Washington County, Minnesota
Tornadoes, hail, floods and severe storms recorded here between 1954 and 2026, from NOAA's Storm Events Database. Search an address to see which tornadoes came closest to it.
27
Tornado reports
203
Hail reports
13
Floods since 1996
592
All events
5
Deaths
$71.6M
Property damage
Tornado paths in Washington County
The part of each tornado’s path NOAA recorded in this county, 26 in all. Zoom in and the paths widen to their surveyed width.
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated
Year by year
All storm eventsTornadoes
NOAA's storm database records tornadoes back to 1950 and hail and thunderstorm wind back to 1955, but floods only from 1996 on. Older floods are missing here. For those, the U.S. Geological Survey's stream gauge records and flood reports are the place to look.
Most significant events
The strongest tornadoes, deadliest events and biggest damage here, up to 50.
The tornado touched down on the eastern side of Lino Lakes, at the eastern shore of Peltier Lake. The tornado felled trees and lifted boat docks, then tracked east and crossed Interstate 35E. As this occurred, a few barns, grain bins, and silos were damaged. The tornado then inte…
Many hours with wind chill colder than -35 degrees observed. The strongest wind gusts occurred on 12/23 at 10:35 AM at 32 mph at the Lake Elmo Airport in Lake Elmo, MN. A 20 year old man died of cold weather exposure after leaving the bar on foot in Stillwater MN.
An individual froze outside while taking photographs of the surrounding landscape.
A 14 year old girl was struck by lightning as she played under a tree during a thunderstorm. She later died at a hospital from her injuries.
An EF1 tornado spun up on the southwest side of Sylvan Lake and continued northeast in a broken path through Bone Lake, and moved into Chisago County on 240th Street North, east of Morgan Avenue. The path length was approximately 4.4 miles across Washington County, with a maximum…
Numerous trees and power lines down, including some on vehicles.
Wind measured at Lake Elmo Airport. Thirtytwo aircraft damaged, structural damage to several hangars at the Lake Elmo Airport. Estimated damage of one million dollars at the airport, according to the Metropolitan Airports Commission. Forty homes damaged just west of the airport w…
Roofs off houses. Estimated windspeed.
Scattered house and vehicle damage from wind driven hail. Damage estimate for entire county.
Strong thunderstorm winds blew down several trees and damaged a home in Maplewood. Several trees were blown down in the Lake Elmo area. A tornado touched down west of Stillwater and caused an estimated $3 million damage to 17 homes. Ten of the homes were severely damaged and a 3-…
Hail Hail
Hail Hail
Delete.
Hail Hail
Hail Hail
Hail Hail
Hail Hail
Winter Weather Winter Weather
A long duration winter weather event produced two rounds of rain/drizzle/freezing drizzle mix which lasted several hours each. CoCoRaHS observers across the county reported a light glaze of ice accretion on non-paved surfaces.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Visibilities were dramatically reduced, reaching below 1/2 mile at times, as heavy snow fell and sustained winds were 15 to 20 mph with frequent gusts over 25 mph measured at K21D in Lake Elmo. The 2-day snowfall reports ranged from about 7 to 12 inches with the highest reports i…
Winter Weather Winter Weather
The AWOS station located at the Lake Elmo Airport observed approximately an hour of light snow and freezing rain. There was less than one tenth of ice accretion but did make the morning commute incredibly slippery.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Heavy snowfall with rates near one inch per hour produced a trace to 6 inches mainly across the southern half of the county. The highest amounts were observed across the southern third of the county. CoCoRaHS observers measured 6.4 inches 1 mile NNE of St. Paul Park, and 4.1 inch…
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
K21D reported wind gusts as high as 25 mph during the early evening as air temperatures dropped from -15F to -23F overnight. The lowest measured wind chill was -45F at 5AM on the 23rd.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
CoCoRaHS observers reported a mix of freezing rain and rain, with some light icing on surfaces during the morning. Heavier rainfall amounts near or over a half inch and temperatures hovering around or just above freezing limited the total amount of icing that occurred.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
The AWOS at K21D reported an hour of a mixture of light snow and freezing precipitation during the afternoon. Several CoCoRaHS observers reported a light freezing precipitation resulting in a glaze of ice during the early afternoon throughout the county.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
The combination of falling snow and breezy winds resulted in winter storm conditions throughout the county. Snowfall totals ranged from 3 to 7, with the highest report of 7.2 inches near Forest Lake. Surface visibilities reported at K21D dropped to 1 mile or less for several hour…
Winter Weather Winter Weather
The AWOS at Lake Elmo Airport reported several hours of freezing drizzle. Multiple CoCoRaHS observers reported light icing on roads and sidewalks across Chisago County, and 1/8 to 1/4 inch of ice in western Polk County, Wisconsin. Ice accumulation likely occurred in northern Wash…
Winter Weather Winter Weather
A CoCoRaHS observer reported a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation on their snowboard in Woodbury.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Between 4 to 7 inches of snow fell across the county. CoCoRaHS observers measured 7 inches of snow in Dellwood, 6.2 inches 4 WNW of Scandia, and 6 inches in Woodbury. The AWOS station located at the Lake Elmo Airport reported visibility of one-half mile due to falling snow.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Snowfall totals across the county were estimated around 3 to 6 inches, with the highest amounts across the southern portion of the county. The snow was generally light and fluffy, and fell over a period longer than 24 hours.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
A combination of heavy snow and strong winds impacted the county Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning. Snowfall amounts around 3 to 5 inches were estimated across the extreme northern portion of the county, and wind gusts around 30 to 40 mph were measured throughout the event. …
Hail Hail
Report received via mPING.
Hail Hail
Report submitted via X.
Hail Hail
Report received via mPING.
Hail Hail
Report received via mPING.
Hail Hail
Report received via mPING.
Hail Hail
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Trees and power lines were downed just north of Hastings.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Photo provided via social media of a large tree down on a structure in Marine on St. Croix.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Three-to-four-inch branches broken off of healthy trees.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Measured just southeast of Radio Dr and Lake Rd.
Hail Hail
Winter Weather Winter Weather
CoCoRaHS observers across the county measured 1 to 2 inches of snowfall. The highest snowfall total was 2 inches reported in multiple areas across southern portion of the county.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Several hours of light freezing rain resulted in accumulations up to 0.1 inches of flat ice across the county. A narrow band of heavy snow resulted in accumulations up to 2 inches on top of the ice, leading to hazardous travel conditions Sunday.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
An estimated 7 to 13 inches of snowfall was measured across the county with the greatest amounts across the southern portion. The highest measured snowfall amount was 12.3 inches southwest of Woodbury.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Several hours with wind chill ranging from -37 to -35 each morning.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
A quick burst of 1 to 3 inches of snowfall was reported across the county. Due to the timing, this led to travel impacts during the evening commute across the Twin Cities metro area.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Multiple bands of snow moved through and produced 4 to 7 inches of snowfall across the northern portion of the county. Much of the southern half of the county measured 2 inches or less. The highest report was 7.3 inches near Forest Lake, MN.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
The AWOS located at the Lake Elmo Airport recorded several hours of extreme wind chills with a minimum recording of -38 degrees.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
An combination of light freezing drizzle and light snow impacted travel, especially within the Twin Cities metro.
Events by year, as a table
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 13 | 0 |
| 2025 | 25 | 0 |
| 2024 | 13 | 0 |
| 2023 | 16 | 0 |
| 2022 | 48 | 0 |
| 2021 | 6 | 0 |
| 2020 | 14 | 2 |
| 2019 | 14 | 1 |
| 2018 | 11 | 0 |
| 2017 | 16 | 2 |
| 2016 | 21 | 0 |
| 2015 | 8 | 0 |
| 2014 | 13 | 1 |
| 2013 | 15 | 0 |
| 2012 | 27 | 1 |
| 2011 | 9 | 1 |
| 2010 | 19 | 1 |
| 2009 | 22 | 2 |
| 2008 | 31 | 3 |
| 2007 | 21 | 1 |
| 2006 | 11 | 0 |
| 2005 | 31 | 0 |
| 2004 | 12 | 0 |
| 2003 | 8 | 1 |
| 2002 | 10 | 0 |
| 2001 | 17 | 0 |
| 2000 | 11 | 1 |
| 1999 | 15 | 0 |
| 1998 | 13 | 0 |
| 1997 | 15 | 1 |
| 1996 | 27 | 1 |
| 1995 | 5 | 0 |
| 1994 | 7 | 1 |
| 1991 | 4 | 0 |
| 1990 | 6 | 2 |
| 1989 | 1 | 0 |
| 1988 | 1 | 0 |
| 1987 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | 6 | 0 |
| 1985 | 2 | 0 |
| 1983 | 1 | 0 |
| 1982 | 1 | 0 |
| 1981 | 3 | 0 |
| 1980 | 3 | 0 |
| 1979 | 2 | 0 |
| 1978 | 2 | 0 |
| 1977 | 2 | 0 |
| 1974 | 1 | 1 |
| 1971 | 2 | 1 |
| 1968 | 2 | 0 |
| 1965 | 3 | 1 |
| 1964 | 1 | 0 |
| 1962 | 1 | 0 |
| 1960 | 1 | 0 |
| 1958 | 1 | 1 |
| 1954 | 1 | 1 |
Search your address
See every tornado that passed within 25 miles of a place in Washington County, measured to its path.
We couldn’t get your location. Check that location access is allowed for this site, or type an address.