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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

Wadena within Wadena County

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

Population over time

2 figures

Wadena 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.

YearPeople Change
20104,088
20204,325+237 (+6%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 9 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

72 since 1992

Regional 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/incendiarism26
Debris and open burning19
Equipment and vehicle use11
Railroad operations and maintenance5
Missing data/not specified/undetermined4
Recreation and ceremony3
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Fireworks1
Other causes1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
6 September 2013Arson/incendiarism2.0 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
21 August 2012Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
26 July 2014Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
19 July 2007Debris and open burning17 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
3 June 2003Arson/incendiarismunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
29 June 2006Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
2 June 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
2 June 2006Debris and open burningunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Every fire recorded in Wadena County

Storms near this place

58 since 1996

Regional 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2010Tornado (EF4)Wadena20 hurtThis 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 2005Thunderstorm WindWadena1 hurtTrees 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 1998Thunderstorm WindWadena$250,000A 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 2011Thunderstorm WindWadena$100,000A building under construction at the fairgrounds was blown down.
July 2014FloodWadena$50,000Heavy rain led to street, basement, and trailer park flooding near Wadena. A total of eight inches of rain was measured in Wadena.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindWadena$50,000The wind knocked down a large tree.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindWadena$50,000Several large 3 to 5 inch tree branches were blown down around town, which resulted in scattered power outages.
June 2018Flash FloodWadena$5,000About 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 2002Thunderstorm WindWadena$5,000Power lines were blown down.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindWadena-Large trees snapped.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindWadena-Large trees snapped SSW of Wadena.
August 2024HailWadena-Trained Spotter reports quarter sized hail north of Wadena, MN.
August 2024HailWadena-Facebook report of mostly baseball sized hail, with a few as large as softballs. No stones smaller than golf balls.
August 2024HailWadena-Trained spotter reports 3 inch hail in Wadena. Largest hailstones only lasted 3 minutes, but hail still ongoing at time of report.
August 2024HailWadena-Public reports 2.5 inch hail around Wadena.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindWadena-A few 8 inch diameter poplar trees were snapped throughout central Leaf Township. Time estimated based on radar.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindWadena-A few 8 inch diameter poplar trees were snapped throughout central Leaf Township. Time estimated based on radar.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindWadena-A few 8 inch diameter poplar trees were snapped throughout central Leaf Township. Time estimated based on radar.
April 2020HailWadena-Dime to quarter sized hail fell.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindWadena-The wind speeds were estimated.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindWadena-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 2014Thunderstorm WindWadena-A large number of trees and light poles were blown down in town, with several trees falling on homes.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindWadena-A few trees were blown down between Wadena and Hewitt.
August 2013HailWadena-Driving wind, rain, and hail occurred north of Wadena.
August 2010HailWadena-The hail fell one mile east of the Wadena airport.
July 2010HailWadena-There was also well defined rotation overhead.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindWadena-Several large six to eight inch diameter tree limbs were broken down. Brief power outages were reported around the city.
July 2009Heavy RainWadena-Approximately 3.65 inches of rain fell between noon and 4 pm CST.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindWadena-The wind gust was measured by a MNDOT RWIS sensor along U.S. Highway 10 at mile post 94.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindWadena-Large trees were uprooted and power poles snapped. Widespread power outages were reported.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindWadena-Large trees were also uprooted and many large branches were blown down.
July 2003Flash FloodWadena-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 2001Flash FloodWadena-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 2001Flash FloodWadena-Many roads were flooded on the south side of Wadena, with many vehicles stranded. Several businesses also took on water from the storm.
August 2019HailWadena-no account filed
June 2017HailWadena-no account filed
June 2016HailWadena-no account filed
June 2016HailWadena-no account filed
May 2014HailWadena-no account filed
June 2014HailWadena-no account filed
June 2006HailWadena-no account filed
May 2006HailWadena-no account filed
August 2006Thunderstorm WindWadena-no account filed
April 2004HailWadena-no account filed
April 2004HailWadena-no account filed
July 2004HailWadena-no account filed
August 2001HailWadena-no account filed
July 2001Thunderstorm WindWadena-no account filed
July 2000HailWadena-no account filed
August 2000HailWadena-no account filed
July 1999HailWadena-no account filed
September 1998HailWadena-no account filed
June 1997HailWadena-no account filed
June 1997HailWadena-no account filed
September 1996HailWadena-no account filed
October 1996HailWadena-no account filed
July 1996HailWadena-no account filed
July 1996HailWadena-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Wadena County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Verndale7.1 miles9
Blue Grass9.6 miles9
Aldrich11.5 miles9
Sebeka13.2 miles9
Nimrod19.1 miles8
Oylen20.1 miles8
Esterdy21.5 miles9
Menahga21.6 miles10

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 WadenaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1924228The 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.