Gutters, roofing, siding and windows in ZIP code 56531, Elbow Lake, MN

• Roofing in ZIP code 56531

  3 of the 11 hail events on record within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56531 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 56531

  The strongest thunderstorm wind on record within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56531 from 2016 through September 22, 2025 was 92 mph. The National Weather Service counts a thunderstorm wind of 58 mph or more as severe.

• Windows in ZIP code 56531

  69% of homes in ZIP code 56531 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.

ZIP code 56531 is filed here under Elbow Lake, in Grant County, Minnesota; its center is about 89 miles west of our Brainerd office. Our address file holds 1,198 address points in ZIP code 56531. Of the cities and towns on our pages, ZIP code 56531 covers only Elbow Lake.

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 56531 has 924 housing units, and 84% of them are single-family detached homes (American Community Survey 2023, 5-year). Another 1% are attached homes such as townhomes. Mobile homes make up 3% of the housing units.

The median home in ZIP code 56531 was built in 1962. 69% of homes in ZIP code 56531 were built before 1980, and 14% were built in 2000 or later. The most common building period is 1939 or earlier, with 203 homes.

76% of occupied homes in ZIP code 56531 are owner-occupied. The median owner-occupied home in ZIP code 56531 is valued at $151,600. Among occupied homes in ZIP code 56531, 2% heat with utility gas, 33% with electricity, 48% with bottled or tank gas, 12% 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 56531.

The nearest other ZIP codes we serve, measured center to center, are 56311 in Barrett (7.6 miles southeast), 56309 in Ashby (11 miles northeast), 56324 in Dalton (13 miles north), 56339 in Hoffman (14 miles southeast), 56326 in Evansville (15 miles east) and 56248 in Herman (15 miles southwest). The table sets ZIP code 56531 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 11 hail events, 17 thunderstorm-wind events and 7 tornadoes within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56531 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 1.75 inches on July 17, 2017, near Wendell. 3 of those hail events had hail 1.5 inches or larger.

The closest event to the center of ZIP code 56531 was 81 mph wind on May 30, 2022, less than 1 mile away near Elbow Lake. The most recent hail event within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56531 was on May 30, 2023: 1 in hail near Wendell. The most recent thunderstorm-wind event within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56531 was on June 2, 2025, near Barrett. The strongest thunderstorm wind recorded within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56531 in that period was 92 mph. The busiest year was 2020, with 11 events in all.

Apart from those database entries, NOAA weather radar indicated hail of 1 inch or larger over Elbow Lake on 1 day from January 2025 on, most recently September 12, 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 Elbow Lake).

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 Elbow Lake, which is in Grant County; the ratings below are that county's. Grant County scores 38.6 of 100 for hail in FEMA's National Risk Index, which ranks 77th of 87 Minnesota counties. Grant County scores 17.2 of 100 for strong wind in FEMA's National Risk Index, which ranks 80th of 87 Minnesota counties. Grant County scores 52.4 of 100 for winter weather in FEMA's National Risk Index, which ranks 62nd of 87 Minnesota counties. Of the perils listed here, the highest score in Grant County is for tornado, at 73.9 of 100.

The average annual temperature in Grant County is 42.8°F.

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

Our Brainerd office is at 217 S 7th St, Brainerd, MN 56401, about 89 miles from the center of ZIP code 56531. Its hours are Monday–Friday 7:00 AM–7:00 PM. You can reach that office at (218) 833-2997.

• Brainerd office: address, hours and map