Mower County, Minnesota

What hazards hit Mower County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 187 since 1959. 54% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1959 fell in June and July. 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.

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 Mower County had?

NOAA records 34 tornadoes in Mower County from 1959 to 2026, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 12 injuries recorded in the county. That is 32nd of 87 Minnesota counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. 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 36 tornadoes whose track touched Mower County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 34: 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.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Minnesota.

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 Mower County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the December 18, 2025 blizzard (2 injuries).

The combination of falling snow and high winds led to a period of very low visibility during the afternoon and evening on December 18th. Snow accumulations were generally around an inch or less. Additionally, a peak wind gust of 52 mph was observed at a Minnesota Department of Transportation Observing Station near Lyle. Two separate vehicle accidents occurred as this system was moving through resulting in two individuals receiving non-life threatening injuries.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1305101)

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

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 Mower 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).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

54% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1959 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Mower County

FEMA's register lists 16 declarations that include Mower County: 13 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (6) and flood (4).

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 Mower County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 85 flood or flash flood records for Mower County from 1998 to 2025, on 57 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Mower County ranks 406th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $11.2 million on 733 claims filed in Mower County; the most in one year was 168 in 1978. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

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 Mower County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mower County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $26.9 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.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Mower County

1. Olmsted County 1,083
2. Mower County 732
3. Fillmore County 688
4. Freeborn County 616
5. Dodge County 573
6. Worth County, IA 513
7. Howard County, IA 493
8. Mitchell County, IA 484
9. Steele County 420

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
• Severe thunderstorm wind in MinnesotaThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, 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 Mower CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Mower County's FEMA declarations (CSV)16 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis