Watonwan storm history
Storm events recorded in Watonwan, Minnesota between 1950 and 2025.
379
Total events
22
Tornadoes
90
Hail
19
Floods
0
Deaths
$19.0M
Property damage
Most significant events
Strongest tornadoes, deadliest events, and biggest damage in this county. Up to 50 shown.
Tornado F4 Tornado
Tornado moving through southern Brown county brushed extreme northwest Watonwan county. See Brown county narrative.
Initial damage occurred at farmstead just east of the Watonwan/Cottonwood line. Damage included the partial removal of roofs off two large sheds, along with scattered downed trees. The tornado then moved across corn and bean fields. Another farmstead was hit just southwest of the…
Numerous roads were closed due to excessive rainfall that fell on September 22nd and 23th. The major areal flooding didn't recede until late Saturday when most of the small streams and creeks had crested and only mainstem rivers remained flooded.
Blizzard Blizzard
The combination of falling snow and strong winds resulted in blizzard conditions throughout the county. Surface visibilities reported at KJYG in St James dropped to 1/4 mile or less for several hours, and winds gusted around 40 to 50 mph while snow was falling throughout much of …
Blizzard Blizzard
Light snow combined with strong 40 to 50 mph wind gusts caused blowing snow and whiteout conditions for multiple hours. The AWOS station located at St. James Municipal Airport recorded a 51 mph wind gust.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
The AWOS located at the St. James Municipal Airport reported gusty winds over 30 mph and visibility briefly falling below one-quarter mile due to blowing snow.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Light snow fell across the county during the afternoon and evening hours. Snowfall rates forced visibilities to fall to one half mile at times at the St. James Municipal Airport. Between 1 to 2 inches of snowfall fell across the county.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Persistent light snow lasted for over 24 hours, with strong winds gusting to 35 mph near the end of the event. Snowfall totals across the county were estimated around 6 to 9 inches.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
A combination of snow and strong winds impacted the county Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning. Snowfall amounts around 1 to 2 inches were estimated across the county, and wind gusts around 40 to 50 mph were measured throughout the event at St James Municipal Airport.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Tree fell on a power line, taking out power in Godahl.
Hail Hail
Hail Hail
Blizzard Blizzard
An estimated 3 to 6 inches of snow fell across the county with the greatest amounts across the southeast portion. Frequent gusts over 35 mph and heavy snowfall rates resulted in several hours of 1/4 mile visibility or less. These conditions resulted in many roads becoming impassa…
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Several hours with wind chill ranging from -40 to -35 observed at KJYG each morning.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
The AWOS located at the St. James Municipal Airport recorded several hours of extreme wind chills with a minimum recording of -37 degrees.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Interpolated snowfall analysis from CoCoRaHS reports showed three to four inches accumulation across the county.
Tornado EF1 Tornado
The tornado mostly moved across corn and bean fields, with non-continuous crop damage. It did move across a farmstead where it uprooted numerous trees, but there was little damage to nearby structures. A power pole was damaged. Several storm chasers took video of the tornado, inc…
Funnel Cloud Funnel Cloud
A funnel cloud was caught on video. It was not possible to see if there was any ground contact. The county Emergency Manager surveyed the area and found no evidence of any tree, crop, or structural damage, and there were no reports of any damage, nor were there any other pictures…
Hail Hail
Flash Flood Flash Flood
Numerous roads were flooded across the county.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Multiple bands consisting of rain mixed with snow moved through and produced generally 1 to 2 inches of snow and 35 mph wind gusts.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
The St James airport observed a wind chill of -46 degrees.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Winds gusted to 46 mph at the St James airport, with blowing snow and reduced visibilities.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
A dusting to a half inch of snow fell across the county.
Excessive Heat Excessive Heat
Warm environmental temperatures in the mid 90s combined with high dewpoint values in the upper 70s caused high heat indices exceeding 105F for approximately six hours. The AWOS Station located in St. James, MN recorded an apparent temperature of 115F at 4:55 PM (CST).
Hail Hail
There was also a report of power out in Odin.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Powerlines were reported down in St. James.
