Storm risk in Stearns County, Minnesota

FEMA's overall hazard score for Stearns County is 87.56 (Relatively Moderate), 392nd of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 96.50 (Relatively High), strong wind 97.65 (Relatively High) and tornado 93.03 (Relatively High). Expected hail loss is $44 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 86 hail reports in Stearns County from 2014 to June 2026.

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

Stearns 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: $44 per $1 million, 1,043rd of 3,126 rated counties$44Hail1,043rd of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $62 per $1 million, 609th of 3,121 rated counties$62Strong wind609th of 3,121 countiesTornado: $222 per $1 million, 1,431st of 3,144 rated counties$222Tornado1,431st of 3,144 counties
  • Stearns 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 Stearns County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in MN
OverallRelatively Moderate 87.56392 of 3,1446 of 87
HailRelatively High 96.50111 of 3,1264 of 87
Strong windRelatively High 97.6575 of 3,1266 of 87
TornadoRelatively High 93.03220 of 3,1265 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$2,147,774$44 $28$22 1,043 of 3,12634 of 87
Strong wind$3,020,620$62 $53$20 609 of 3,12140 of 87
Tornado$10,736,895$222 $187$199 1,431 of 3,14435 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 Stearns County

  • FEMA expects hail in Stearns County to cost $44 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.99 times the U.S. median and 1.60 times the MN county median, ranked 1,043rd of 3,126 counties nationally and 34th of 87 in Minnesota.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Stearns County to cost $62 per $1 million of buildings a year: 3.07 times the U.S. median and 1.19 times the MN county median, ranked 609th of 3,121 counties nationally and 40th of 87 in Minnesota.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Stearns County to cost $222 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.12 times the U.S. median and 1.19 times the MN county median, ranked 1,431st of 3,144 counties nationally and 35th of 87 in Minnesota.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $256,500 home, the average yearly loss in Stearns County is about $11 for hail and $16 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $5.73 and $5.23.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Stearns County meets about 40.0 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1984, the median home in Stearns County is 42 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 72.7% of its 66,211 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 49 of the 86 hail reports in Stearns County (57 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 Stearns 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.

$11hail, a year; $5.73 at the U.S. median county rate
$16strong wind, a year; $5.23 at the U.S. median county rate
$549hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Stearns County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $2,147,774 ÷ $48,332,331,060 = 0.0000444. Wind: $3,020,620 ÷ $48,332,331,060 = 0.0000625. 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.

Stearns County in plain numbers

  • Stearns County scores 87.56 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Moderate): 392nd of 3,144 rated counties and 6th of 87 in Minnesota.
  • Hail scores 96.50 (Relatively High). FEMA expects $2,147,774 of hail damage to buildings in Stearns County a year, which is $44 per $1 million of buildings, 1.99 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 97.65 (Relatively High) with $3,020,620 of expected yearly building loss in Stearns County: $62 per $1 million of buildings, 3.07 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 93.03 (Relatively High) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $10,736,895, counting everything exposed, or $222 per $1 million of buildings in Stearns County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Stearns County averages 4.94 hail events and 3.23 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 86 hail reports in Stearns County between 2014 and June 2026, on 24 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 3.25 inches.
  • In Stearns County, FEMA counts buildings worth 48.33 billion dollars and 158,160 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Relatively Low in Stearns County.
  • Community resilience there is Very High, for 158,160 residents.
  • 1 city in Stearns County is covered on this site: St Cloud. 26 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 St Cloud is $6,720 to $14,880.
  • Stearns County ranks 72 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 14 for wind and 96 for tornado.
  • In Stearns County, July is the busiest month with 27 of the 86 reports (31 percent), against 0 reports in January.
  • Stearns 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 2.00 such days a year, one about every 6.0 months.
  • The median home in Stearns County was built in 1984; 44.6% of its 66,211 housing units date from before 1980, 72.7% from before 2000 and 10.2% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Stearns County at $256,500, and 67.8% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 4,526 single-family building permits were issued in Stearns County from 2014 to 2025, about 68.4 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2021.
  • NOAA lists 12 tornado tracks in Stearns County since 2014; the strongest was an EF1 on September 19, 2017 near Elrosa, 8.18 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Stearns County is 81 mph on September 19, 2017 at Belgrade.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Blue Earth County, 105 miles from the centre of Stearns County; its hail score is 85.27.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 9 roofing contractor establishments in Stearns County in 2023, one for every 7,357 homes.
  • FEMA has named Stearns County in 1 disaster declaration since 2014, the latest 1530 days before its data end, and 1 of them were storm-type.

