Dakota County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Dakota County, MN right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 799 alerts that included Dakota County, roughly 80 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (151 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on October 28, 2026. 40 tornadoes have touched down in the county since 1950.
Updated from the National Weather Service · lists refresh hourly; the live map loads current alerts directly from the NWS
No warnings, watches or advisories include Dakota County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Rice County, Pierce County, Washington County, Goodhue County.
Dakota County alert history
Alert events that included Dakota County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 151 | 6 | October 28, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 92 | 8 | April 2, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 61 | 6 | June 30, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 58 | 4 | September 28, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 55 | 3 | January 26, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 50 | 0 | June 25, 2025 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 42 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 39 | 5 | September 4, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 38 | 0 | December 18, 2025 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 37 | 2 | April 2, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 30 | 0 | August 18, 2025 |
| Tornado Watch | 22 | 1 | October 28, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 20 | 3 | July 25, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 18 | 4 | May 11, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 16 | 2 | July 25, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 15 | 1 | October 28, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 12 | 1 | March 28, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 10 | 0 | August 15, 2025 |
| Freeze Warning | 10 | 2 | October 17, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 7 | 1 | January 22, 2026 |
| Blizzard Warning | 5 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 5 | 1 | March 28, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 3 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| High Wind Watch | 1 | 1 | March 13, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 1 | 1 | October 17, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 1 | 1 | March 13, 2026 |
Tornado history in Dakota County
40 tornadoes have been recorded in Dakota County since 1950, killing 1 people and injuring 19. That ranks 13 of 87 counties in Minnesota. The most recent was on August 27, 2022 (rated EF0).
Strongest tornadoes in Dakota County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1968 | F2 | Rice County | 15.4 mi | 333 yd | 0 | 3 |
| May 9, 2001 | F2 | Rice County | 12 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 1 |
| March 29, 1998 | F2 | Dakota County | 3 mi | 440 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 9, 1973 | F1 | Dakota County | 0.2 mi | 50 yd | 1 | 11 |
| May 13, 1987 | F1 | Dakota County | 7 mi | 40 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 27, 2022 | EF0 | Dakota County | 0.3 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| August 27, 2022 | EF0 | Dakota County | 0.8 mi | 150 yd | 0 | 0 |
| August 27, 2022 | EF0 | Dakota County | 0.4 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
| August 27, 2022 | EF0 | Dakota County | 0.9 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 9, 2022 | EF0 | Dakota County | 5.7 mi | 25 yd | 0 | 0 |
About Dakota County
- Population: 453,156 (2024 estimate)
- State: Minnesota
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 027037 (how to use it)