Last Year’s Tornado Total in Minnesota Will Surprise You

The spring and summer seasons are the prime time for severe weather and tornadoes here in Minnesota, but you might be surprised how many twisters were confirmed in the North Star State in 2024.

The National Weather Service (NWS) notes that the week of April 7th through the 11th, 2025 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Minnesota and Wisconsin. (Iowa already held their Severe Weather Awareness Week back in March.)

The NWS says Severe Weather Awareness Week is an annual campaign aimed at educating Minnesotans about the dangers of severe weather and how to stay safe during events like tornadoes, thunderstorms, floods, extreme heat, and more.

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One of the scariest forms that severe weather can take here in the Bold North is a tornado. According to the NWS:

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground. The peak tornado months are May, June, and July, but tornadoes can occur any time of year if conditions are right. Peak tornado time is 3:00 to 9:00 PM, though they can occur day or night.

​In 2024, the United States experienced a near-record number of tornadoes, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirming 1,796 tornadoes nationwide. There were 152 confirmed tornadoes in Oklahoma last year, setting a new state record. Florida, Illinois, Iowa, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia experienced their highest number of tornadoes on record in 2024 as well.

But it was a different story here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, however. According to the Minnesota State Climatology Office, Minnesota's tornado season last year was fairly quiet, with only 41 tornadoes confirmed across the state.

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The State Climatology Office says that number in 2024 was three less than the total reported in the also-light 2023 tornado season, when 44 twisters were confirmed across the state. Hopefullly, this year proves to be another light tornado season, but, of course, we never know.

If you DO encounter a tornado, here are some tips from the NWS to protect yourself:

At home...

• Move to a sturdy building. Shelters are more safe than mobile homes, especially mobile homes older than 1976.
• Stay away from windows. Do not try to open or close windows.
• Stay away from outside doors and garages.
• Move to a basement and get under something sturdy.
• If you have no basement, move to the lowest level and get in an interior room, like a bathroom or closet.
• Put as many walls between you and the storm as possible.
  At work...
• Move to a basement or interior hallway on the lowest level.
• Leave large span rooms.

When traveling...

• Do not try and outrun a tornado
• If the tornado is some distance away, drive away from it.
• If the tornado is relatively close, leave your vehicle for a sturdy building.
• If no shelter is available, seek refuge in a ditch or culvert. Crouch down and protect your head.

If outdoors...

• Find a shelter if possible.
• If boating or fishing, move to shore.
• If no shelter is available, seek refuge in a low spot. Crouch down and protect your head.

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