The hail record of Stearns County, year by year

NOAA logged 86 reports in Stearns County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 24 days. That is 2.0 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.

Stearns County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more05101520252014: 2 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.88 inch142015: 4 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch152016: 11 reports, 4 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch162017: 5 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch172018: 2 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2 inch182019: 8 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2 inch192020: 6 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.25 inch202021: 2 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch212022: 22 reports, 4 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2 inch222023: 12 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 3.25 inch232024: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.25 inch242025: 10 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2 inch252026: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
Stearns County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 3 reports3MarApril: 7 reports7AprMay: 23 reports23MayJune: 16 reports16JunJuly: 27 reports27JulAugust: 3 reports3AugSeptember: 7 reports7SepOctober: 0 reports0OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: July, 27 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
20142000.88 in–
20154101.5 in–
201611411.75 in–
20175101 in–
20182212 in–
20198222 in–
20206201.25 in–
20212201.5 in–
202222422 in–
202312223.25 in–
20242101.25 in–
202510312 in–

Biggest hail days in Stearns County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
July 13, 20233.25 in8none recordedBelgrade
May 12, 20222 in14none recordedCollegeville
July 26, 20192 in6none recordedSt Cloud
May 9, 20222 in5none recordedSt Cloud
July 18, 20252 in5none recordedSt Augusta

Where large hail was reported

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

Reported hail locations, Stearns County

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  • 441 to 1.74 in
  • 211.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 12.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 3.25 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

66 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 Stearns County

Fastest gusts in Stearns County

DateGustNear
September 19, 201781 mphBelgrade
September 19, 201779 mphBrooten
September 19, 201778 mphGreenwald
September 19, 201775 mphBrooten

Strongest tornado tracks in Stearns County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
August 3, 2024EF15.36 mi0 / 0Melrose
September 19, 2017EF18.18 mi0 / 0Elrosa
July 11, 2016EF14 mi0 / 0St Nicholas
May 15, 2025EF02.77 mi0 / 0Spring Hill

12 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 Stearns County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 2.00 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Stearns 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: 11.4% of homes11.4%<19401821940s: 4.1% of homes4.1%1940s1621950s: 5.8% of homes5.8%1950s1421960s: 8.8% of homes8.8%1960s1221970s: 14.5% of homes14.5%1970s1021980s: 12.9% of homes12.9%1980s821990s: 15.2% of homes15.2%1990s622000s: 17.1% of homes17.1%2000s422010s: 9.4% of homes9.4%2010s222020+: 0.8% of homes0.8%2020+6

Bars: share of 66,211 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 built1984
Built before 198044.6%
Built before 200072.7%
Built since 201010.2%
Owner-occupied67.8%
Median home value$256,500
Single-family permits, 2014 to 20254,526
Permits per 1,000 homes68.4

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 Stearns County

Roofing firms in Stearns County

Roofing contractor establishments, 20239
Change since 2016+2 (+29%)
Homes per roofing firm7,357
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 2023202

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

FEMA disaster declarations naming Stearns County since 2014

Declarations naming Stearns County1
Storm / flood / winter / fire1 / 0 / 0 / 0
Median MN county3
Rank among 54 MN counties51
Days from the latest to the data cutoff1,530

Source for Stearns 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 Stearns County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Blue Earth County, MN105 Relatively Low $511.16$1352.1668
Olmsted County, MN151 Relatively Moderate $430.96$190.31109
St. Louis County, MN178 Relatively Moderate $190.42$0.480.01239

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Stearns 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. 26 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
St Cloud 56301 (100%), 56304 (0%), 56309 (0%), 56310 (100%) Roofers

Storm hit your roof in Stearns 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 Stearns County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Stearns County an overall score of 87.56 (Relatively Moderate), 392nd of 3,144. Hail scores 96.50 (Relatively High), strong wind 97.65 (Relatively High) and tornado 93.03 (Relatively High).

In Stearns 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 86 for Stearns County between 2014 and June 2026, on 24 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 3.25 inches.

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

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $256,500: FEMA's estimate is about $11 a year for hail and $16 for wind, before any deductible, against $5.73 and $5.23 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 Stearns County compare with the rest of Minnesota?

Per $1 million of buildings Stearns County loses $44 to hail a year, against $28 in the median county of the state. Among 87 rated counties it is 4th for hail, 6th for strong wind and 5th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Stearns County?

The median home was built in 1984, 42 years ago, and 72.7% of the 66,211 housing units in Stearns 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 Stearns County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Stearns County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Stearns County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Stearns County; OpenFEMA, declarations naming Stearns County. Planning-level information about Stearns 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).