Verndale, Minnesota
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Aldrich Township. It lies in ZIP code area 56481. The Survey maps it on the Verndale quadrangle. 511 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,348 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresVerndale fell from 602 to 511 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 602 | |
| 2020 | 511 | -91 (-15%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 9 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.
- 1953 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Verndale quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Battle Lake quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
75 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 75 fires within 5 miles of Verndale between 1993 and 2020, burning about 395 acres in total. None started naturally. 11 were 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 34 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 13 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 11 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 5 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 4 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 August 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 16 August 1998 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 August 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 5 July 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 27 July 1994 | Equipment and vehicle use | 30 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 27 July 1993 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 22 July 2005 | Smoking | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 28 June 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 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
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Verndale: 1 producer. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schmitz Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
36 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Verndale in 36 storm reports between 1998 and 2024: 19 thunderstorm wind, 10 hail, 4 tornado, 3 funnel cloud. The reports record 6 injuries. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2000 | Tornado (F2) | Verndale | 3 hurt, $500,000 | A tornado that formed near Verndale intensified as it reached the Aldrich area. A mobile home, garage, barn, and 3 vehicles were destroyed 3 miles east of Aldrich. Two people, inside the mobile home when the tornado hit, suffered cuts, bruises, and a sprained ankle. The couples' son, sitting inside a car parked outside the mobile home, also sustained cuts and bruises. A horse trailer was pushed into his car and then into some nearby trees. Quite a bit of tree damage occurred along the damage path. The tornado then passed out of Wadena county and into Todd county. |
| September 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | 3 hurt, $500,000 | A trailer home rolled over in the wind, injuring two of the three occupants inside. Nearby, a man was injured when a 2x4 was blown through his kitchen window, hitting him in the side. Over 10 barns in the area were severely damaged. |
| September 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | $50,000 | A woman and her three children escaped without injury when their house was hit with the strong winds. Several windows shattered and part of the roof blew off. A barn, silo, machine shed, and several trees were also destroyed. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | $20,000 | A 110 foot storage shed was blown down. |
| September 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | $10,000 | An office building and a storage shed sustained roof damage. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | $1,000 | Large tree branches were blown down in the wind. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | $1,000 | Several trees were uprooted. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | $500 | 10 to 15 trees were blown down in the strong wind. |
| August 2024 | Hail | Verndale | - | Law Enforcement reports quarter sized hail around Verndale MN. |
| August 2024 | Hail | Verndale | - | Public reports golf ball sized hail north of Verndale, MN. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | - | Peak wind was measured at a MNDOT wind sensor along Hwy 10. |
| May 2022 | Tornado (EF2) | Verndale | - | This tornado crossed from far northwest Todd County around 7:52 pm, about 2.5 miles southwest of Verndale, MN. It tracked to the north until 8:11 pm where it lifted 5.5 miles east southeast of Sebeka, MN. It caused extreme damage which included numerous snapped power poles and numerous trees which were snapped or uprooted. Extensive damage was noted to farm buildings which had steel roofing and sidewall panels torn off, and turnkey barns and other industrial buildings lost roofing material. Peak winds estimated to 115 mph, with a maximum width of 500 yards. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | - | A peak wind of 94 mph was measured at a MN RWIS station. Widespread downburst wind damage was noted across Wadena and Aldrich Townships, with numerous large tree branches and limbs torn down, roofing material torn up, and spruce trees uprooted. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | - | Large tree branches were blown down. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | - | Numerous oak and pine trees were snapped and other large branches and limbs were blown down across southern Wadena Township. |
| July 2015 | Funnel Cloud | Verndale | - | A persistent wall with a brief funnel was reported. |
| July 2015 | Tornado (EF2) | Verndale | - | A tornado wrapped in heavy rain and damaging downburst winds tracked across southern Wadena and Aldrich townships. The tornado tore down four sets of H-pole high voltage power poles and demolished outbuildings and a storage barn at the England Prairie Pioneer Farms. The tornado also demolished a silo and ripped through sections of center pivot irrigation systems at multiple locations. Peak winds were estimated at 120 mph. |
| September 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | - | The wind gust was measured by a MNDOT RWIS sensor near Verndale. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | - | The wind gust was measured by a MNDOT RWIS sensor along highway 10. |
| September 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | - | The wind gust was measured by a MNDOT RWIS site near Verndale. |
| July 2010 | Tornado (EF0) | Verndale | - | A brief touchdown occurred in an open field north of U.S. Highway 10. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | - | Numerous large tree limbs and branches were blown off in several shelterbelts along U.S. Highway 10. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | - | Trees were uprooted by the strong wind and 2 fell on a house. Trees also fell on power lines and blocked city streets. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | - | A MN DOT RWIS site along U.S. Highway 10 measured the wind gust. Tree damage was also reported at the town cemetery and several trees fell on homes in town. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | - | The roof was torn off a turkey barn and thrown across U.S. Highway 10. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Verndale | - | A MNDOT RWIS site measured a 60 mph wind gust. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Verndale | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Verndale | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Verndale | - | no account filed |
| August 2013 | Hail | Verndale | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Funnel Cloud | Verndale | - | no account filed |
| September 2007 | Hail | Verndale | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Funnel Cloud | Verndale | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Verndale | - | no account filed |
| September 2002 | Hail | Verndale | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Verndale | - | 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.
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 Verndale | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2055717 | 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 653638. 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.





