Polk County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Polk County, MN right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 1,387 alerts that included Polk County, roughly 139 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (332 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on July 24, 2026. 81 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 Polk County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Red Lake County, Pennington County, Mahnomen County, Traill County.
Polk County alert history
Alert events that included Polk County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 332 | 28 | September 6, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 171 | 17 | April 17, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 140 | 8 | January 31, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 91 | 11 | November 1, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 85 | 9 | October 15, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 68 | 6 | September 3, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 65 | 3 | April 15, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 51 | 4 | April 3, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 45 | 6 | July 24, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 42 | 2 | October 2, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 39 | 3 | April 3, 2026 |
| Blizzard Warning | 36 | 3 | March 12, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 34 | 6 | May 14, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 33 | 1 | January 22, 2026 |
| Flood Advisory | 30 | 2 | September 3, 2026 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 21 | 2 | May 15, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 19 | 1 | July 30, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 18 | 4 | October 2, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 13 | 1 | February 27, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 10 | 0 | July 4, 2025 |
| Heat Advisory | 10 | 5 | July 29, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 10 | 2 | July 24, 2026 |
| Snow Squall Warning | 6 | 3 | February 27, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 5 | 0 | October 8, 2025 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 3 | 1 | July 12, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 3 | 3 | July 26, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 3 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| High Wind Watch | 3 | 0 | March 10, 2025 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 1 | 0 | December 26, 2023 |
| Dust Storm Warning | 0 | 1 | May 14, 2026 |
Tornado history in Polk County
81 tornadoes have been recorded in Polk County since 1950, killing 7 people and injuring 57. That ranks 2 of 87 counties in Minnesota. The most recent was on July 7, 2025 (rated EF1).
Strongest tornadoes in Polk County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 17, 2010 | EF3 | Polk County | 15 mi | 150 yd | 1 | 2 |
| July 5, 1978 | F2 | Norman County | 57.5 mi | 400 yd | 4 | 44 |
| July 21, 2014 | EF2 | Polk County | 37.9 mi | 800 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 29, 2018 | EF2 | Polk County | 15.4 mi | 400 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 8, 2019 | EF2 | Polk County | 3.6 mi | 400 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 7, 2025 | EF1 | Polk County | 4.7 mi | 40 yd | 0 | 0 |
| July 7, 2025 | EF0 | Polk County | 0.6 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 15, 2025 | ? | Polk County | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 24, 2023 | ? | Polk County | 0.9 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 24, 2023 | ? | Polk County | 0.5 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
About Polk County
- Population: 30,413 (2024 estimate)
- State: Minnesota
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 027119 (how to use it)