Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, May 17, 1977

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, May 17, 1977
Start: 1977-05-17T17:55
End: 1977-05-17T19:45
Location: North Dakota

May 17, 1977 · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

3 tornado, 2 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $500,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

3 tornado, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, McKenzie

When: May 17, 5:55 PM CST
Where: McKenzie County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 47.720, -102.680

Tornado, Williams

When: May 17, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Williams County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1.3 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 48.200, -102.930

Hail, Williams

When: May 17, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Williams County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 48.200, -102.930

Tornado, Mountrail

When: May 17, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Mountrail County
Rating: F1
Path length: 7.2 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 48.230, -102.900

Hail, Cavalier

When: May 17, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Cavalier County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 49.000, -98.370

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Dakota in 1977 Every state in 1977 This day in weather history The tornado archive for North Dakota, 1977

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10085005, 10085006, 10085007, 10085008, 10085009.