Benton County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Benton County is about the same as Minnesota average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Benton County is lower than Minnesota average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #33
| Benton County | 0.00 |
| Minnesota | 0.01 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Benton County | 0.0000 |
| Minnesota | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #49
| Benton County | 119.54 |
| Minnesota | 135.90 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 8,981 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Benton County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 45 | Cold: | 36 | Dense Fog: | 2 | Drought: | 14 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 319 | Hail: | 4,166 | Heat: | 8 | Heavy Snow: | 48 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 4 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 45 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 3,805 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 119 | Winter Weather: | 1 |
| Other: | 369 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Benton County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Benton County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Benton County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 39 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Benton County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 1.7 | 1977-06-17 | 2 | 45°42'N / 93°58'W | 0.70 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Benton | |
| 4.1 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 45°40'N / 93°56'W | 0.30 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Benton | |
| 4.7 | 1982-09-12 | 2 | 45°45'N / 93°56'W | 0.80 Mile | 3 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Benton | |
| 9.0 | 1953-03-21 | 2 | 45°35'N / 94°05'W | 1 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Stearns | |||
| 12.4 | 1970-07-18 | 2 | 45°45'N / 94°15'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Benton | |
| 12.6 | 1981-03-25 | 2 | 45°50'N / 94°11'W | 3.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Morrison | |
| 13.2 | 1980-09-03 | 3 | 45°32'N / 94°13'W | 45°35'N / 94°09'W | 3.80 Miles | 60 Yards | 1 | 15 | 25.0M | 0 | Stearns |
| 15.8 | 1997-09-18 | 2 | 45°53'N / 94°18'W | 45°53'N / 94°06'W | 8.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Morrison |
| Brief Description: Several buildings severely damaged. Numerous trees and power lines down. | |||||||||||
| 17.4 | 1967-07-22 | 2 | 45°28'N / 94°08'W | 45°26'N / 93°50'W | 14.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 12 | 2.5M | 0 | Sherburne |
| 17.9 | 1967-07-22 | 2 | 45°28'N / 94°11'W | 45°28'N / 94°08'W | 1.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Stearns |
| 22.3 | 1961-06-30 | 2 | 46°01'N / 94°06'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Morrison | |||
| 22.4 | 1958-06-04 | 2 | 45°36'N / 94°35'W | 45°36'N / 94°18'W | 13.30 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Stearns |
| 24.8 | 1997-09-18 | 3 | 46°04'N / 94°03'W | 46°03'N / 93°51'W | 9.00 Miles | 800 Yards | 1 | 1 | 1.7M | 0 | Morrison |
| Brief Description: Several buildings destroyed and numerous other buildings damaged. Hundreds of trees down. A number of cattle killed in barn collapse. One man injured when the tornado engulfed his car and threw it into a nearby woods. A second man critically injured when his garage collapsed. He died several weeks later. Total path length of tornado from 1 NE of Lastrup to Onamia was 17 miles. M57PH | |||||||||||
| 27.1 | 1981-06-13 | 2 | 45°35'N / 93°28'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Isanti | |
| 28.9 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 45°14'N / 94°04'W | 45°20'N / 93°51'W | 10.00 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Wright |
| 28.9 | 1997-07-01 | 2 | 45°18'N / 93°56'W | 45°17'N / 93°49'W | 5.00 Miles | 550 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Wright |
| Brief Description: Two tornadoes converged on the Prairie Acres housing development 1 south of Monticello at about the same time. Extensive damage in area. | |||||||||||
| 29.0 | 1997-09-18 | 3 | 46°05'N / 93°50'W | 46°05'N / 93°40'W | 8.00 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Mille Lacs |
| Brief Description: Several buildings destroyed and numerous other buildings damaged. Hundreds of trees down. A number of cattle killed in barn collapse. Damage estimate included in entry for Morrison county. Total path length from 1 NE of Lastup to Onamia was 17 miles. | |||||||||||
| 29.9 | 1959-07-08 | 2 | 46°04'N / 93°40'W | 0.50 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mille Lacs | |
