North Dakota, 1978

Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, May 25, 1978

May 25, 1978 · NWS NG · 8 events in 7 counties and zones

5 tornado, 2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 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
$255,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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

5 tornado, 2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Burleigh

When
May 25, 4:40 PM CST
Where
Burleigh County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
47.000, -100.750

Tornado, McHenry

When
May 25, 5:00 PM CST
Where
McHenry County
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
47.850, -100.450

Tornado, Morton

When
May 25, 5:15 PM CST
Where
Morton County
Rating
F3
Path length
2.5 mi
Path width
30 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
46.830, -100.900

Hail, Burleigh

When
May 25, 5:52 PM CST
Where
Burleigh County
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
47.030, -100.770

Tornado, Towner

When
May 25, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Towner County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
48.800, -99.100

Tornado, Pierce

When
May 25, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Pierce County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
10 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
48.130, -100.030

Thunderstorm Wind, Cavalier

When
May 25, 8:15 PM CST
Where
Cavalier County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
48.750, -98.370

Tornado, Walsh

When
May 25, 10:00 PM CST
Where
Walsh County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
48.280, -97.320

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Dakota in 1978Every state in 1978This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for North Dakota, 1978

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: 10082792, 10082793, 10082794, 10082795, 10082796, 10082797, 10082798, 10082799.