NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wells, 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 Wells, Minnesota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 125 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 125
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
15 deaths in all
What the records show for Wells
The highest rating among the 125 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 17, 2010, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 30, 1967, killed 6 people. Of the 125, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 62 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 63. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2025. Wells has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 96% of the 341 Minnesota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 51 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 341 Minnesota cities, 82% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Wells.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Wells
By decade
- 2020s20
- 2010s31(3 EF3+)
- 2000s11
- 1990s15
- 1980s22(2 EF3+)
- 1970s7
- 1960s13(3 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 1967 | F4 | 11 mi | 20.1 mi | 6 / 22 |
| Apr 30, 1967 | F4 | 17 mi | 38.7 mi | 5 / 35 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF4 | 8 mi | 16.91 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Apr 30, 1967 | F3 | 6 mi | 18.4 mi | 2 / 23 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF3 | 24 mi | 5.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF3 | 15 mi | 18.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1984 | F3 | 19 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 17, 1982 | F3 | 24 mi | 46 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1976 | F2 | 22 mi | 24.6 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | EF2 | 12 mi | 2.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 2010 | EF2 | 23 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 2010 | EF2 | 12 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 125, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wells
The Storm Prediction Center has 51 hail reports within 10 miles of Wells since 1974, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently June 12, 2013. The most recent report is from April 28, 2025. June has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wells
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wells, MN, 1 mile northwest of Wells at 1,135 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 5°F. June is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 34.6 inches over 63 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 161 nights a year. Snowfall averages 40.1 inches a year, most of it in December. That 34.6 inches is more than at 105 of the 124 Minnesota stations used on this site (85%). New Richland, 15 miles northeast, has its own station (Waseca S Rsch & Outreach Ctr, MN): 38.0 inches a year, 3.4 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 5 | 0.7 | 3 | 8.5 |
| Feb | 29 | 10 | 0.7 | 2 | 8.6 |
| Mar | 41 | 23 | 1.7 | 4 | 5.8 |
| Apr | 56 | 35 | 3.4 | 7 | 2.9 |
| May | 69 | 48 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.4 |
| Jun | 79 | 59 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 51 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 38 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 43 | 24 | 1.7 | 3 | 2.6 |
| Dec | 29 | 12 | 1.1 | 4 | 10.9 |
| Year | 55 | 35 | 34.6 | 63 | 40.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wells, MN (1,135 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 Wells
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 57 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wells: 35 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 8 heavy rain events, 5 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 19, 1996. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 8. Of the 312 Minnesota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 204 have had fewer than Wells.
May 19, 1996: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Wells — $1.5 million damage.
June 18, 2014: flood 6 miles from the centre of Wells — $625,000 damage.
NWS: “In Albert Lea, West Main Street between Garfield Avenue and Newton Avenue were|closed due to flooding. Of the local lakes; flood waters submerged several islands.”
September 23, 2010: flood 9 miles from the centre of Wells — $402,000 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
Faribault County, which includes Wells, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on June 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Faribault County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.9 million a year, the 49th highest of 87 Minnesota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.7 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 Wells
- New Richland, MN15 mi
- Mapleton, MN17 mi
- Albert Lea, MN18 mi
- Blue Earth, MN20 mi
- Lake Mills, IA24 mi
- Waseca, MN25 mi
- Janesville, MN26 mi
- Eagle Lake, MN30 mi
- Northwood, IA31 mi
- Mankato, MN32 mi
- Forest City, IA33 mi
- Madison Lake, MN33 mi
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