West Otter Tail County, Minnesota
Tornadoes, hail, floods and severe storms recorded here between 1996 and 2026, from NOAA's Storm Events Database. Search an address to see which tornadoes came closest to it.
0
Tornado reports
0
Hail reports
0
Floods since 1996
251
All events
0
Deaths
$1.3M
Property damage
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.
Frost/Freeze Frost/Freeze
Reported low temperatures ranged from 30 to 32 over many parts of west Otter Tail County. The lowest values of 30 were reported at the Richville, MN 9 SW CWOP at 4:43 AM CST, and the Elizabeth, MN 2 NNE CWOP at 5:45 AM CST.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Public report at 3 WNW Vergas, MN of 12 inches of measured snow for this episode and another public report of 9 inches of snow measured at 2 NNW Dunvilla, MN. Based on NOHRSC analysis at least 6 inches or more fell across northwest Otter Tail County with the highest values closer…
High Wind High Wind
Mesonet station MN130 Fergus Falls MN DOT measured a wind gust of 58 mph.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Received a public report of 9 inches of storm total snow 3 miles NW of Vergas, MN.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
The KFFM AWOS at Fergus Falls, MN reported frequent wind chill values -40 or lower from midday on January 22 through the morning of January 23.
Blizzard Blizzard
Frequent whiteout conditions at KFFM AWOS at Fergus Falls, MN during the afternoon and intermittent whiteout conditions into the evening. Winds were frequently gusting 35 to 42 mph.
Blizzard Blizzard
ASOS at Fergus Falls Municipal airport recorded blizzard conditions, including 1/4 mile visibility and frequent wind gusts of 35-45 mph.
High Wind High Wind
Several NDAWN and Mesonet sites reported wind gusts from 60 to 62 mph during the early afternoon.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Snowfall amounts of 6 to 7 inches were reported from several observers around Fergus Falls.
High Wind High Wind
Foxhome 4E 10m gust ndawn mesonet.
High Wind High Wind
Extensive tree damage with numerous trees snapped due to strong winds.
High Wind High Wind
Foxhome 4E 10m gust at ndawn mesonet.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Pelican Rapids 7.5 inches of snow.
Blizzard Blizzard
Visibility 1/4 mile or less for 3.5 hours this morning. Surrounding area had similar conditions.
High Wind High Wind
Mesonet station MN132 Frazee MN dot.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
AWOS station KFFM Fergus Falls AP MN reported a wind chill of minus 45.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
AWOS station KFFM Fergus Falls airport Minnesota measured a -52 wind chill.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Mesonet reported a wind chill of negative 44 degrees 4 miles west of Fergus Falls.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Public report of 6.5 inches north of Ashby.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Wind and cold air temperatures combined to create excessive cold conditions with apparent temperature as cold as -50F on the morning of the 20th at the Fergus Falls airport.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Snow Squall. RWIS sensor went from 20G31 2SM -SN at 1700Z to 27G44 1/10SM -SN at 1710Z along with a 4 degree T/Td drop in that time with corresponding radar signature from supplementary radar.
Drought Drought
Western Otter Tail county was in D2 Drought for the first half of November.
Drought Drought
Otter Tail county experienced 2 weeks of D2 drought in October, ongoing at the end of the month.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Public reports 10 inches of storm total snow in Battle Lake.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Public reports 10 inches of storm total snow in Underwood.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
CoCoRaHS station in Battle Lake reports 6.0 inches of snow.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Public reports 8 inches of snow east of Pelican Rapids.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
CoCoRaHS station in Fergus Falls reports 10 inches of snow.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Broadcast Media report of 6.0 inches in Pelican Rapids.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
Storm total snow of 6 inches in Fergus Falls.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
CoCoRaHS station 0.5 E Fergus Falls reports 6 inches of storm total snow at 7 AM on the 1st.
Blizzard Blizzard
Fergus Falls AWOS reports visibilities below a half mile, and frequent gusts over 35 MPH in the overnight hours of the 14th into the 15th.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Fergus Falls RWIS reported wind chills below -40F for multiple hours, with the lowest of those being -41F.
Blizzard Blizzard
Fergus Falls webcam shows 1/4 SM visibility or less. In addition, the RWIS reported 35 MPH or greater frequent wind gusts.
Strong Wind Strong Wind
Fergus Falls RWIS reports 49 mph wind gust at 11 AM.
Heavy Snow Heavy Snow
CoCoRaHS station 5 ESE Elizabeth reports 12.1 inches of snow. Storm total.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
Public reports 0.25 inches of freezing rain in Vergas. Relayed via social media, storm total.
High Wind High Wind
A 58 mph wind gust was recorded at the Fergus Falls Airport.
Winter Storm Winter Storm
From 6 to 10 inches of snow was reported across most of the county, along with periods of significantly reduced visibilities in snow and blowing snow as winds frequently gusted to 35 mph. Bitter cold wind chills of from minus 30F to minus 50F through the morning hours of the 21st…
Blizzard Blizzard
Blizzard conditions prevailed through the late morning and into much of the afternoon, with visibility down to 1/4 mile and winds frequently gusting over 35 mph.
Blizzard Blizzard
Visibility well below 0.25 mile with winds sustained at or above 35 mph. Numerous highways were shut down in MN.
Cold/Wind Chill Cold/Wind Chill
Temperatures fell into the teens below zero across the area, with winds of 15 to 25 mph; wind chills were as low as 40 below zero.
Cold/Wind Chill Cold/Wind Chill
Temperatures fell as low as 20 below zero, with winds ranging from 10 to 20 mph.
Cold/Wind Chill Cold/Wind Chill
Wind chill values across the area fell into the range of 20 below zero to 40 below zero.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Overnight low temperatures dropped from minus 15 to minus 25 F, with winds of 10 to 20 mph producing wind chills from minus 35 to minus 55 F.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Temperatures plummeted well below zero, ranging from minus 25 to minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind chills of from minus 35 to minus 50F, throughout the overnight hours of the 5th through the morning of the 6th, and again from the late afternoon of the 6th through the morning…
Blizzard Blizzard
Winds gusted at 35 to 52 mph, with visibilities at or below 1/4 mile due to falling and blowing snow for several hours. From 2 to 4 inches of new snow occurred along with existing blowable snowpack.
Cold/Wind Chill Cold/Wind Chill
Wind chill values fell as low as -42 degrees during the evening and into the overnight hours as reported by NDAWN Mesonet.
Cold/Wind Chill Cold/Wind Chill
Wind chills fell to -39 degrees at nearby NDAWN Mesonet sites.
Blizzard Blizzard
Airport, mesonet, and spotter reports confirm that visibilities were frequently less than 1/4 mile across the county from late forenoon through the afternoon. Winds gusted from 40 to 50 mph for much of the period.
Events by year, as a table
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 | 0 |
| 2025 | 14 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 | 0 |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 |
| 2022 | 14 | 0 |
| 2021 | 11 | 0 |
| 2020 | 9 | 0 |
| 2019 | 18 | 0 |
| 2018 | 7 | 0 |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | 7 | 0 |
| 2015 | 7 | 0 |
| 2014 | 11 | 0 |
| 2013 | 14 | 0 |
| 2012 | 3 | 0 |
| 2011 | 7 | 0 |
| 2010 | 11 | 0 |
| 2009 | 8 | 0 |
| 2008 | 16 | 0 |
| 2007 | 8 | 0 |
| 2006 | 3 | 0 |
| 2005 | 6 | 0 |
| 2004 | 7 | 0 |
| 2003 | 3 | 0 |
| 2002 | 5 | 0 |
| 2001 | 6 | 0 |
| 2000 | 8 | 0 |
| 1999 | 2 | 0 |
| 1998 | 3 | 0 |
| 1997 | 9 | 0 |
| 1996 | 12 | 0 |
Search your address
See every tornado that passed within 25 miles of a place in West Otter Tail County, measured to its path.
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