Minnesota heat wave risk
Hennepin County has the highest heat wave risk in Minnesota, scoring 99.1 out of 100 — rated "Relatively High" by FEMA's National Risk Index. Recorded heat wave events across Minnesota have increased 89% over the past five years compared to the prior five-year period.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hennepin County | 99.1 | Relatively High | 6 |
| 2 | Ramsey County | 98.2 | Relatively High | 6 |
| 3 | Yellow Medicine County | 88.6 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 4 | St. Louis County | 86.5 | Relatively Moderate | 1 |
| 5 | Anoka County | 86.1 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 6 | Dakota County | 84.6 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 7 | Scott County | 81.1 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 8 | Washington County | 80.3 | Relatively Moderate | 6 |
| 9 | Itasca County | 79.7 | Relatively Moderate | 0 |
| 10 | Stearns County | 74.6 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 11 | Carver County | 73.7 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 12 | Olmsted County | 72.5 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 13 | Wright County | 71.5 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 14 | Chippewa County | 71.1 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 15 | Blue Earth County | 69.3 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 16 | Redwood County | 68.7 | Relatively Low | 6 |
| 17 | Swift County | 61.8 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 18 | Carlton County | 61.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 19 | Lac qui Parle County | 60 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 20 | Sherburne County | 58.4 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 21 | Renville County | 57.9 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 22 | Winona County | 57.6 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 23 | Kandiyohi County | 57.5 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 24 | Crow Wing County | 56.8 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 25 | McLeod County | 54.3 | Relatively Low | 5 |
| 26 | Nicollet County | 52.1 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 27 | Cass County | 51.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 28 | Rice County | 51.3 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 29 | Lincoln County | 50.7 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 30 | Cottonwood County | 46.8 | Relatively Low | 14 |
| 31 | Benton County | 46 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 32 | Murray County | 44.9 | Relatively Low | 13 |
| 33 | Pine County | 44.5 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 34 | Meeker County | 43.7 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 35 | Aitkin County | 43.3 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 36 | Nobles County | 43.2 | Relatively Low | 13 |
| 37 | Brown County | 42.7 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 38 | Otter Tail County | 42.4 | Relatively Low | 1 |
| 39 | Martin County | 41.9 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 40 | Watonwan County | 41.6 | Relatively Low | 3 |
| 41 | Pipestone County | 41.1 | Relatively Low | 12 |
| 42 | Mower County | 41 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 43 | Le Sueur County | 40.5 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 44 | Beltrami County | 39.9 | Relatively Low | 0 |
| 45 | Chisago County | 39.1 | Relatively Low | 4 |
| 46 | Clay County | 38.7 | Very Low | 2 |
| 47 | Douglas County | 38.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 48 | Goodhue County | 37.9 | Very Low | 2 |
| 49 | Isanti County | 37.8 | Very Low | 5 |
| 50 | Koochiching County | 37.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 51 | Todd County | 36.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 52 | Pope County | 36.6 | Very Low | 1 |
| 53 | Morrison County | 36.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 54 | Fillmore County | 36 | Very Low | 4 |
| 55 | Faribault County | 35.9 | Very Low | 3 |
| 56 | Sibley County | 35.7 | Very Low | 6 |
| 57 | Houston County | 35.5 | Very Low | 5 |
| 58 | Lyon County | 34.7 | Very Low | 17 |
| 59 | Wabasha County | 33.9 | Very Low | 5 |
| 60 | Big Stone County | 30.7 | Very Low | 5 |
| 61 | Stevens County | 30.3 | Very Low | 1 |
| 62 | Jackson County | 28.6 | Very Low | 16 |
| 63 | Mille Lacs County | 28.6 | Very Low | 1 |
| 64 | Kanabec County | 26.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 65 | Becker County | 26.3 | Very Low | 1 |
| 66 | Freeborn County | 25.9 | Very Low | 2 |
| 67 | Steele County | 25.5 | Very Low | 3 |
| 68 | Polk County | 24.9 | Very Low | 1 |
| 69 | Dodge County | 24.7 | Very Low | 4 |
| 70 | Rock County | 22.2 | Very Low | 19 |
| 71 | Lake County | 22 | Very Low | 0 |
| 72 | Hubbard County | 21.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 73 | Waseca County | 19.2 | Very Low | 3 |
| 74 | Wadena County | 18.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 75 | Traverse County | 17.2 | Very Low | 2 |
| 76 | Roseau County | 15.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 77 | Pennington County | 14.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 78 | Grant County | 13.8 | Very Low | 1 |
| 79 | Marshall County | 12.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 80 | Norman County | 12.4 | Very Low | 2 |
| 81 | Clearwater County | 12.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 82 | Mahnomen County | 11.6 | Very Low | 1 |
| 83 | Wilkin County | 11.3 | Very Low | 2 |
| 84 | Cook County | 8.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 85 | Red Lake County | 5.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 86 | Kittson County | 5.7 | Very Low | 1 |
| 87 | Lake of the Woods County | 5.2 | Very Low | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Heat Wave risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Minnesota:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest heat wave risk county in Minnesota?
Hennepin County, MN has the highest heat wave risk in Minnesota, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 99.1 out of 100 (rated "Relatively High").
What causes heat wave risk in Minnesota?
Heat is consistently the leading cause of weather-related mortality in the US, yet it remains underrepresented in federal disaster declarations relative to its actual impact. High scores reflect a combination of extreme temperature exposure, population vulnerability (elderly, outdoor workers), and limited access to cooling infrastructure.