NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Silver Bay, 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 Silver Bay, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 3
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Silver Bay
The highest rating among the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 12, 2024, came within 18 miles. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 100% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Silver Bay. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 20 times since 1978, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 98% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Silver Bay.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Silver Bay
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
- 1980s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 2024 | EF1 | 18 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 5, 1987 | F1 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2011 | EF0 | 15 mi | 1.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Silver Bay
The Storm Prediction Center has 20 hail reports within 10 miles of Silver Bay since 1978, made on 15 separate days. Of these, 10 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 19, 2012. The most recent report is from July 22, 2023. June has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Silver Bay
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wolf Ridge Elc, MN, 10 miles north of Silver Bay at 1,400 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 76°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 19°F and 1°F. June is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 32.6 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 187 nights a year. Snowfall averages 94.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 32.6 inches is more than at 82 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (66%). Two Harbors, 25 miles southwest, has its own station (Two Harbors, MN): 31.8 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and a July average high of 75°F against 76°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | 1 | 1.3 | 4 | 24.0 |
| Feb | 24 | 3 | 1.2 | 3 | 15.5 |
| Mar | 35 | 15 | 1.7 | 4 | 12.1 |
| Apr | 46 | 28 | 2.7 | 6 | 8.5 |
| May | 60 | 40 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Jun | 70 | 49 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 76 | 55 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 74 | 54 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 65 | 46 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 51 | 34 | 3.5 | 6 | 1.5 |
| Nov | 36 | 21 | 2.7 | 5 | 10.0 |
| Dec | 24 | 9 | 2.0 | 5 | 22.2 |
| Year | 48 | 30 | 32.6 | 69 | 94.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wolf Ridge Elc, MN (1,400 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 Silver Bay
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 19 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Silver Bay: 9 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $441,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on May 15, 2025. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 168 have had fewer than Silver Bay.
July 6, 2013: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Silver Bay — $250,000 damage.
June 19, 2012: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Silver Bay — $191,000 damage.
NWS: “There was six inches of water over Highway 61 at the junction with Highway 1 due to the flooding of the west branch of the Baptism River. There was also significant flooding of the golf course at Beaver bay and of Rockwood Road at Silver Bay, due to flooding of the Beaver River and Palisade River, respectively.”
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
Lake County, which includes Silver Bay, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 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 Lake County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.8 million a year, the 56th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.4 million (32%), 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 Silver Bay
- Two Harbors, MN25 mi
- Bayfield, WI37 mi
- Hoyt Lakes, MN41 mi
- Washburn, WI46 mi
- Aurora, MN47 mi
- Ely, MN52 mi
- Duluth, MN53 mi
- Iron River, WI53 mi
- Ashland, WI54 mi
- Grand Marais, MN54 mi
- Gilbert, MN55 mi
- Superior, WI59 mi
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