NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sandstone, 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 Sandstone, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 20 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 20
- 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 Sandstone
The highest rating among the 20 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 18, 2001, came within 25 miles. Of the 20, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2022. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sandstone. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 42 times since 1956, with stones up to 5 inches. Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 91% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sandstone.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Sandstone
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s3
- 2000s5(1 EF3+)
- 1990s3
- 1970s2
- 1960s3(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 2001 | F3 | 25 mi | 34 mi | 2 / 16 |
| Jun 30, 1968 | F3 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF2 | 23 mi | 7.82 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 18, 1997 | F2 | 17 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 1970 | F2 | 18 mi | 22.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 5, 1965 | F2 | 20 mi | 14.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2022 | EF1 | 21 mi | 4.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 2022 | EF1 | 12 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 2020 | EF1 | 21 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 2005 | F1 | 14 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 6, 1959 | F1 | 23 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 2010 | EF0 | 10 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 20, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sandstone
The Storm Prediction Center has 42 hail reports within 10 miles of Sandstone since 1956, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5 inches, fell on June 13, 1956. The most recent report is from June 12, 2024. June has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sandstone
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sandstone 6 W, MN, 14 miles west of Sandstone at 1,130 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 20°F and 2°F. July is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 33.5 inches over 64 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. That 33.5 inches is more than at 95 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (77%). Hinckley, 9 miles southwest, has its own station (Hinckley, MN): 33.1 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and the same July average high, 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | 2 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Feb | 26 | 6 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Mar | 38 | 18 | 1.7 | 4 |
| Apr | 52 | 30 | 2.9 | 6 |
| May | 66 | 41 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Jun | 75 | 52 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Jul | 79 | 56 | 5.6 | 7 |
| Aug | 77 | 54 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Sep | 69 | 46 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Oct | 55 | 35 | 3.1 | 7 |
| Nov | 39 | 22 | 1.9 | 4 |
| Dec | 25 | 10 | 1.4 | 5 |
| Year | 52 | 31 | 33.5 | 64 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sandstone 6 W, MN (1,130 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 Sandstone
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 40 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sandstone: 32 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $40,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 1, 2011. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 6. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 168 have had fewer than Sandstone.
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
Pine County, which includes Sandstone, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on July 19, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pine County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.5 million a year, the 28th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.1 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 Sandstone
- Hinckley, MN9 mi
- Sturgeon Lake, MN18 mi
- Moose Lake, MN22 mi
- Brook Park, MN22 mi
- Pine City, MN24 mi
- Danbury, WI25 mi
- Grantsburg, WI26 mi
- Webster, WI27 mi
- Barnum, MN28 mi
- Siren, WI29 mi
- Mora, MN32 mi
- Rush City, MN33 mi
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