Gutters, roofing, siding and windows in ZIP code 56479, Staples, MN

• Roofing in ZIP code 56479

  5 of the 21 hail events on record within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56479 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 56479

  The strongest thunderstorm wind on record within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56479 from 2016 through September 22, 2025 was 75 mph. The National Weather Service counts a thunderstorm wind of 58 mph or more as severe.

• Windows in ZIP code 56479

  59% of homes in ZIP code 56479 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 56479 is filed here under Staples, in Wadena County, Minnesota; its center is about 29 miles west of our Brainerd office. ZIP code 56479 also extends into Todd County and Cass County. Our address file holds 2,821 address points in ZIP code 56479. Of the cities and towns on our pages, ZIP code 56479 covers only Staples.

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 56479 has 2,341 housing units, and 76% of them are single-family detached homes (American Community Survey 2023, 5-year). Another 2% are attached homes such as townhomes. Mobile homes make up 8% of the housing units.

The median home in ZIP code 56479 was built in 1975. 59% of homes in ZIP code 56479 were built before 1980, and 23% were built in 2000 or later. The most common building period is 1939 or earlier, with 486 homes.

79% of occupied homes in ZIP code 56479 are owner-occupied. The median owner-occupied home in ZIP code 56479 is valued at $177,500. Among occupied homes in ZIP code 56479, 34% heat with utility gas, 26% with electricity, 24% with bottled or tank gas, 2% with fuel oil and 12% with wood.

Source: American Community Survey 2023, 5-year (tables B25024, B25034, B25035, B25003, B25077, B25040), for ZIP Code Tabulation Area 56479.

The nearest other ZIP codes we serve, measured center to center, are 56481 in Verndale (7.2 miles west), 56466 in Motley (7.7 miles east), 56473 in Pillager (16 miles east), 56482 in Wadena (17 miles west), 56477 in Sebeka (17 miles northwest) and 56437 in Bertha (18 miles southwest). The table sets ZIP code 56479 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 21 hail events, 4 thunderstorm-wind events and 7 tornadoes within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56479 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 2.75 inches on June 19, 2016, near Nimrod. 5 of those hail events had hail 1.5 inches or larger.

The closest event to the center of ZIP code 56479 was 1 in hail on April 7, 2020, 1.9 miles away near Staples. The most recent hail event within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56479 was on September 12, 2025: 1 in hail near Motley. The most recent thunderstorm-wind event within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56479 was on May 30, 2022, near Aldrich. The strongest thunderstorm wind recorded within 10 miles of the center of ZIP code 56479 in that period was 75 mph. The busiest year was 2022, with 12 events in all.

Apart from those database entries, NOAA weather radar indicated hail of 1 inch or larger over Staples on 1 day from January 2025 on, most recently June 29, 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 Staples).

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 Staples, which is in Wadena County; the ratings below are that county's. Wadena County scores 25.3 of 100 for hail in FEMA's National Risk Index, which ranks 82nd of 87 Minnesota counties. Wadena County scores 36.8 of 100 for strong wind in FEMA's National Risk Index, which ranks 61st of 87 Minnesota counties. Wadena County scores 63.7 of 100 for winter weather in FEMA's National Risk Index, which ranks 49th of 87 Minnesota counties. Of the perils listed here, the highest score in Wadena County is for tornado, at 72.3 of 100.

The average annual temperature in Wadena County is 41.1°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 29 miles from the center of ZIP code 56479. 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