 5.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Aug | 80 | 57 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Sep | 73 | 48 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Oct | 60 | 36 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 45 | 24 | 1.8 | 4 |
| Dec | 31 | 13 | 1.3 | 4 |
| Year | 56 | 34 | 37.1 | 67 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rushford, MN (770 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 Rushford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 69 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rushford: 45 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 floods, 6 heavy rain events, 5 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $81.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 71 mph, on May 3, 2012. August has had the most flash floods, 2 of 5. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 132 have had fewer than Rushford.
August 18, 2007: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Rushford — $38.4 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain that was centered north of the county caused Rush Creek to flash flood on historic levels. In addition to Rush Creek, every other creek that leads into Rushford had tremendous accumulation that led to flood waters raging into town.”
June 8, 2008: flood 8 miles from the centre of Rushford — $12.0 million damage.
NWS: “Widespread flooding forced the closure of virtually all roads across the county. Several civil emergency messages were sent by request of county officials for evacuations in mainly the southern half of the county.”
August 19, 2007: flood 1 mile from the centre of Rushford — $11.8 million damage.
NWS: “Law enforcement officials reported some roads washed out or still under water. The town of Rushford was inundated with flood waters from Rush Creek.”
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
Fillmore County, which includes Rushford, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on June 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fillmore County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.0 million a year, the 38th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.9 million (70%), 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 Rushford
- Houston, MN9 mi
- Lewiston, MN12 mi
- Winona, MN16 mi
- Caledonia, MN18 mi
- Saint Charles, MN19 mi
- Chatfield, MN21 mi
- La Crescent, MN21 mi
- Trempealeau, WI21 mi
- Preston, MN22 mi
- Fountain City, WI23 mi
- La Crosse, WI27 mi
- Onalaska, WI27 mi
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