Gutters, roofing, siding and windows in ZIP code 56278, Ortonville, MN

• Gutters in ZIP code 56278

  Big Stone County averages 26.4 inches of precipitation a year (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). One inch of rain on 1,000 square feet of roof is about 623 gallons of water for the gutters to carry.

• Roofing in ZIP code 56278

  3 of the 12 hail events on record within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56278 from 2016 through March 31, 2026 had hail 1.5 inches or larger. The National Weather Service counts hail of 1 inch or larger as severe.

• Siding in ZIP code 56278

  The strongest thunderstorm wind on record within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56278 from 2016 through September 22, 2025 was 90 mph. The National Weather Service counts a thunderstorm wind of 58 mph or more as severe.

• Windows in ZIP code 56278

  79% of homes in ZIP code 56278 were built before 1980. A home built before 1980 was built before the energy codes in force today were written.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database (hail events through March 31, 2026; thunderstorm-wind and tornado events through September 22, 2025); American Community Survey 2023, 5-year; NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals.

ZIP code 56278 is filed here under Ortonville, in Big Stone County, Minnesota; its center is about 69 miles northwest of our Marshall office. ZIP code 56278 also extends into Lac qui Parle County. Our address file holds 1,956 address points in ZIP code 56278. Of the cities and towns on our pages, ZIP code 56278 covers only Ortonville.

Source: Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area, county and place boundaries (a ZIP code can also take in land outside any city or town).

ZIP code 56278 has 1,565 housing units, and 83% of them are single-family detached homes (American Community Survey 2023, 5-year). Another 3% are attached homes such as townhomes. Mobile homes make up 4% of the housing units.

The median home in ZIP code 56278 was built in 1956. 79% of homes in ZIP code 56278 were built before 1980, and 11% were built in 2000 or later. The most common building period is 1939 or earlier, with 517 homes.

80% of occupied homes in ZIP code 56278 are owner-occupied. The median owner-occupied home in ZIP code 56278 is valued at $176,200. Among occupied homes in ZIP code 56278, 58% heat with utility gas, 20% with electricity, 16% with bottled or tank gas, 2% with fuel oil and 2% with wood.

Source: American Community Survey 2023, 5-year (tables B25024, B25034, B25035, B25003, B25077, B25040), for ZIP Code Tabulation Area 56278.

The nearest other ZIP codes we serve, measured center to center, are 56225 in Clinton (8.2 miles northwest), 56240 in Graceville (16 miles north), 56221 in Chokio (17 miles northeast), 56208 in Appleton (19 miles east), 56256 in Madison (24 miles south) and 56267 in Morris (27 miles northeast). The table sets ZIP code 56278 beside the 8 ZIP codes nearest to it, using the same Census figures for each.

Source: American Community Survey 2023, 5-year, by ZIP Code Tabulation Area; distances are straight lines between ZIP code centers.

The NOAA Storm Events Database records 12 hail events, 24 thunderstorm-wind events and 1 tornado within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56278 from 2016 through March 31, 2026 for hail and through September 22, 2025 for thunderstorm wind and tornadoes. The largest hail on record there in that period was 3 inches on July 5, 2016, near Odessa. 3 of those hail events had hail 1.5 inches or larger.

The closest event to the center of ZIP code 56278 was 1.75 in hail on August 17, 2019, 1.4 miles away near Ortonville. The most recent hail event within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56278 was on May 30, 2022: 1 in hail near Ortonville. The most recent thunderstorm-wind event within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56278 was on August 21, 2025, near Ortonville. The strongest thunderstorm wind recorded within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56278 in that period was 90 mph. The busiest year was 2017, with 11 events in all.

Apart from those database entries, NOAA weather radar indicated hail of 1 inch or larger over Ortonville on 2 days from January 2025 on, most recently June 5, 2026. A radar indication is an estimate, not a report from the ground, and the counts and tables on this page do not include it.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database (hail events through March 31, 2026; thunderstorm-wind and tornado events through September 22, 2025); NOAA MRMS radar hail estimates (for the city of Ortonville).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database (hail events through March 31, 2026; thunderstorm-wind and tornado events through September 22, 2025).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database (hail events through March 31, 2026; thunderstorm-wind and tornado events through September 22, 2025).

This page is filed under Ortonville, which is in Big Stone County; the ratings below are that county's. Big Stone County scores 47.9 of 100 for hail in FEMA's National Risk Index, which ranks 71st of 87 Minnesota counties. Big Stone County scores 20.8 of 100 for strong wind in FEMA's National Risk Index, which ranks 77th of 87 Minnesota counties. Big Stone County scores 62.3 of 100 for winter weather in FEMA's National Risk Index, which ranks 51st of 87 Minnesota counties. Of the perils listed here, the highest score in Big Stone County is for cold wave, at 62.5 of 100.

Big Stone County averages 26.4 inches of precipitation a year (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). The average annual temperature in Big Stone County is 44°F.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, 2026 release; rank among the state's counties computed from the scores; NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals.

Our Marshall office is at 408 E Main St Ste 3, Marshall, MN 56258, about 69 miles from the center of ZIP code 56278. Its hours are Monday–Friday 7:00 AM–7:00 PM. You can reach that office at (507) 606-2707.

• Marshall office: address, hours and map