NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Saginaw, 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 Saginaw, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 13 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 13
- 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 Saginaw
The strongest of the 13 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 11, 1966; its path came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on August 6, 1969, killed 2 people. Of the 13, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 5. The most recent tornado was on September 19, 2024. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 94% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Saginaw. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 43 times since 1979, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 90% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Saginaw.
Compare Saginaw's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Saginaw
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s2
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s1
- 1960s4(3 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 11, 1966 | F4 | 19 mi | 72.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 1969 | F3 | 17 mi | 17.2 mi | 2 / 3 |
| Aug 6, 1969 | F3 | 11 mi | 18.4 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Sep 19, 2024 | EF1 | 13 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1986 | F1 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1986 | F1 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1976 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 2022 | EF0 | 17 mi | 3.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2012 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2012 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1999 | F0 | 24 mi | — | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1967 | F0 | 11 mi | 19.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 13, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Saginaw
The Storm Prediction Center has 43 hail reports within 10 miles of Saginaw since 1979, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently September 16, 2021. The most recent report is from September 19, 2024. May has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Saginaw
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Duluth, MN, 12 miles southeast of Saginaw at 1,428 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 20°F and 2°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 31.3 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 177 nights a year. Snowfall averages 90.2 inches a year, most of it in December. That 31.3 inches is more than at 69 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (56%). Cloquet, 13 miles south, has its own station (Cloquet, MN): 32.8 inches a year, 1.5 more 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 | 20 | 2 | 1.0 | 3 | 16.8 |
| Feb | 25 | 6 | 1.0 | 3 | 15.1 |
| Mar | 36 | 18 | 1.5 | 4 | 12.8 |
| Apr | 49 | 30 | 2.5 | 6 | 9.1 |
| May | 63 | 41 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Jun | 72 | 50 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 78 | 56 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 76 | 55 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 67 | 47 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Oct | 53 | 36 | 2.9 | 6 | 2.7 |
| Nov | 37 | 23 | 2.0 | 5 | 14.1 |
| Dec | 25 | 10 | 1.5 | 4 | 18.7 |
| Year | 50 | 31 | 31.3 | 66 | 90.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Duluth, MN (1,428 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 Saginaw
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 55 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Saginaw: 53 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flash flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $56,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 21, 2016.
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
St. Louis County, which includes Saginaw, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 3 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 St. Louis County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $112.4 million a year, the 5th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $49.8 million (44%), 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 Saginaw
- Cloquet, MN13 mi
- Esko, MN14 mi
- Proctor, MN14 mi
- Duluth, MN17 mi
- Carlton, MN18 mi
- Superior, WI23 mi
- Barnum, MN27 mi
- South Range, WI32 mi
- Moose Lake, MN35 mi
- Eveleth, MN36 mi
- Two Harbors, MN39 mi
- Aurora, MN39 mi
All Minnesota cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Saginaw with another place →