Windom, Minnesota

7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Windom City. It lies in ZIP code area 56101. The Survey maps it on the Windom quadrangle. 4,798 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,362 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Windom within Cottonwood County

On record in Windom

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

Cottonwood County Courthouselisted 1977

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 7 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.

1954 USGS Fairmont quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
1958 USGS Fairmont quadrangle1:250000
1970 USGS Windom quadrangle1:24000
1985 USGS Worthington quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings

Fires near this place

4 since 2000

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 4 fires within 5 miles of Windom between 2000 and 2015, burning about 260 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
Debris and open burning	2
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	2

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
3 May 2000	Debris and open burning	97 acres	Windom Wetland Management District	WOLF LAKE (RX/WF)
1 May 2000	Debris and open burning	127 acres	Windom Wetland Management District	FISH LAKE (RX/WF)
2 April 2015	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	3.0 acres	Windom Wetland Management District	GREAT BEND TWP SECT 26 - PL ASSIST
4 October 2012	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	33 acres	Windom Wetland Management District	BLIXSETH

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Bingham Lake

Every fire recorded in Cottonwood County

Mines and quarries near this place

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Windom: 2 producers, 1 occurrence. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Cottonwood County Clay Deposit	Clay	Occurrence
Windom Caldwell Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Windom-Windom Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer

Every working recorded in Cottonwood County

Storms near this place

60 of 81 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Windom in 81 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 34 hail, 20 flood, 16 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado. 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
July 2018	Flood	Windom	$2,000,000	Rainfall of 3 to 5 inches (locally 5 to 10 inches upstream) during the first three days of July exacerbated flooding through the Des Moines River basin. A state of emergency was declared in the City of Windom with water breaching Island Park, the golf course, and several homes. Several county, state and local roadways flooded for up to a week, including highway 62 and numerous city streets. Significant amounts of crop and pasture land near the Des Moines River were severely impacted by major flooding as river levels climbed to the second highest crest on record at 4.4 feet above flood stage at Windom (gage site WDOM5) on July 7.
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Windom	$500,000	Thunderstorm winds blew the roof and wall of a large lumber yard building onto a nearby bowling alley. Widespread tree damage included large trees blown down, about a dozen of which fell onto houses and caused further damage. The winds caused roof damage to other structures and blew down power lines.
September 2010	Flash Flood	Windom	$50,000	Heavy rainfall of 5.75 inches caused widespread flash flooding of roads and basements, with sewer backups in Windom. One basement collapsed.
June 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Windom	$50,000	no account filed
October 2003	Wildfire	Windom	$20,000	A wildfire burned 300 acres of grassland and also burned some small sheds. The fire came close to five homesteads, burning to less than 20 yards from two of them. One home had smoke damage from the fire. Dry conditions and winds gusting to 40 mph allowed the fire to advance rapidly before it was brought under control.
August 2004	Lightning	Windom	$10,000	Multiple lightning strikes damaged electrical lines and equipment at an electrical substation, resulting in a city wide power outage. An air conditioner was also damaged.
July 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Windom	$2,000	Thunderstorm Winds blew down four to five inch diameter tree limbs.
April 2026	Hail	Windom	-	Photo provided with ruler for comparison.
September 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Windom	-	Several three-inch tree limbs were broken off by thunderstorm wind gusts.
September 2025	Hail	Windom	-	Hail was quarter size or smaller.
July 2024	Flood	Windom	-	Flooding continued from June on the Des Moines River at Windom, with declining river levels. The river fell below flood stage on the evening of July 11th.
June 2024	Flood	Windom	-	The West Fork of the Des Moines River at Windom rose above flood stage the morning of June 21st, cresting around 6.01 feet above flood stage (25.01 feet) on June 25th. This crest is in the Major Stage and broke the previous record. The river stayed above flood stage into July. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for Cottonwood County.
May 2023	Tornado (EF0)	Windom	-	A landspout quickly spun up around 2 miles northwest of Windom in an open field just north of the Windom Country Club. The weak tornado moved just east of north and crossed 405th Street, where it glanced a farmstead and caused damage to shingles on an outbuilding. The tornado continued about a half mile across open fields before turning more northerly, and crossed 395th Street before lifting less than a quarter mile farther to the north. The maximum wind speed was 65 mph and the average path width was 20 yards.
May 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Windom	-	Numerous 3 inch tree limbs were broken off by thunderstorm winds.
August 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Windom	-	A tree was uprooted by thunderstorm winds.
April 2020	Flood	Windom	-	Rainfall over the last few days of March which totalled 1.15 inches at Windom and 8 miles north of Lakefield brought the West Fork of the Des Moines River (gage site WDOM5) to a crest of 0.16 feet above flood stage on April 3. Minor lowland flooding occurred along the east bank of the river near Windom.
March 2020	Flood	Windom	-	The West Fork of the Des Moines River at Windom (gage site WDOM5) rose above flood stage on March 6, and crested 0.77 feet above flood stage on March 10. The main impact was flooding of agricultural land.
June 2019	Flood	Windom	-	A continuation of flooding from May, the West Des Moines River at Windom (gage site WDOM5) began the month at 0.72 feet above flood stage. Significant amounts of agricultural land remained flooded, and further impeded spring planting.
May 2019	Flood	Windom	-	The Des Moines River at Windom (gage site WDOM5) reached a peak of 0.63 feet above flood stage at the end of the month. The main impact was inundation of agricultural land and additional delays to spring planting in the flood plain. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
August 2019	Tornado (EF0)	Windom	-	A weak tornado spun up and touched down on the west side of Windom, MN near the corner of 13th Street and River Road where it flipped a small pop-up camper. The tornado tracked northeastward toward the fairgrounds for approximately four city blocks, where it damaged the roof of a barn. The tornado then made a slightly more eastward turn, causing damage to trees moving along 15th and 16th Streets. A small metal shed was displaced and small corn crib along Highway 60 holding aluminum cans for recycling was tipped over. The tornado uprooted a tree near the western shore of Cottonwood Lake, and the tornado was seen travelling over the lake by Cottonwood County Deputies before dissipation. The average path width was 30 yards.
August 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Windom	-	Numerous tree branches taken down and were blocking the road at 12th Street and Miller Avenue on the east side of Windom.
March 2019	Flood	Windom	-	Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 1.15 inches at Windom) resulted in significant flooding of agricultural lands and Island Park in Windom. The Des Moines River at Windom (gage site WDOM5) reached the third highest stage on record cresting 4.01 feet above flood stage on March 23. The river remained in minor flood stage at the end of the month.
August 2019	Tornado (EF0)	Windom	-	The brief tornado spun up around 7 miles west of Windom, crossing Minnesota Highway 62 near 410th Avenue. Corn was flattened and shredded along the half-mile path toward the north and northeast. The average path width was 10 yards.
May 2019	Flood	Windom	-	This is a continuation of flooding from April. The Des Moines River at Windom (gage site WDOM5) had an early month crest at 0.43 feet above flood stage on May 2, before falling below flood stage on May 5. Agricultural flooding persisted, with no opportunity for spring planting throughout the flood plain.
April 2019	Flood	Windom	-	Runoff from occasional precipitation in late March and April maintained significant flooding of agricultural and pasture lands near the Des Moines River. The Des Moines River at Windom (gage site WDOM5) crested at 1.99 feet above flood stage on April 1. Minor flooding continued at the end of the month.
April 2018	Flood	Windom	-	Snow melt and runoff from periods of heavier rainfall briefly produced minor flooding with impact to lowland agricultural areas. River levels reached 1.7 feet above flood stage on the Des Moines at Windom (gage site WDOM5) on April 28.
May 2018	Flood	Windom	-	A slow fall through minor flood stages persisted along the Des Moines River during much of the first week of May, with impacts generally limited to flooding of agricultural areas near the river. Flooding ended near Windom (gage site WDOM5) on May 5.
June 2018	Flood	Windom	-	A week of periodic heavy rainfall ending June 26 resulted in a widespread 4 to 8 inches of rainfall, much of which occurred on June 20 and 24. Weekly rainfall totals included 7.30 inches at Lake Wilson and 5.60 inches at Windom. Moderate flooding occurred with significant amounts of crop and pasture land inundated, as well as numerous township and county roads and Island Park in Windom, as the Des Moines River at Windom (gage site WDOM5) crested 2.9 feet above flood stage on June 29. The river remained in moderate flood stage at the end of the month.
August 2014	Funnel Cloud	Windom	-	A funnel cloud was observed by several people.
May 2013	Hail	Windom	-	Large hail damaged vehicles, siding, roofs, and cracked windows. Minor crop damage was also suspected. The amount of damage was not known.
May 2013	Hail	Windom	-	Large hail damaged vehicles, siding, roofs, and cracked windows. Minor crop damage was also suspected. The amount of damage was not known.
May 2013	Hail	Windom	-	Large hail damaged vehicles, siding, roofs, and cracked windows. Minor crop damage was also suspected. The amount of damage was not known.
May 2013	Hail	Windom	-	Large hail damaged vehicles, siding, roofs, and cracked windows. Minor crop damage was also suspected. The amount of damage was not known.
May 2013	Hail	Windom	-	Large hail damaged vehicles, siding, roofs, and cracked windows. Minor crop damage was also suspected. The amount of damage was not known.
May 2013	Hail	Windom	-	Large hail damaged vehicles, siding, roofs, and cracked windows. Minor crop damage was also suspected. The amount of damage was not known.
May 2013	Hail	Windom	-	Large hail damaged vehicles, siding, roofs, and cracked windows. Minor crop damage was also suspected. The amount of damage was not known.
May 2013	Hail	Windom	-	Large hail damaged vehicles, siding, roofs, and cracked windows. Minor crop damage was also suspected. The amount of damage was not known.
May 2013	Hail	Windom	-	Large hail damaged vehicles, siding, roofs, and cracked windows. Minor crop damage was also suspected. The amount of damage was not known.
May 2013	Hail	Windom	-	Large hail damaged vehicles, siding, roofs, and cracked windows. Minor crop damage was also suspected. The amount of damage was not known.
May 2013	Hail	Windom	-	Large hail damaged vehicles, siding, roofs, and cracked windows. Minor crop damage was also suspected. The amount of damage was not known.
May 2013	Tornado (EF0)	Windom	-	A brief tornado caused no reported damage.
May 2013	Hail	Windom	-	Large hail damaged vehicles, siding, roofs, and cracked windows. Minor crop damage was also suspected. The amount of damage was not known.
June 2011	Flood	Windom	-	Heavy rain caused minor flooding of the Des Moines River, with some farmland and other lowlands affected. The river crested at about a foot above flood stage at Windom on June 28th.
October 2010	Flood	Windom	-	Minor to moderate flooding of the Des Moines River steadily abated and ended during the first two weeks of the month. Some roads and riverside lowlands including agricultural land were still flooded early in the month.
March 2010	Flood	Windom	-	Rapid melting of a heavy winter snowpack caused flooding of the Des Moines River which persisted to the end of March. The flooding affected mainly farmland. The river crested at 2.5 feet above flood stage near Windom on March 21st.
June 2010	Flood	Windom	-	Heavy rain caused minor flooding along the Des Moines River, with only a few lowlands affected. The river crested at less than a foot above flood stage at Windom on June 27th.
September 2010	Flood	Windom	-	Heavy rain caused flooding of the Des Moines River which reached the lower end of the major flooding category. Farmland, parkland, and several roads were flooded. The river crested at exactly 4 feet above flood stage at Windom on September 24th.
April 2010	Flood	Windom	-	Continued flooding of the Des Moines River abated and ended during the first few days in April, with the minor flooding affecting a few fields. The river began the month at 1.8 feet above flood stage near Windom, and fell below flood stage there on April 5th.
July 2009	Hail	Windom	-	Large hail consisted of a few golf ball size stones with most of the hail of smaller size.
June 2008	Flash Flood	Windom	-	Heavy rain caused flash flooding of streets in Windom.
April 2006	Flood	Windom	-	Heavy rain resulted in flooding along the Des Moines River. The river rose to one to two feet above flood stage. Flooding was confined mainly to lowlands near the river, including Island Park in Windom. No reports of damage to structures were received.
June 2005	Tornado (F0)	Windom	-	A tornado damaged corn crops and tore off a pumphouse roof.
September 2005	Flash Flood	Windom	-	Heavy rain caused flooding of streets, parking areas, parks, fields, basements, and garages. Up to three feet of water flooded some roads, including the main intersection of U.S. Highway 71 and State highway 60. One street was partially washed out under the curb. Numerous vehicles stalled on the flooded streets, and the basement flooding was widespread in the city. The heavy rain also caused Perkins Creek to overflow its banks. Reports of 6 inches of rain were received from Windom, and 7 inches of rain from south of Windom.
June 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Windom	-	Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including a large tree uprooted, and 12 inch diameter limbs blown down.
July 1995	Hail	Windom	-	Thunderstorm winds of unknown speed blew down trees.
June 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Windom	-	Strong thunderstorm winds blew down several large tree limbs and power lines.
April 2026	Hail	Windom	-	no account filed
April 2026	Hail	Windom	-	no account filed
April 2025	Hail	Windom	-	no account filed
April 2025	Hail	Windom	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Cottonwood 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.

Place	Distance	Sheets
Bingham Lake	4.7 miles	7
Delft	8.4 miles	7
Mountain Lake	11.1 miles	7
Jeffers	13.7 miles	10
Storden	15.9 miles	9
Westbrook	20.8 miles	10

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 Windom	An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q958464	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 654245. 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.