Swift County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Minnesota Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Swift County is about the same as Minnesota average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Swift County is lower than Minnesota average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #6
| Swift County | 0.03 |
| 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
| Swift 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, #60
| Swift County | 100.90 |
| 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 8,702 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Swift 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: | 63 | Cold: | 40 | Dense Fog: | 2 | Drought: | 22 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 398 | Hail: | 4,288 | Heat: | 8 | Heavy Snow: | 86 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 13 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 73 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 3,183 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 2 | Winter Storm: | 119 | Winter Weather: | 82 |
| Other: | 323 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Swift County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 1 historical earthquake event that had a recorded magnitude of 3.5 or above found in or near Swift County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 32.1 | 1975-07-09 | 5 | N/A | 45.67 | -96.04 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 27 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Swift County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 3.5 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 45°19'N / 95°44'W | 1.50 Miles | 13 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Swift | |
| 6.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 13.7 | 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 |
| 14.5 | 2009-07-14 | 2 | 45°22'N / 95°28'W | 45°24'N / 95°24'W | 4.00 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 50K | Swift |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A National Weather Service storm survey and visual reports confirmed that a tornado moved through portions of Swift and Pope Counties in west central Minnesota where two turkey barns and several outbuildings were destroyed, with extensive tree damage throughout the entire path. Maximum damage was EF-2 with estimated winds of 111-119 mph. In the town of Swift Falls, two residences were damaged along with two garages that were destroyed. The tornado was produced minor crop damage northeast of Swift Falls. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A strong cold front, deep moisture and a high shear environment led to severe weather across portions of central Minnesota late Tuesday afternoon and evening of July 14th. Several individual storms developed across west central Minnesota and moved quickly northeast and spawned three tornadoes near Swift Falls, Elrosa and Spicer, Minnesota. In addition, several strong thunderstorms tracked across northern Todd and far northwestern Morrison County where two to four inches of rain fell in a short period of time. Due to the highly moist environment, and high rainfall rates, several areas of urban flooding was reported. One was in the community of Staples, and another was in St. Cloud. | |||||||||||
| 17.6 | 1954-08-15 | 2 | 45°25'N / 95°30'W | 45°31'N / 95°24'W | 7.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Swift |
| 18.5 | 2009-07-14 | 2 | 45°24'N / 95°24'W | 45°27'N / 95°21'W | 4.00 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 50K | Pope |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A National Weather Service storm survey and visual reports confirmed that a tornado moved through portions of Swift and Pope Counties in west central Minnesota where two turkey barns and several outbuildings were destroyed, with extensive tree damage throughout the entire path. Maximum damage was EF-2 with estimated winds of 111-119 mph. In the town of Swift Falls, two residences were damaged along with two garages that were destroyed. The tornado was produced minor crop damage northeast of Swift Falls. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A strong cold front, deep moisture and a high shear environment led to severe weather across portions of central Minnesota late Tuesday afternoon and evening of July 14th. Several individual storms developed across west central Minnesota and moved quickly northeast and spawned three tornadoes near Swift Falls, Elrosa and Spicer, Minnesota. In addition, several strong thunderstorms tracked across northern Todd and far northwestern Morrison County where two to four inches of rain fell in a short period of time. Due to the highly moist environment, and high rainfall rates, several areas of urban flooding was reported. One was in the community of Staples, and another was in St. Cloud. | |||||||||||
| 18.5 | 1953-05-10 | 2 | 45°25'N / 95°45'W | 45°40'N / 95°44'W | 17.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Pope |
| 29.1 | 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 | |||||||||||
| 30.1 | 1964-06-18 | 3 | 45°38'N / 95°28'W | 45°42'N / 95°22'W | 6.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 13 | 250K | 0 | Pope |
| 32.2 | 1951-07-20 | 2 | 44°54'N / 96°05'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 4 | 0K | 0 | Codington | |
| 34.1 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 34.2 | 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 |
| 34.4 | 1992-06-16 | 3 | 44°47'N / 95°48'W | 2.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 6 | 25.0M | 0 | Yellow Medicine | |
| 35.3 | 1959-07-07 | 2 | 45°40'N / 95°28'W | 45°48'N / 95°16'W | 13.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pope |
| 35.8 | 1984-04-26 | 2 | 45°46'N / 95°54'W | 45°47'N / 95°53'W | 1.00 Mile | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Stevens |
| 36.5 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°47'N / 95°25'W | 2.50 Miles | 13 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Renville | |
| 38.3 | 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 |
| 38.4 | 1996-05-17 | 3 | 45°23'N / 96°34'W | 45°33'N / 96°18'W | 17.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.5M | 0 | Big Stone |
| Brief Description: A tornado crossing Big Stone Lake from Roberts County, South Dakota destroyed one cabin at the Meadowbrook Resort, blew the roof off another cabin, and another cabin was demolished when a big tree fell onto it. Several boats on Big Stone Lake were overturned. Approxiamately 150 buildings sustained damage or were destroyed as the tornado moved northeast across Big Stone County through the townships of Prior, Big Stone, Almond, Malta, and Moonshine. Southwest of Clinton, a pontoon boat and a camper were destroyed. East of Clinton, a farm lost all buildings with severe damage to their home. The cupboards fell off the walls and doors would not close, signifying a twisted frame. Northeast of Clinton, another farm suffered damage to all structures. Half of the roof was torn off their home. Two miles south of Johnson, a house (rambler) was completely destroyed and several barns and machine sheds were destroyed, before the tornado lifted. Many trees were uprooted in the path of the tornado across Big Stone County and much of the power was out in the County as power lines were downed. | |||||||||||
| 38.9 | 1984-04-26 | 2 | 45°47'N / 95°53'W | 45°53'N / 95°43'W | 11.50 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Grant |
| 40.3 | 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 |
| 42.2 | 1981-08-05 | 2 | 44°45'N / 95°15'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Renville | |||
| 42.5 | 1996-10-26 | 2 | 45°49'N / 95°29'W | 45°56'N / 95°30'W | 9.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Douglas |
| Brief Description: Several homes destroyed. Car flipped over. 1 women sustained broken bones and internal injuries when a portion of her house, with her inside, was flung 200 feet onto the interstate. 500 pound fuel tank pushed over. | |||||||||||
| 44.8 | 1955-08-28 | 2 | 45°07'N / 96°35'W | 1.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Grant | |
| 46.2 | 1980-09-03 | 2 | 45°38'N / 94°53'W | 1.00 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Stearns | |
| 47.2 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°44'N / 95°06'W | 2.00 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Renville | |
| 49.6 | 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 |
| 49.8 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°39'N / 95°11'W | 5.00 Miles | 23 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Renville | |
* 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.