Willmar Micro Area Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Willmar Area is about the same as Minnesota average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Willmar Area is about the same as Minnesota average and is about the same as the national average.
Earthquake Index, #721
| Willmar Area | 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, #129
| Willmar Area | 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, #526
| Willmar Area | 127.18 |
| 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 9,726 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Willmar Area 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: | 36 | Cold: | 38 | Dense Fog: | 2 | Drought: | 16 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 400 | Hail: | 4,719 | Heat: | 8 | Heavy Snow: | 53 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 9 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 54 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 3,838 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 2 | Winter Storm: | 130 | Winter Weather: | 27 |
| Other: | 394 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Willmar Area.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Willmar Area.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Willmar Area.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 36 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Willmar Area.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 5.8 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 23.3 | 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 |
| 26.0 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 26.2 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 27.0 | 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 |
| 28.2 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 29.3 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°44'N / 95°06'W | 2.00 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Renville | |
| 30.3 | 1981-08-05 | 2 | 44°45'N / 95°15'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Renville | |||
| 30.6 | 1977-07-27 | 2 | 44°53'N / 94°32'W | 44°53'N / 94°29'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Meeker | ||
| 30.6 | 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 |
| 32.2 | 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 |
| 32.5 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°47'N / 95°25'W | 2.50 Miles | 13 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Renville | |
| 33.7 | 1980-09-03 | 2 | 45°38'N / 94°53'W | 1.00 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Stearns | |
| 34.2 | 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 |
| 34.6 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 35.7 | 1983-06-13 | 2 | 44°54'N / 94°22'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Mcleod | |
| 35.8 | 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 | |||||||||||
| 35.8 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 44°39'N / 95°11'W | 5.00 Miles | 23 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Renville | |
| 36.7 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 37.1 | 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 |
| 37.2 | 1992-06-16 | 2 | 45°19'N / 95°44'W | 1.50 Miles | 13 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Swift | |
| 37.8 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 38.1 | 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 |
| 40.7 | 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 |
| 40.7 | 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 |
| 41.2 | 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 |
| 42.4 | 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 |
| 42.9 | 1981-06-23 | 2 | 44°32'N / 95°05'W | 1.00 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Redwood | |
| 43.1 | 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 |
| 43.3 | 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 |
| 43.8 | 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 |
| 44.7 | 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 |
| 45.4 | 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 |
| 46.5 | 1992-06-16 | 3 | 44°47'N / 95°48'W | 2.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 6 | 25.0M | 0 | Yellow Medicine | |
| 46.5 | 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 |
| 48.7 | 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 |
* 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.