Wadena, Minnesota
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Wadena City. It lies in ZIP code area 56482. It stands on Whisky Creek. The Survey maps it on the Wadena quadrangle. 4,325 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,352 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Wadena
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 4 records
Commercial Hotellisted 1988
Northern Pacific Passenger Depotlisted 1989
Wadena Fire and City Halllisted 1989- Peterson-Biddick Seed and Feed Companylisted 1989
Population over time
2 figuresWadena grew from 4,088 to 4,325 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 | 4,088 | |
| 2020 | 4,325 | +237 (+6%) |
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 Wadena quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Battle Lake quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
72 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 72 fires within 5 miles of Wadena between 1992 and 2020, burning about 868 acres in total. None started naturally. 26 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 |
|---|---|
| Arson/incendiarism | 26 |
| Debris and open burning | 19 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 11 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 5 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 3 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 21 August 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 26 July 2014 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 19 July 2007 | Debris and open burning | 17 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 3 June 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 29 June 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 2 June 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 2 June 2006 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Storms near this place
58 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Wadena in 58 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 30 hail, 21 thunderstorm wind, 4 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. The reports record 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2010 | Tornado (EF4) | Wadena | 20 hurt | This multi-vortex wedge tornado began in Otter Tail County about 3 miles southwest of the city of Wadena at 459 PM CDT. It tracked for about 2 miles in Otter Tail County, then it continued for another 8 miles in Wadena County. The tornado ravaged the western half of the community of Wadena. Numerous homes were flattened to the ground and at least one was completely swept from its foundation and destroyed. Public and industrial buildings were wrecked, the fairgrounds were damaged, and headstones in the cemetery were overturned. School buses and vehicles were propelled through the air for hundreds of yards. The tornado hit on the day of the Wadena all-school reunion, so many additional people were in the area. Roughly 100 people were displaced from their homes. Peak winds were estimated at 170 mph. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | 1 hurt | Trees were blown down all around Wadena. Trees fell on buildings, cars, and power lines. A church under construction lost its roof and a wall collapsed. The strong winds slammed a man into a wall. The man went to the emergency room, but suffered no major injuries. |
| September 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | $250,000 | A roof from an adjacent building blew into the display vehicles at a car dealership and twisted around them. A church also lost its bell tower. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | $100,000 | A building under construction at the fairgrounds was blown down. |
| July 2014 | Flood | Wadena | $50,000 | Heavy rain led to street, basement, and trailer park flooding near Wadena. A total of eight inches of rain was measured in Wadena. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | $50,000 | The wind knocked down a large tree. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | $50,000 | Several large 3 to 5 inch tree branches were blown down around town, which resulted in scattered power outages. |
| June 2018 | Flash Flood | Wadena | $5,000 | About 5.25 inches of rain fell, causing a few washouts of gravel roads. Quite a bit of ponding also occurred in area fields and low lying areas. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | $5,000 | Power lines were blown down. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | Large trees snapped. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | Large trees snapped SSW of Wadena. |
| August 2024 | Hail | Wadena | - | Trained Spotter reports quarter sized hail north of Wadena, MN. |
| August 2024 | Hail | Wadena | - | Facebook report of mostly baseball sized hail, with a few as large as softballs. No stones smaller than golf balls. |
| August 2024 | Hail | Wadena | - | Trained spotter reports 3 inch hail in Wadena. Largest hailstones only lasted 3 minutes, but hail still ongoing at time of report. |
| August 2024 | Hail | Wadena | - | Public reports 2.5 inch hail around Wadena. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | A few 8 inch diameter poplar trees were snapped throughout central Leaf Township. Time estimated based on radar. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | A few 8 inch diameter poplar trees were snapped throughout central Leaf Township. Time estimated based on radar. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | A few 8 inch diameter poplar trees were snapped throughout central Leaf Township. Time estimated based on radar. |
| April 2020 | Hail | Wadena | - | Dime to quarter sized hail fell. |
| September 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | The wind speeds were estimated. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | In town a section of metal roofing was torn off the temporary community center and about two to three dozen trees were snapped or uprooted. Just outside of town, a section of an irrigation system was flipped and metal roofing was torn off of a couple of farm buildings. |
| September 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | A large number of trees and light poles were blown down in town, with several trees falling on homes. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | A few trees were blown down between Wadena and Hewitt. |
| August 2013 | Hail | Wadena | - | Driving wind, rain, and hail occurred north of Wadena. |
| August 2010 | Hail | Wadena | - | The hail fell one mile east of the Wadena airport. |
| July 2010 | Hail | Wadena | - | There was also well defined rotation overhead. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | Several large six to eight inch diameter tree limbs were broken down. Brief power outages were reported around the city. |
| July 2009 | Heavy Rain | Wadena | - | Approximately 3.65 inches of rain fell between noon and 4 pm CST. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | The wind gust was measured by a MNDOT RWIS sensor along U.S. Highway 10 at mile post 94. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | Large trees were uprooted and power poles snapped. Widespread power outages were reported. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | Large trees were also uprooted and many large branches were blown down. |
| July 2003 | Flash Flood | Wadena | - | Main street was flooded with water up to 18 inches deep. Several businesses were threatened and they required sandbags at their front doors to keep the water out. |
| April 2001 | Flash Flood | Wadena | - | 1.50 to 2 inches of rain fell across the Wadena area, flooding some rural roads. Most of the rain ended up as runoff, as the ground was still saturated from the spring snowmelt. |
| June 2001 | Flash Flood | Wadena | - | Many roads were flooded on the south side of Wadena, with many vehicles stranded. Several businesses also took on water from the storm. |
| August 2019 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| June 2016 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| June 2016 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| September 1998 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| September 1996 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| October 1996 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Wadena | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Wadena | - | 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 Wadena | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1924228 | 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 653712. 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.
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.





