Big Stone County, Minnesota
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 27011 · population 5,166 · 499 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 481 records for Big Stone County, Minnesota from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 352 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (128 records). The deadliest single record is the December 23, 1996 blizzard, filed for the forecast zone Big Stone, which covers the county: 1 death and 5 injuries. FEMA has issued 20 declarations naming the county since 1969, 18 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms and Flooding” on July 19, 2023.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 481on 352 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 26 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $3.6Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 13strongest F3
- FEMA declarations
- 20latest 2023
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Big Stone County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 128 since 1996. 42% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The rank column places the county among Minnesota's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 128 | 127 | 1996-2025 | 2 | 6 | – | 20 of 87 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 115 | 61 | 1955-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 40 of 87 |
| Hail | 106 | 64 | 1957-2026 | 0 | 0 | $100K | 40 of 87 |
| Extreme cold | 46 | 46 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 of 87 |
| High wind and dust storms | 24 | 24 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 of 87 |
| Floods | 22 | 19 | 1997-2025 | 0 | 0 | $415K | 35 of 87 |
| Drought | 17 | 17 | 2006-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 of 87 |
| Tornadoes | 13 | 10 | 1956-2022 | 0 | 0 | $3.1M | 63 of 87 |
| Heat | 7 | 7 | 2006-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 48 of 87 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 3 | 2 | 2016-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 68 of 87 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Big Stone County had?
NOAA records 13 tornadoes in Big Stone County from 1956 to 2022, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 14 tornadoes whose track touched Big Stone County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 13: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-05-17 17:03, as SPC files it | OrtonvilleCrossed MN, SD | F3 | 18 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Minnesota.
Every tornado record filed for Big Stone County (13)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-05-30 | Correll, Big Stone County | EF1 2.4 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-10-13 | Barry, Big Stone County | EF0 0.04 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-10-13 | Clinton, Big Stone County | EF0 0.35 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-10-13 | Odessa, Big Stone County | EF0 0.05 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-06-13 | Clinton, Big Stone County | EF1 0.25 mi x 170 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2016-06-14 | Barry, Big Stone County | EF0 0.84 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2016-06-14 | Barry, Big Stone County | EF0 0.07 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-06-13 | Odessa, Big Stone County | F0 0.5 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-10-26 | Barry, Big Stone County | F0 1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-05-31 | Artichoke, Big Stone County | F0 0.3 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-05-17 | Clinton, Big Stone County | F3 17 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.8M |
| 1959-07-07 | Big Stone County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1956-10-29 | Big Stone County | F2 | 0 | 0 | – |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Big Stone County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 2, 2024 flood ($312,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
Heavy rain from thunderstorms, in concert with an already wet spring, resulted in flooding that damaged township roads and culverts. Damage assessments between Otrey and Artichoke Lake townships reached 331655.85 dollars.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1192152)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-10 | Thunderstorm WindOrtonville Airport, Big Stone County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-04 | HailOrtonville Airport, Big Stone County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-04 | Thunderstorm WindOrtonville Airport, Big Stone County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-04 | HailOdessa, Big Stone County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | High WindBig Stone County · forecast zone Big Stone | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-01-22 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillBig Stone County · forecast zone Big Stone | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-28 | BlizzardBig Stone County · forecast zone Big Stone | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-11-25 | BlizzardBig Stone County · forecast zone Big Stone | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-21 | Thunderstorm WindOrtonville, Big Stone County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-07-28 | FloodJohnson, Big Stone County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-28 | Thunderstorm WindOrtonville Airport, Big Stone County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-07-28 | Thunderstorm WindOrtonville Airport, Big Stone County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-12-23 | BlizzardBig Stone County · forecast zone Big Stone Blizzard conditions developed across Big Stone and Traverse counties in the late afternoon and continued into the late evening. Four to six inches of new snowfall combined with the already deep snow cover and north winds of 20 to 40 mph caused widespread blizzard conditions and heavy drifting on area roads. Travel was ... | 1 | 5 | – | |
| 1997-01-03 | Winter StormBig Stone County · forecast zone Big Stone A powerful area of low pressure and a deep Arctic High brought all winter elements to Big Stone and Traverse counties. The Winter storm first began with widespread freezing rain, where significant accmumlations of ice occurred on roads, trees, and power lines. Late in the evening of the 3rd, the freezing rain changed ... | 1 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-05-17 | TornadoClinton, Big Stone County | F3 17 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.8M |
| 2024-06-02 | FloodArtichoke, Big Stone County | 0 | 0 | $312K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $25K, in the dollars of the day) holds: July 7, 1959 (tornado, Big Stone County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Big Stone County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 21 | 32 | 51 | 24 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 14 | 46 | 26 |
| Hail | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 23 | 32 | 22 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 3 | 7 | 19 | 17 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 4 | 11 | 5 | 4 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 3 | 3 | 9 | 7 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
42% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 46 · Feb 39 · Mar 35 · Apr 31 · May 43 · Jun 75 · Jul 85 · Aug 42 · Sep 3 · Oct 19 · Nov 23 · Dec 40 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Big Stone County
FEMA's register lists 20 declarations that include Big Stone County: 16 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (9) and severe storm (6).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-19 | DR-4722 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2022-08-09 | DR-4666 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2022-07-08 | DR-4658 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2020-04-07 | DR-4531 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3453 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-06-12 | DR-4442 | Flood | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2013-07-25 | DR-4131 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2011-05-10 | DR-1982 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2010-04-19 | DR-1900 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2010-03-19 | EM-3310 | Flood | Flooding |
| 2006-01-04 | DR-1622 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3242 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2001-05-16 | DR-1370 | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes |
| 1997-04-08 | DR-1175 | Flood | Severe Flooding, High Winds,Severe Storms |
| 1997-01-16 | DR-1158 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 1996-06-01 | DR-1116 | Flood | Flooding and Severe Storms |
| 1996-01-05 | DR-1078 | Snowstorm | High Winds, Freezing Rain, Heavy Snowfall |
| 1993-06-11 | DR-993 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1976-06-17 | EM-3013 | Drought | Drought |
| 1969-04-18 | DR-255 | Flood | Flooding |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Big Stone County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 22 flood or flash flood records for Big Stone County from 1997 to 2025, on 19 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Big Stone County ranks 1346th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $834,000 on 92 claims filed in Big Stone County; the most in one year was 30 in 2010. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1994: 1 · 1997: 26 · 1998: 1 · 2001: 25 · 2010: 30 · 2011: 3 · 2012: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2023: 3; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Big Stone County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Big Stone County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $4.4 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $99K | 21 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $1.6M | 14 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $243K | 3.8 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $48K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $192K | 2.8 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Very Low | $420 | once in about 19 years (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Very Low | $16K | once in about 1,336 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | $143K | 2.6 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Big Stone County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in MinnesotaEvery Minnesota tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Winter storms in MinnesotaThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The Minnesota recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Big Stone CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Big Stone County's FEMA declarations (CSV)20 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis