Rothsay, Minnesota
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1919 and the latest in 1989. It lies in ZIP code area 56579. The Survey maps it on the Rothsay quadrangle. 498 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,211 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Rothsay
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
J. A. Johnson Blacksmith Shoplisted 1996
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 11 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1919 USGS Rothsay quadrangle1:62500
- 1951 USGS Rothsay quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1953 USGS Fargo quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Fargo quadrangle1:250000
- 1981 USGS Rothsay quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Wahpeton quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1989 USGS Fargo quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
3 since 2003Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Rothsay between 2003 and 2013, burning about 2,860 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Smoking | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 May 2013 | Equipment and vehicle use | 5.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 7 October 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,855 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | ROTHSAY |
| 23 October 2003 | Smoking | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Rothsay: 2 producers. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foxhome Pit and Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Rasmussen Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
57 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Rothsay in 57 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 38 thunderstorm wind, 13 hail, 4 tornado, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Tornado (F2) | Rothsay | $25,000 | A brief tornado touchdown demolished a 76x296 foot roof on a turkey barn. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | $5,000 | A semi truck was overturned on Interstate 94. |
| May 2012 | Flood | Rothsay | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | $1,000 | Several large branches were blown down. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | Measurement on 10 meter NDAWN sensor. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | Public reports 10-inch healthy tree blown down in Rothsay. Time estimated from radar, wind gust estimated. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | Peak wind was measured at a MNDOT RWIS station along interstate 94. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | Peak wind was measured by a MNDOT RWIS station located along Interstate 94. Large tree branches, 6 to 10 inches in diameter, were snapped around the town of Rothsay. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | A Minnesota DOT RWIS station measured this wind gust. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | Rothsay RWIS measured a 64 mph wind gust. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind gust was measured by a MNDOT RWIS mesonet sensor. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind gust was measured by a RWIS mesonet sensor. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | Trees were blown down around town. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind gust was measured by a RWIS mesonet sensor. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind gust was measured by a RWIS mesonet station. Local power outages also occurred. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind gust was measured by a MNDOT RWIS sensor along Interstate 94. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind gust was measured by a MNDOT RWIS sensor along Interstate 94. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind speeds were estimated. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind gust was measured by a MNDOT RWIS sensor. |
| September 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | Trees were blown down and a home was damaged. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | Several large trees and power lines were blown down. Many three to six inch diameter tree branches were also broken off in town. |
| September 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind gust was measured at the MNDOT RWIS site located along Interstate 94 outside of Rothsay. The local power company reported that localized power outages began around this time across northeast Wilkin County and northwest Otter Tail County, due to broken tree limbs falling across power lines. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The winds were measured by a MNDOT RWIS sensor along Interstate 94. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | Numerous large tree branches were blown down around town. Power outages were also reported. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind gust was measured at the MNDOT RWIS site along Interstate 94 near mile point 37. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | Numerous three to four inch diameter tree branches were blown down on and near highway 9. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The strong wind gusts were measured by a MNDOT RWIS site. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind gust was measured by a MNDOT RWIS sensor along Interstate 94. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind gust was measured by a MNDOT RWIS sensor northwest of Rothsay. Stronger wind gusts may have occurred shortly after, but the power failed. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind gust was measured by a MNDOT RWIS sensor. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | Many large tree branches were broken off in shelterbelts. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind gust was measured by a MNDOT RWIS sensor. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | Numerous trees were blown down or snapped off at a rural farmstead. A steel grain bin was blown off its pad and was rolled about 100 yards into a grain field east-southeast of the farmstead. |
| August 2005 | Tornado (F1) | Rothsay | - | A torrnado briefly touched down and tracked eastward for about one-quarter of a mile across the north edge of a farmstead. Numerous trees were snapped off or uprooted. A 12x48 foot mobile home was flipped onto its top and destroyed. The mobile home had been resting on its transport wheels in an east-west orientation and was not anchored. It was flipped about 25 yards to the northeast and landed in a north-south orientation. Peak winds were estimated at 110 mph. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | Grain bins were tipped over and many large trees were blown down in Akron Township, section 13. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The wind gust was measured by a MNDOT RWIS sensor. |
| August 2005 | Flash Flood | Rothsay | - | Excessive rainfall and overland flooding damaged the Rothsay High School. |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | Large tree branches were blown down along the Wilkin/Otter Tail County line. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Rothsay | - | Three funnels formed and one briefly touched down. |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | The Rothsay MNDOT RWIS site reported a 58 mph wind gust. |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | A 71 mph wind gust was measured at the MNDOT RWIS site near Rothsay. |
| August 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Rothsay | - | A brief touchdown was seen from the Rothsay truck stop. |
| June 2016 | Hail | Rothsay | - | no account filed |
| June 2016 | Hail | Rothsay | - | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Hail | Rothsay | - | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Hail | Rothsay | - | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Hail | Rothsay | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Rothsay | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Rothsay | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rothsay | - | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Hail | Rothsay | - | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Hail | Rothsay | - | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Hail | Rothsay | - | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Hail | Rothsay | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Rothsay | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Rothsay | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawndale | 7.1 miles | 9 | |
| Foxhome | 13.7 miles | 11 | |
| Everdell | 15.8 miles | 11 | |
| Brushvale | 20.6 miles | 11 | |
| Kent | 21.6 miles | 9 | |
| Breckenridge | 21.9 miles | 11 | |
| Doran | 22.7 miles | 8 | |
| McCauleyville | 22.8 miles | 9 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Rothsay | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2229275 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 650315. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.