Hail Hail
Nickel size hail just east of Madelia.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Precipitation started as rain and changed over to snow, with 1 to 3 inches of accumulation. Northwest winds increased as well with falling temperatures which led to blowing snow and icy roads.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Multiple bands of snow moved across the county. Sustained winds increased out of the northeast near 20-25 mph with gusts near 30 mph per the St. James Airport ASOS observations. Across the county, Interpolated Snowfall Analysis using the National Gridded Snowfall Analysis (NGSA) …
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Law Enforcement reported that there were no references to whiteout conditions however, multiple vehicles went off the road near Hwy 15 and Hwy 60 in the early morning. One incident included a vehicle rolling onto its side. No reported injuries.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
A heavy band of snow, with rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour caused significant travel impacts across the region as it moved through. Snowfall totals were 4 to 7 inches across the region.
Blizzard Blizzard
All state highways were closed and county roads were impassable due to zero visibility and snow drifts 6 to 8 feet tall. They opened emergency shelters in Medelia and St James. In one case, it took a few hours to get to a stranded truck that had to be rescued by snowmobile.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Many hours with wind chill ranging from -45 to -35. The strongest winds were recorded at 10:17 AM on 12/23 with a gust of 54 mph at the St. James Municipal Airport in St. James, MN.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
CoCoRaHS observations reported 2-4 inches across the county. Saint James recorded an observation of 4.5 inches.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Heavy snow fell across Watonwan County late Monday evening into Tuesday afternoon. Locally 4 to 8 inches of snow fell across the county. The highest observation was recorded in Lewisville, MN with 8 inches.
Excessive Heat Excessive Heat
Several temperature gauges measured heat indices around 105 degrees during the afternoon and evening hours.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Several trees were blown down in St. James, including some that landed on homes and damaged them.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Numerous large branches were blown down, a few structures were damaged, including a building under construction that had its roof blown off. Power poles were also blown down near the same area, east of Madelia.
High Wind High Wind
Several wind sensors across Watonwan County reported sustained winds in excess of 45 mph, with gusts near 55 mph at times.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
As the Arctic airmass shifted to the east, return flow developed and dropped wind chill values below -35F for several hours Wednesday morning.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Several sources across the county indicated that between 6 and 9 inches of snow fell.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
A few observations across the county indicated temperatures fell to around 12 below zero by Saturday morning. These temperatures combined with winds around 10 mph, held wind chill values around 35 degrees below zero through mid morning.
High Wind High Wind
The Minnesota Department of Highways has a wind sensor along the Watonwan, Blue Earth County line. This wind sensor measured several gusts above 50 mph from 1000 PM CST, to 200 AM CST, with a peak wind gust of 51 knots at 1105 PM.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Light snow developed Friday morning and continued for most of the day before tapering off early Saturday morning. Total snowfall amounts across the county averaged between 8 to 9 inches. Some moderate snowfall occurred in the morning and afternoon allowing for totals to exceed 5-…
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
There were several trees blown down around the Sveadahl community.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A few trees were blown down in St. James.
Funnel Cloud Funnel Cloud
A trained spotter observed a funnel cloud north of Madelia.
Events by year
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | 0 |
| 2024 | 9 | 1 |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 |
| 2022 | 11 | 0 |
| 2021 | 8 | 0 |
| 2020 | 12 | 0 |
| 2019 | 15 | 1 |
| 2018 | 8 | 0 |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | 14 | 0 |
| 2015 | 5 | 1 |
| 2014 | 21 | 2 |
| 2013 | 5 | 0 |
| 2012 | 3 | 0 |
| 2011 | 8 | 0 |
| 2010 | 27 | 2 |
| 2009 | 7 | 0 |
| 2008 | 5 | 0 |
| 2007 | 7 | 0 |
| 2006 | 17 | 3 |
| 2005 | 17 | 1 |
| 2004 | 8 | 0 |
| 2003 | 7 | 0 |
| 2002 | 5 | 0 |
| 2001 | 14 | 0 |
| 2000 | 13 | 0 |
| 1999 | 20 | 0 |
| 1998 | 10 | 1 |
| 1997 | 9 | 0 |
| 1996 | 22 | 0 |
| 1995 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 | 5 | 0 |
| 1990 | 4 | 1 |
| 1989 | 1 | 0 |
| 1986 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985 | 6 | 0 |
| 1982 | 1 | 0 |
| 1981 | 5 | 2 |
| 1980 | 3 | 1 |
| 1979 | 7 | 1 |
| 1978 | 5 | 0 |
| 1977 | 5 | 1 |
| 1971 | 1 | 1 |
| 1968 | 1 | 1 |
| 1963 | 1 | 1 |
| 1962 | 2 | 1 |