| 30.2 | 1997-07-01 | 2 | 45°16'N / 93°49'W | 45°18'N / 93°49'W | 2.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Wright |
| 30.4 | 1996-10-26 | 2 | 45°35'N / 94°38'W | 45°38'N / 94°36'W | 5.00 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Stearns |
| Brief Description: House collapsed on top of family. Outbuildings destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 32.2 | 2001-06-13 | 2 | 45°59'N / 94°32'W | 46°04'N / 94°26'W | 4.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0 | Morrison |
| Brief Description: One home lost its roof. Several sheds and outbuildings blown down. Two additional homes sustained minor damage. | |||||||||||
| 33.5 | 1981-06-14 | 2 | 45°13'N / 93°59'W | 2.90 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Wright | |
| 37.0 | 1964-05-05 | 3 | 45°35'N / 94°47'W | 45°39'N / 94°44'W | 4.30 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Stearns |
| 38.7 | 1997-07-01 | 3 | 45°07'N / 94°01'W | 45°10'N / 93°56'W | 5.00 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Wright |
| Brief Description: House completely destroyed on west side of Birch Lake. | |||||||||||
| 38.8 | 1985-07-03 | 2 | 46°16'N / 93°46'W | 46°07'N / 93°27'W | 22.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Mille Lacs |
| 39.3 | 2006-09-16 | 2 | 45°12'N / 93°38'W | 45°14'N / 93°31'W | 7.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 0 | 30.0M | 0 | Hennepin |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down on the western edge of Sylvan Lake and moved quickly northeast. It produced F0 damage to some farms and rural residences in Hassan Township before strengthening and entering the northwest corner of Rogers. It gained F2 status briefly as it moved through a residential neighborhood in Rogers, where it took the life of a 10 year old girl in a home. A home weather station 2/3 mile southeast of the tornado at this point measured 65 mph inflow winds. The tornado crossed Interstate 94 and entered another neighborhood, where F1 damage was produced. One house with significant damage had a home weather station in the back yard. Once the data were retrieved, its peak gust was found to have reached 105 mph. The tornado then moved into the northern tip of Dayton, alternating between F0 and F1 damage, then exited Hennepin County, crossed the Mississippi River and entered the city of Ramsey in Anoka County (see separate entry). The maximum width in Hennepin County was 100 yards, although its maximum width in Anoka County was only 25 yards. F10PH | |||||||||||
| 40.8 | 1985-07-03 | 2 | 46°07'N / 93°27'W | 46°05'N / 93°18'W | 8.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kanabec |
| 40.9 | 1985-07-03 | 2 | 46°17'N / 93°49'W | 46°16'N / 93°46'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Aitkin |
| 41.6 | 1985-07-03 | 2 | 46°18'N / 93°50'W | 46°17'N / 93°49'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Crow Wing |
| 42.8 | 1980-09-03 | 2 | 45°38'N / 94°53'W | 1.00 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Stearns | |
| 43.5 | 1992-06-16 | 3 | 45°01'N / 94°14'W | 45°09'N / 94°07'W | 10.00 Miles | 120 Yards | 0 | 8 | 0K | 0 | Wright |
| 45.9 | 1951-06-19 | 4 | 45°12'N / 93°23'W | 45°13'N / 93°21'W | 1 | 9 | 2.5M | 0 | Anoka | ||
| 46.0 | 1951-06-19 | 4 | 44°53'N / 94°22'W | 45°12'N / 93°23'W | 52.60 Miles | 330 Yards | 0 | 11 | 2.5M | 0 | Mcleod |
| 46.1 | 1997-09-18 | 2 | 46°07'N / 93°26'W | 46°07'N / 93°04'W | 17.00 Miles | 450 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Kanabec |
| Brief Description: 2 homes severely damaged. Large barn destroyed. Numerous trees and power lines down. | |||||||||||
| 46.2 | 2001-06-13 | 2 | 46°21'N / 94°12'W | 46°22'N / 94°10'W | 5.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Crow Wing |
| Brief Description: The tornado tore roofs off houses and blew out exterior walls. Pole barns and sheds were destroyed, and windows were blown out. Thousands of trees were knocked down, and 41 head of livestock were killed. The average path width was 1/4 mile, with the widest being 1/2 mile. | |||||||||||
| 47.1 | 1983-07-03 | 4 | 45°13'N / 93°19'W | 1.00 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 4 | 25K | 0 | Anoka | |
| 48.4 | 1973-06-25 | 3 | 46°24'N / 94°02'W | 46°24'N / 93°49'W | 10.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Crow Wing |
| 48.6 | 1987-07-23 | 3 | 45°09'N / 93°29'W | 45°07'N / 93°20'W | 5.00 Miles | 170 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Hennepin |
| 49.1 | 1966-07-05 | 2 | 45°09'N / 93°29'W | 45°04'N / 93°24'W | 6.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Hennepin |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.