Carlton County, Minnesota
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 27017 · population 36,175 · 861 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 570 records for Carlton County, Minnesota from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 410 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (163 records). 296 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the August 7, 2001 heat, filed for the forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton, which covers the county: 5 deaths. FEMA has issued 10 declarations naming the county since 1972, 8 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
- 570on 410 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 1912 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $105Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 9strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 10latest 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 Carlton County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 163 since 1996. 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 | 163 | 154 | 1996-2026 | 7 | 5 | $21M | 45 of 87 |
| Hail | 131 | 69 | 1970-2026 | 0 | 0 | $28K | 74 of 87 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 107 | 66 | 1970-2026 | 0 | 0 | $32K | 72 of 87 |
| Extreme cold | 58 | 58 | 1997-2026 | 4 | 1 | – | 22 of 87 |
| Drought | 42 | 42 | 2006-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 of 87 |
| Floods | 31 | 19 | 1997-2024 | 0 | 0 | $79M | 56 of 87 |
| High wind and dust storms | 13 | 12 | 1998-2023 | 0 | 0 | $831K | 64 of 87 |
| Tornadoes | 9 | 7 | 1967-2024 | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | 81 of 87 |
| Rip currents and high surf | 7 | 7 | 2012-2023 | 2 | 4 | $202K | 1 of 87 |
| Lightning | 5 | 5 | 2002-2025 | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | 19 of 87 |
| Heat | 3 | 3 | 2001-2016 | 5 | 0 | – | 65 of 87 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2017-2017 | 1 | 0 | – | 79 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 Carlton County had?
NOAA records 9 tornadoes in Carlton County from 1967 to 2024, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 2 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 9 tornadoes whose track touched Carlton County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 9, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Minnesota.
Every tornado record filed for Carlton County (9)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-06-12 | Wright, Carlton County | EF0 7.8 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $47K |
| 2020-08-14 | Automba, Carlton County | EF0 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-08-14 | Moose Lake Municipal Airport, Carlton County | EF1 2.7 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1986-06-21 | Carlton County | F1 0.5 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1986-06-21 | Carlton County | F1 1 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1976-06-12 | Carlton County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1973-07-13 | Carlton County | F1 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1970-07-07 | Carlton County | F2 22.3 mi x 123 yd | 0 | 2 | $250K step |
| 1967-06-19 | Carlton County | F0 19.4 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
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 Carlton County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 10, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($10,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-29 | HailWrenshall, Carlton County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailMahtowa, Carlton County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailBarnum, Carlton County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailBarnum, Carlton County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailBarnum, Carlton County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-10 | Thunderstorm WindMoose Lake Municipal Airport, Carlton County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-10 | Thunderstorm WindMoose Lake Municipal Airport, Carlton County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2026-04-02 | Heavy SnowCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-14 | Heavy SnowCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-12 | BlizzardCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-08-07 | HeatCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton Five people died in a two-day heat wave, during which high temperatures of 91 degrees and heat indexes of 101 were reached. The victims, all in the Duluth area, included 4 males and 1 female, ranging in age from 47 to 73. All were found in rooms without air conditioning and with poor ventilation. The St. Louis County ... | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 2018-02-03 | Winter WeatherCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton A vehicle lost control on ice-covered Interstate 35 and rolled in the median near Cloquet about mid morning. A male who was not wearing a seat belt was transported to an area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries a few days later. Another crash occurred later in the afternoon around 4:15 PM when a vehicle lost ... | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2017-08-10 | Rip CurrentCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton A father and his daughter were swimming in high surf and swept away in Lake Superior off of Park Point Beach in Duluth. First responders retrieved both individuals and transported them to an area hospital where they were pronounced dead by drowning. During the rescue a fire department boat was flipped by waves. A ... | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2018-02-19 | Heavy SnowCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton A car accident occurred during a snow storm along Highway 61 near Brighton Beach in Duluth. The vehicle crossed the center line and crashed into an oncoming vehicle resulting in a the driver one of the vehicles succumbing to her injuries. Roads were snow-covered and slippery at the time with snow falling. Snowfall ... | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2010-05-07 | Winter WeatherCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton A late season snow wreaked havoc on northeastern Minnesota roads. An ambulance transporting three people struck another vehicle on Highway 2 near Brookston and flipped over a guardrail around 1930 CDT. One person was killed in the ambulance, and two were injured. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2023-03-16 | Heavy SnowCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton Snowfall totals varied greatly across southern St. Louis and Carlton counties during the event. Locations near Lake Superior received very little while inland locations received 4 to 6 inches. A total of 7 inches was reported near Wright. One person died from exposure after leaving a bar as the snow was ending and was ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-03-10 | Heavy SnowCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton Abnormally warm temperatures were present across the region leading up to this event with highs in the mid 50s. The warm air near the surface set the stage for a wintry mix followed by heavy wet snow by the evening hours. Additionally, a surface low was deepening as it encroached on the Northland, bringing gusty winds ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2017-12-16 | Cold/Wind ChillCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton A man and his dog were found deceased in a cabin in the Saginaw area. Authorities determined that the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator running inside the cabin. | 1 | 0 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-06-20 | Flash FloodEsko, Carlton County | 0 | 0 | $26M | |
| 2018-10-09 | Lakeshore FloodCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton | 0 | 0 | $22M | |
| 2012-06-20 | FloodMoose Lake, Carlton County | 0 | 0 | $21M | |
| 2018-04-15 | Winter StormCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton | 0 | 0 | $11M | |
| 2001-04-22 | Ice StormCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton | 0 | 0 | $7.0M | |
| 2017-10-27 | Lakeshore FloodCarlton County and St. Louis County · forecast zone Southern St. Louis / Carlton | 0 | 0 | $4.2M | |
| 2012-06-20 | FloodCarlton County | 0 | 0 | $3.9M | |
| 2012-06-20 | Flash FloodEsko, Carlton County | 0 | 0 | $2.6M |
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 $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: July 7, 1970 (tornado, Carlton 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 Carlton 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 | – | – | – | – | 20 | 43 | 53 | 47 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 26 | 36 | 44 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 19 | 8 | 40 | 24 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 1 | 10 | 29 | 18 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 13 | 8 | 21 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 1 | 3 | 26 | 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
Records by month in Carlton County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 55 · Feb 50 · Mar 43 · Apr 32 · May 52 · Jun 77 · Jul 77 · Aug 57 · Sep 29 · Oct 20 · Nov 26 · Dec 52 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Carlton County
FEMA's register lists 10 declarations that include Carlton County: 7 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (5) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-19 | DR-4722 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2020-04-07 | DR-4531 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3453 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2018-09-05 | DR-4390 | Flood | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2012-07-06 | DR-4069 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3242 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2001-05-16 | DR-1370 | Flood | Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes |
| 1976-06-17 | EM-3013 | Drought | Drought |
| 1972-08-25 | DR-350 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1972-08-01 | DR-347 | Flood | Severe Storms & 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 Carlton County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 31 flood or flash flood records for Carlton County from 1997 to 2024, on 19 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Carlton County ranks 2105th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $627,000 on 19 claims filed in Carlton County; the most in one year was 9 in 2012. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1985: 3 · 1986: 2 · 2012: 9 · 2013: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2025: 1; 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 Carlton County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Carlton County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $31.7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | $18M | 16 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $471K | 30 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $11M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $677K | 0.9 modeled event-days a year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $105K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $65K | 24 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $253K | 2 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $694K | once in about 8 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Carlton 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 Carlton CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Carlton County's FEMA declarations (CSV)10 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis