Renville County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Minnesota Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Renville County is about the same as Minnesota average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Renville County is about the same as Minnesota average and is about the same as the national average.
Earthquake Index, #25
| Renville County | 0.01 |
| 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
| Renville 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, #39
| Renville County | 137.82 |
| 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 11,041 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Renville 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: | 70 | Cold: | 30 | Dense Fog: | 2 | Drought: | 11 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 523 | Hail: | 5,248 | Heat: | 7 | Heavy Snow: | 94 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 13 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 79 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 4,281 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 2 | Winter Storm: | 144 | Winter Weather: | 85 |
| Other: | 452 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Renville County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Renville County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Renville County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 42 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Renville County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 7.1 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°44'N / 95°06'W | 2.00 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Renville | |
| 7.4 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°40'N / 95°06'W | 44°43'N / 95°06'W | 3.00 Miles | 13 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Renville |
| 12.3 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°39'N / 95°11'W | 5.00 Miles | 23 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Renville | |
| 13.7 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°34'N / 95°10'W | 44°40'N / 95°13'W | 5.50 Miles | 23 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Redwood |
| 14.6 | 1981-08-05 | 2 | 44°45'N / 95°15'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Renville | |||
| 14.6 | 1981-06-23 | 2 | 44°32'N / 95°05'W | 1.00 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Redwood | |
| 15.3 | 1981-06-21 | 2 | 44°39'N / 95°20'W | 44°25'N / 94°54'W | 26.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Redwood |
| 16.3 | 1981-06-23 | 2 | 44°50'N / 95°20'W | 44°47'N / 95°12'W | 6.80 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Renville |
| 16.6 | 2003-06-24 | 2 | 44°43'N / 94°37'W | 44°45'N / 94°37'W | 2.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 5 | 14.0M | 0 | Renville |
| Brief Description: This third tornado entered Renville County at 1845 CST and entered the city of Buffalo Lake, where damage was significant. Five people sustained minor injuries. Roofs were blown off the Lutheran Church, as well as a number of homes and businesses. Sheds and garages were blown down, a grain elevator was destroyed, and hundreds of trees were broken. Video and a storm survey determined the tornado was multiple vortex. 29 houses were damaged beyond repair, 51 sustained major damage, and 120 more suffered minor damage. | |||||||||||
| 17.3 | 2003-06-24 | 2 | 44°40'N / 94°36'W | 44°42'N / 94°37'W | 3.50 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 0 | Sibley |
| Brief Description: The third tornado in a series touched down in Sibley County and moved straight north, occasionally stalling in place for minutes at a time. It heavily damaged two farmsteads, where all outbuildings and sheds were destroyed, and the houses sustained significant damage. It entered Renville County at 1845 CST and then into Buffalo Lake. | |||||||||||
| 17.5 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°31'N / 95°15'W | 44°36'N / 95°12'W | 8.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Redwood |
| 22.8 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°31'N / 95°25'W | 44°39'N / 95°20'W | 12.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Redwood |
| 23.0 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°47'N / 95°25'W | 2.50 Miles | 13 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Renville | |
| 24.3 | 1981-06-21 | 2 | 44°47'N / 95°34'W | 44°39'N / 95°20'W | 14.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Yellow Medicine |
| 24.5 | 1977-07-27 | 2 | 44°53'N / 94°32'W | 44°53'N / 94°29'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Meeker | ||
| 24.7 | 2008-07-11 | 3 | 45°04'N / 95°08'W | 45°05'N / 94°58'W | 8.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0K | Kandiyohi |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Three homes were destroyed and eight others were damaged. Barns and sheds were destroyed, along with two businesses, including two turkey barns. At Highway 71 and County Rd. 19 a small trailer was turned on its side, and several farm tractors were turned on their sides. Two minor injuries occurred at a turkey barn 2.5 miles South of Downtown Willmar. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Instability ahead of a cold front which moved from the Central Dakotas on the morning of the 11th, to the Eastern half of Minnesota by the early evening hours, was the prime ingredient for scattered to numerous severe thunderstorms across the region, during this period. | |||||||||||
| 25.4 | 1992-06-16 | 3 | 44°21'N / 95°22'W | 44°30'N / 95°09'W | 13.00 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Redwood |
| 26.2 | 1981-06-21 | 2 | 44°25'N / 94°54'W | 44°17'N / 94°50'W | 9.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Redwood |
| 30.9 | 2010-06-25 | 2 | 44°20'N / 94°39'W | 44°20'N / 94°39'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Brown | ||
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Two farmsteads were hit near the intersection of 260th Street and County Road 10, with one receiving considerable damage. A barn was 2/3 destroyed, a harvestore silo was dented in about 70 feet off the ground, a corn crib was flattened, multiple wagons were displaced approximately 50 yards, and a wooden pole rated to 118 mph was cracked at the base. EPISODE NARRATIVE: During the morning of Friday June 25th, a small complex of thunderstorms developed across west-central Minnesota, and quickly moved eastward across southern Minnesota. Isolated severe weather occurred with these storms in west-central Minnesota during the morning hours. During the afternoon, a larger complex of storms developed across western Minnesota, and moved quickly across portions of central and southern Minnesota during the evening. Damage was extensive as several bow echoes, supercells, and squall lines raced across the area. There were numerous reports of structural damage to farms and homesteads, very large hail, and very large trees blown down. Softball to baseball size hail was reported near New Ulm, Minnesota, with several reports of wind damage throughout southern, and east-central Minnesota. Several significant tornadoes occurred in portions of south central Minnesota during the late afternoon, and early evening hours. Two separate severe storms moved across the Twin Cities area, one produced minor damage with hail in the late afternoon, but the second that occurred in the early evening caused more straight-line wind damage throughout the area, along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 31.3 | 1983-06-13 | 2 | 44°54'N / 94°22'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Mcleod | |
| 33.3 | 1952-06-23 | 2 | 44°07'N / 95°05'W | 44°23'N / 94°35'W | 30.70 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Brown |
| 33.3 | 2000-07-25 | 4 | 44°54'N / 95°40'W | 44°49'N / 95°33'W | 9.00 Miles | 167 Yards | 1 | 15 | 20.0M | 0 | Yellow Medicine |
| Brief Description: The tornado first touched down in rural Yellow Medicine County, 8 miles west, and 3 miles north of Granite Falls. The tornado lifted before exiting Granite Falls, leaving the most concentrated damage path two miles long, and 500 feet wide, through a primarily residential area of Granite Falls. Most of the damage in Granite Falls was caused by F2 to F3 wind speeds. However, this tornado has been classified as a minimal F4 tornado, based on the twisted wreckage of an overturned railroad car near the intersection of 9th Avenue and 14th street in Granite Falls. M82PH | |||||||||||
| 33.3 | 1981-06-21 | 2 | 44°17'N / 94°50'W | 44°13'N / 94°49'W | 3.80 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Brown |
| 38.8 | 1992-06-16 | 3 | 44°14'N / 95°35'W | 44°27'N / 95°29'W | 16.00 Miles | 90 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Redwood |
| 40.4 | 1992-06-16 | 3 | 44°47'N / 95°51'W | 44°47'N / 95°42'W | 6.00 Miles | 23 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Yellow Medicine |
| 41.1 | 1998-03-29 | 4 | 44°07'N / 94°54'W | 44°14'N / 94°22'W | 25.00 Miles | 2200 Yards | 1 | 16 | 45.0M | 0 | Brown |
| Brief Description: Tornado began 7 miles east of Avoca in Murray county, continued through Cottonwood, Brown, extreme Northwest Watonwan, Northwest Blue Earth, and finally lifted off 4 miles east of Courtland in Nicollet county. Total storm track was 67 miles. The tornado ripped through the village of Comfrey destroying a grain elevator and damaging 75% of the town. Much of downtown Comfrey destroyed including the town hall. School heavily damaged. 100 people made homeless. 50 homes destroyed. 130 farmsteads damaged or destroyed in Brown county. 500 dairy cows killed. One man critically injured in collapse of farmstead northwest of the town of Hanska. He died the next day. 35 buildings destroyed or damaged in far Northwest Blue Earth county. Damage estimate estimated. Property damage to extreme northwest Blue Earth county across Cambria township estimated at 2 million. Property damage to extreme northwest Watonwan county estimated at 245 thousand. M85PH | |||||||||||
| 41.4 | 1965-05-06 | 3 | 44°41'N / 94°10'W | 44°54'N / 94°04'W | 15.50 Miles | 167 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Sibley |
| 41.6 | 1992-06-16 | 3 | 44°47'N / 95°48'W | 2.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 6 | 25.0M | 0 | Yellow Medicine | |
| 43.0 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°19'N / 95°37'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lyon | |
| 43.7 | 1968-06-13 | 5 | 44°16'N / 95°35'W | 44°18'N / 95°36'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Redwood | ||
| 43.9 | 1998-03-29 | 4 | 44°05'N / 94°51'W | 44°06'N / 94°52'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Watonwan |
| Brief Description: Tornado moving through southern Brown county brushed extreme northwest Watonwan county. See Brown county narrative. | |||||||||||
| 45.3 | 2010-06-25 | 2 | 44°16'N / 94°21'W | 44°15'N / 94°16'W | 4.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Nicollet |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado touched down on the west side of Courtland, near Highway 14. The tornado produced EF-1 damage in the town of Courtland, where numerous trees were uprooted and many large tree branches were downed. The tornado continued east- southeast and strengthened in intensity just south of County Highway 25, where it produced EF-2 damage to multiple farmsteads. Damage included total destruction of a barn just west of the intersection of 511th avenue and County Highway 25. Widespread tree damage and snapped electrical transmission lines were also noted. EPISODE NARRATIVE: During the morning of Friday June 25th, a small complex of thunderstorms developed across west-central Minnesota, and quickly moved eastward across southern Minnesota. Isolated severe weather occurred with these storms in west-central Minnesota during the morning hours. During the afternoon, a larger complex of storms developed across western Minnesota, and moved quickly across portions of central and southern Minnesota during the evening. Damage was extensive as several bow echoes, supercells, and squall lines raced across the area. There were numerous reports of structural damage to farms and homesteads, very large hail, and very large trees blown down. Softball to baseball size hail was reported near New Ulm, Minnesota, with several reports of wind damage throughout southern, and east-central Minnesota. Several significant tornadoes occurred in portions of south central Minnesota during the late afternoon, and early evening hours. Two separate severe storms moved across the Twin Cities area, one produced minor damage with hail in the late afternoon, but the second that occurred in the early evening caused more straight-line wind damage throughout the area, along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 45.5 | 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 |
| 45.6 | 1998-03-29 | 4 | 44°15'N / 94°20'W | 44°16'N / 94°16'W | 4.00 Miles | 2200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Nicollet |
| Brief Description: See narrative for Brown county. | |||||||||||
| 45.6 | 1952-06-23 | 2 | 44°23'N / 94°35'W | 44°50'N / 93°30'W | 61.60 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Nicollet |
| 47.2 | 1952-06-23 | 2 | 45°18'N / 95°30'W | 45°21'N / 95°20'W | 8.40 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Swift |
| 47.3 | 1952-06-23 | 2 | 44°00'N / 95°17'W | 44°07'N / 95°05'W | 12.50 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Cottonwood |
| 47.8 | 1968-06-13 | 5 | 44°12'N / 95°42'W | 44°16'N / 95°35'W | 6.80 Miles | 150 Yards | 9 | 150 | 2.5M | 0 | Lyon |
| 48.1 | 1963-07-16 | 2 | 44°03'N / 94°46'W | 44°03'N / 94°39'W | 5.20 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Watonwan |
| 48.4 | 1998-03-29 | 3 | 43°59'N / 95°26'W | 44°06'N / 94°56'W | 39.50 Miles | 900 Yards | 0 | 3 | 30.0M | 0 | Cottonwood |
| Brief Description: A strong tornado which began in Murray County tracked across Cottonwood County and then further northeast. The tornado destroyed numerous farms, farm equipment, buildings, trees, power lines and poles, vehicles, and other structures in its path. A vehicle was tossed a hundred yards as it hit the first farm in southwest Cottonwood County. People in the basement of the house on this farm received minor injuries. The tornado also destroyed a church near Jeffers, and destroyed numerous homes in the southern part of Comfrey, a city which is only partly in Cottonwood County. | |||||||||||
| 48.8 | 2001-06-11 | 2 | 45°19'N / 95°37'W | 45°16'N / 95°29'W | 8.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 7 | 10.0M | 0 | Swift |
| Brief Description: After several brief tornadoes around Danvers, a much larger tornado struck the east side of Benson and travelled southeast along Highway 212. 71 structures were damaged, including 4 homes and 7 businesses that had to be demolished. The tornado lifted off in DeGraff, but not before damaging one last grain bin, taking the roof off a grain elevator, and knocking several sheds down in DeGraff. Seven people were injured when they fled a van just as the tornado was hitting the vehicle on the eastern edge of Benson. One boy was critically injured but survived and was discharged from the hospital two weeks later. Damage listed encompasses damages from all tornadoes and wind events in Swift County. | |||||||||||
| 49.0 | 1977-08-09 | 2 | 44°04'N / 94°46'W | 44°00'N / 94°41'W | 5.60 Miles | 70 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Watonwan |
* 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.