Wilkin County, Minnesota

What hazards hit Wilkin County most?

The most frequent records are winter storm records: 163 since 1996. 43% 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.

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 Wilkin County had?

NOAA records 35 tornadoes in Wilkin County from 1950 to 2022, the strongest rated EF4, with 0 deaths and 7 injuries recorded in the county. That is 30th 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 35 tornadoes whose track touched Wilkin County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 35, the same count); 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 Wilkin County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 8, 2020 tornado ($63,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

This tornado began in Wilkin County, but ended in Otter Tail County, on the north side of Fergus Falls. The tornado was wrapped in downburst winds and rain, with a total track length of about 11 miles. The tornado uprooted or snapped numerous trees in shelterbelts along its path. It also snapped a few power poles and tore the roof off and collapsed the walls at a welding and manufacturing shop near the Fergus Falls airport. Peak winds were estimated at 100 mph.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 898442)

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

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: 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 Wilkin 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?

43% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.

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

Federal disaster declarations for Wilkin County

FEMA's register lists 25 declarations that include Wilkin County: 20 major disasters, 5 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (13) and severe storm (8).

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 Wilkin County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 60 flood or flash flood records for Wilkin County from 1996 to 2023, on 49 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Wilkin County ranks 508th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $7.4 million on 495 claims filed in Wilkin County; the most in one year was 407 in 1997. 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 Wilkin County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wilkin County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $4.7 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.

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

Counties that share a border with Wilkin County

1. Otter Tail County 1,515
2. Richland County, ND 1,026
3. Clay County 823
4. Wilkin County 649
5. Grant County 537
6. Traverse County 415

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 Wilkin CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Wilkin County's FEMA declarations (CSV)25 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis