Storm risk in Olmsted County, Minnesota

FEMA's overall hazard score for Olmsted County is 82.35 (Relatively Moderate), 556th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 83.40 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 70.10 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 89.28 (Relatively Moderate). Expected hail loss is $43 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 109 hail reports in Olmsted County from 2014 to June 2026.

FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.

Olmsted County: expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings for hail, strong wind and tornado, on a log scale, against all U.S. counties and the counties of MN$0.1$1$10$100$1,000Hail: $43 per $1 million, 1,084th of 3,126 rated counties$43Hail1,084th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $19 per $1 million, 1,618th of 3,121 rated counties$19Strong wind1,618th of 3,121 countiesTornado: $311 per $1 million, 997th of 3,144 rated counties$311Tornado997th of 3,144 counties
  • Olmsted County, coloured by its FEMA rating
  • all U.S. counties
  • each county in the state
  • U.S. median
  • state median

Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.

How FEMA rates Olmsted County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in MN
OverallRelatively Moderate 82.35556 of 3,1448 of 87
HailRelatively Moderate 83.40523 of 3,12617 of 87
Strong windRelatively Moderate 70.10941 of 3,12638 of 87
TornadoRelatively Moderate 89.28338 of 3,1267 of 87

Expected yearly loss, in dollars

HazardThis county, total a yearPer $1M of buildingsState median countyU.S. median countyRank per $1M, U.S.Rank per $1M, state
Hail$1,778,529$43 $28$22 1,084 of 3,12635 of 87
Strong wind$801,523$19 $53$20 1,618 of 3,12172 of 87
Tornado$12,997,318$311 $187$199 997 of 3,14413 of 87

Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.

What stands out in Olmsted County

  • FEMA expects hail in Olmsted County to cost $43 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.91 times the U.S. median and 1.53 times the MN county median, ranked 1,084th of 3,126 counties nationally and 35th of 87 in Minnesota.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Olmsted County to cost $19 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.94 times the U.S. median and 0.36 times the MN county median, ranked 1,618th of 3,121 counties nationally and 72nd of 87 in Minnesota.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Olmsted County to cost $311 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.56 times the U.S. median and 1.67 times the MN county median, ranked 997th of 3,144 counties nationally and 13th of 87 in Minnesota.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $304,500 home, the average yearly loss in Olmsted County is about $13 for hail and $5.85 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $6.80 and $6.20.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Olmsted County meets about 35.0 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1987, the median home in Olmsted County is 39 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 67.5% of its 70,255 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 85 of the 109 hail reports in Olmsted County (78 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.

What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year

Enter a home value. The calculator applies Olmsted County’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.

$13hail, a year; $6.80 at the U.S. median county rate
$5.85strong wind, a year; $6.20 at the U.S. median county rate
$377hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Olmsted County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $1,778,529 ÷ $41,728,432,477 = 0.0000426. Wind: $801,523 ÷ $41,728,432,477 = 0.0000192. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.

Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.

Olmsted County in plain numbers

  • Olmsted County scores 82.35 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Moderate): 556th of 3,144 rated counties and 8th of 87 in Minnesota.
  • Hail scores 83.40 (Relatively Moderate). FEMA expects $1,778,529 of hail damage to buildings in Olmsted County a year, which is $43 per $1 million of buildings, 1.91 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 70.10 (Relatively Moderate) with $801,523 of expected yearly building loss in Olmsted County: $19 per $1 million of buildings, 0.94 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 89.28 (Relatively Moderate) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $12,997,318, counting everything exposed, or $311 per $1 million of buildings in Olmsted County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Olmsted County averages 4.69 hail events and 3.65 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 109 hail reports in Olmsted County between 2014 and June 2026, on 23 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 2 inches.
  • In Olmsted County, FEMA counts buildings worth 41.73 billion dollars and 162,489 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Very Low in Olmsted County.
  • Community resilience there is Very High, for 162,489 residents.
  • 1 city in Olmsted County is covered on this site: Rochester. 12 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
  • Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Rochester is $6,720 to $14,880.
  • Olmsted County ranks 75 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 64 for wind and 60 for tornado.
  • In Olmsted County, May is the busiest month with 47 of the 109 reports (43 percent), against 0 reports in November.
  • Olmsted County's worst year was 2022, with 4 hail days at 1 inch or more and 22 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 1.75 such days a year, one about every 6.9 months.
  • The median home in Olmsted County was built in 1987; 41.9% of its 70,255 housing units date from before 1980, 67.5% from before 2000 and 13.5% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Olmsted County at $304,500, and 70.7% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 5,462 single-family building permits were issued in Olmsted County from 2014 to 2025, about 77.7 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2017.
  • NOAA lists 10 tornado tracks in Olmsted County since 2014; the strongest was an EF2 on April 17, 2026 near Oslo, 9.71 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Olmsted County is 81 mph on July 13, 2024 at (Rst)Rochester Muni.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Blue Earth County, 84 miles from the centre of Olmsted County; its hail score is 85.27.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 15 roofing contractor establishments in Olmsted County in 2023, one for every 4,684 homes.
  • FEMA has named Olmsted County in 1 disaster declaration since 2014, the latest 2652 days before its data end, and 0 of them were storm-type.

The hail record of Olmsted County, year by year

NOAA logged 109 reports in Olmsted County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 23 days. That is 1.8 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.

