NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Staples, 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 Staples, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 58 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 58
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Staples
The highest rating among the 58 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 17, 2010, came within 24 miles. Of the 58, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 34 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on June 16, 2025. Of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site, 77% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Staples. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 62 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Staples.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Staples
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s15(2 EF3+)
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s4(1 EF3+)
- 1980s1
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF4 | 24 mi | 39.56 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF4 | 14 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Jun 13, 2001 | F3 | 17 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 5, 1991 | F3 | 23 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 26, 1977 | F3 | 15 mi | 26.3 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Aug 6, 1969 | F3 | 24 mi | 17.3 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 30, 2022 | EF2 | 2 mi | 10.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 2022 | EF2 | 10 mi | 18.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 2015 | EF2 | 2 mi | 12.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2005 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 8, 2000 | F2 | 2 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 26, 1996 | F2 | 20 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 58, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Staples
The Storm Prediction Center has 62 hail reports within 10 miles of Staples since 1968, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 19, 2016. The most recent report is from September 12, 2025. July has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Staples
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wadena 3 S, MN, 16 miles west of Staples at 1,372 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 18°F and -1°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 29.4 inches over 56 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 184 nights a year. Snowfall averages 50.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 29.4 inches is more than at 48 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (39%). Motley, 8 miles east, has its own station (Gull Lake Dam, MN): 27.0 inches a year, 2.4 less 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 | 18 | -1 | 0.9 | 3 | 12.2 |
| Feb | 23 | 2 | 0.8 | 2 | 7.9 |
| Mar | 36 | 15 | 1.4 | 3 | 8.9 |
| Apr | 52 | 29 | 2.6 | 5 | 4.5 |
| May | 65 | 42 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 74 | 54 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 78 | 58 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 55 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 69 | 47 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 54 | 34 | 2.8 | 5 | 1.1 |
| Nov | 37 | 20 | 1.3 | 3 | 7.5 |
| Dec | 24 | 7 | 0.9 | 2 | 8.7 |
| Year | 50 | 30 | 29.4 | 56 | 50.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wadena 3 S, MN (1,372 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 Staples
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 43 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Staples: 40 thunderstorm wind reports and 3 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $380,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 12, 2015.
July 17, 2010: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Staples — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Dozens of trees were toppled in and around Staples, with some trees landing on vehicles, sheds and houses. The roof of a hardware store was partially removed.”
July 12, 2015: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Staples — $100,000 damage.
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
Wadena County, which includes Staples, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 9, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wadena County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.1 million a year, the 78th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.0 million (58%), 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 Staples
- Motley, MN8 mi
- Verndale, MN8 mi
- Pillager, MN15 mi
- Browerville, MN16 mi
- Wadena, MN17 mi
- Sebeka, MN20 mi
- Baxter, MN26 mi
- Nisswa, MN26 mi
- Long Prairie, MN28 mi
- Pequot Lakes, MN29 mi
- New York Mills, MN29 mi
- Parkers Prairie, MN30 mi
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