Olmsted County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more0510152025302014: 6 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.25 inch142015: 8 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch152016: 1 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.75 inch162017: 27 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch172018: 11 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2 inch182019: 4 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.88 inch192020: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch202021: 4 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch212022: 22 reports, 4 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch222023: 9 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch232024: 3 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.25 inch242025: 7 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch252026: 5 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
Olmsted County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 2 reports2MarApril: 18 reports18AprMay: 47 reports47MayJune: 18 reports18JunJuly: 13 reports13JulAugust: 5 reports5AugSeptember: 5 reports5SepOctober: 1 reports1OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: May, 47 reports.

The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
YearReportsDays, 1 inch or moreDays, 1.75 inch or moreLargest stoneDamage reported
20146201.25 in$10,000
20158201.5 in–
20161000.75 in–
201727311.75 in$410,000
201811112 in$2,000
20194000.88 in–
20202101 in–
20214201 in–
202222411.75 in$515,000
20239201.5 in–
20243101.25 in–
20257301 in–
2026 (to June)5211.75 in$150,000

Biggest hail days in Olmsted County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
May 29, 20182 in8$2,000Rock Dell
June 16, 20171.75 in6$410,000Chester
May 11, 20221.75 in3$485,000Oronoco
April 17, 20261.75 in3$150,000Rochester
May 19, 20221.5 in11$30,000(Rst)Rochester Muni

Where large hail was reported

FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Olmsted County the big stones fell.

Reported hail locations, Olmsted County

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail2 in hail Rochester
  • 531 to 1.74 in
  • 81.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 02.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 2 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

61 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.

Sources: NOAA, Census county outline

Wind and tornado records for Olmsted County

Fastest gusts in Olmsted County

DateGustNear
July 13, 202481 mph(Rst)Rochester Muni
December 15, 202177 mph(Rst)Rochester Muni
May 9, 202276 mphJudge
July 28, 202576 mph(Rst)Rochester Muni

Strongest tornado tracks in Olmsted County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
April 17, 2026EF29.71 mi3 / 0Oslo
April 17, 2026EF23.53 mi0 / 0Viola
April 17, 2026EF17.57 mi0 / 0Rochester
June 4, 2019EF11.25 mi0 / 0Rochester

10 tornado tracks in all since 2014; the strongest 4 are listed.

How old the roofs are

Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at Olmsted County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 1.75 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Olmsted County: share of homes by decade built, with the hail days at 1 inch or more that an original roof from each decade has met at the county's 2014 to 2025 ratepre-1940: 8.3% of homes8.3%<19401591940s: 3.3% of homes3.3%1940s1421950s: 7.9% of homes7.9%1950s1241960s: 9.6% of homes9.6%1960s1071970s: 12.9% of homes12.9%1970s891980s: 11.7% of homes11.7%1980s721990s: 14.0% of homes14%1990s542000s: 19.0% of homes19%2000s372010s: 12.2% of homes12.2%2010s192020+: 1.4% of homes1.4%2020+5

Bars: share of 70,255 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.

Median year built1987
Built before 198041.9%
Built before 200067.5%
Built since 201013.5%
Owner-occupied70.7%
Median home value$304,500
Single-family permits, 2014 to 20255,462
Permits per 1,000 homes77.7

Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.

Roofers and past disasters in Olmsted County

Roofing firms in Olmsted County

Roofing contractor establishments, 202315
Change since 2016+6 (+67%)
Homes per roofing firm4,684
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 2023125

Source for Olmsted County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.

FEMA disaster declarations naming Olmsted County since 2014

Declarations naming Olmsted County1
Storm / flood / winter / fire0 / 1 / 0 / 0
Median MN county3
Rank among 54 MN counties50
Days from the latest to the data cutoff2,652

Source for Olmsted County: OpenFEMA, data to 2026-09-15.

Nearby counties

The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by Olmsted County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Blue Earth County, MN84 Relatively Low $511.21$1357.0468
Stearns County, MN151 Relatively Moderate $441.04$623.2586
St. Louis County, MN251 Relatively Moderate $190.44$0.480.02239

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Olmsted County

1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 12 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Rochester 55901 (100%), 55903 (100%), 55904 (100%), 55905 (100%), 55906 (92%) Roofers

Storm hit your roof in Olmsted County? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.

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Questions

How high is storm risk in Olmsted County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Olmsted County an overall score of 82.35 (Relatively Moderate), 556th of 3,144. Hail scores 83.40 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 70.10 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 89.28 (Relatively Moderate).

In Olmsted County, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?

A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 109 for Olmsted County between 2014 and June 2026, on 23 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 2 inches.

What do hail and wind cost a home in Olmsted County each year, on average?

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $304,500: FEMA's estimate is about $13 a year for hail and $5.85 for wind, before any deductible, against $6.80 and $6.20 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.

How does Olmsted County compare with the rest of Minnesota?

Per $1 million of buildings Olmsted County loses $43 to hail a year, against $28 in the median county of the state. Among 87 rated counties it is 17th for hail, 38th for strong wind and 7th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Olmsted County?

The median home was built in 1987, 39 years ago, and 67.5% of the 70,255 housing units in Olmsted County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.

What does expected annual loss mean?

It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.

Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?

No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.

Sources for Olmsted County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Olmsted County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Olmsted County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Olmsted County; OpenFEMA, declarations naming Olmsted County. Planning-level information about Olmsted County, not an inspection and not insurance advice.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).