Storm Records: North Dakota
Every storm the National Weather Service has filed in North Dakota: its floods, heat, cold, winter storms, hail, wind, lightning and tornadoes, year by year and county by county, each episode with its narrative.
The worst in North Dakota on the map
The deadliest and costliest episodes on record here, colored by kind of event.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 33,350
- Deaths
- 100
- Injuries
- 699
- Damage
- $6.2 billion
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.
Every year
Tap a year for every episode in it.
Deaths each year
By kind of event
| Kind of event | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 10,026 | 0 | 32 | $795 million |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 6,888 | 5 | 74 | $520 million |
| Blizzard | 2,735 | 14 | 103 | $308 million |
| High Wind | 2,624 | 2 | 32 | $17 million |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 1,839 | 4 | 0 | |
| Tornado | 1,799 | 29 | 364 | $205 million |
| Winter Storm | 1,767 | 7 | 23 | $40 million |
| Heavy Snow | 1,677 | 0 | 3 | $9.5 million |
| Drought | 677 | 0 | 0 | |
| Flood | 664 | 11 | 5 | $3.9 billion |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 641 | 8 | 2 | $435,000 |
| Flash Flood | 557 | 5 | 2 | $252 million |
| Funnel Cloud | 541 | 0 | 0 | |
| Winter Weather | 208 | 6 | 22 | $1.3 million |
| Ice Storm | 154 | 0 | 0 | $106 million |
| Frost/Freeze | 118 | 1 | 3 | $15,000 |
| Heavy Rain | 112 | 1 | 0 | $40,000 |
| Lightning | 109 | 2 | 13 | $2.3 million |
| Excessive Heat | 65 | 0 | 0 | $700,000 |
| Wildfire | 36 | 2 | 16 | $38 million |
| Dense Smoke | 36 | 0 | 0 | |
| Heat | 27 | 0 | 0 | |
| Strong Wind | 18 | 0 | 0 | $20,000 |
| Dust Storm | 16 | 0 | 0 | |
| Dense Fog | 9 | 2 | 4 | $2.6 million |
| Freezing Fog | 6 | 1 | 0 | $385,000 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | 1 |
The deadliest
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, June 20, 1957
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, July 4, 1978
- Winter Weather and Frost and Freeze in North Dakota, November 4 to 27, 1997Freezing drizzle made bridges and overpasses extremely slick. The deceased's Jeep hit an icy overpass on the Spiritwood interchange on I-94. The Jeep rolled numerous times down the embankment. The passenger was also injured in the accident.
- Winter Storm in North Dakota, April 2 to 3, 2003A third in a series of low pressure systems over Wyoming and western South Dakota moved east...southeast and intensifiedover the Northern Plains during the day reaching southern Minnesota and northern Iowa on Thursday, April 3rd.A stationary surface frontal boundary extended…
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in North Dakota, June 20 to 21, 2025During the evening of Friday, June 20th into the early morning hours of June 21st, much of the region was affected by severe weather.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, June 12 to 30, 2000Trees were blown down northeast of Grafton.
- Blizzard in North Dakota, January 9 to 11, 1997The second blizzard in less than 1 week brought North Dakota to a virtual standstill. This blizzard didn't bring as much snow as the first storm, but the winds gusted from the northwest as high at 40 mph and they lasted for 3 days.
- Blizzard in North Dakota, April 4 to 7, 1997Warm weather the first three days of April lead much of North Dakota to believe that spring had arrived with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. Mother Nature had other plans. A very strong area of low pressure moved out of the Colorado area into the northern plains.
- Wildfire in North Dakota, October 5 to 6, 2024Multiple wildfires started during the high wind event of October 5, when humidity values dropped into the teens, and winds gusted over 70 mph in many locations in the wake of a strong cold front (see the high wind Storm Data entry from October 5).
- Blizzard in North Dakota, January 15 to 16, 1997The 3rd blizzard to hit North Dakota in less than 3 weeks affected mainly the east-central and eastern part of the state. Again, like the previous blizzard, the winds was the major weather factor. Wind gusts at times were over 50 mph.
- Flooding in North Dakota, April 1 to 30, 2006The Red River at Wahpeton/Breckenridge rose above flood stage around 2 AM CST on March 30th and remained above flood stage until around 8 PM CST on April 9th. The river peaked at roughly 15.95 feet around 3 AM CST on April 1st.
- Flooding in North Dakota, March 21 to 31, 1997Warm weather toward the end of March lead to rapid snow melt across southcentral North Dakota. This in turn lead to flooding across much of the area. Near the confluence of Spring Creek and the Knife River, the town of Beulah(Mercer Co) had 150 families evacuated.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, July 8 to 9, 2019A surface boundary stretching from southwest into north central North Dakota served as the primary focal point for thunderstorm development in an atmosphere of very high instability.
- Tornadoes in North Dakota, May 29, 1953
- Tornado in North Dakota, July 2, 1955
- Flooding in North Dakota, April 27 to 30, 2013Melting snow caused overland flooding across portions of northeast North Dakota. Many rural roads were closed due to high water from the melting snow.
- Flood in North Dakota, May 1, 2022A male and female, both 74 years old, from Arcadia, Oklahoma attempted to pass through a low water crossing on the Cannonball River near 96th Ave. SW and 71st St. SW in Hettinger County at around 1:00 PM MDT on May 1.
- Blizzard in North Dakota, March 2, 2007The winter storm system that brought heavy snow to West and Central North Dakota Wednesday February 28th (See Storm Data entries for February) through early Thursday March 1st, intensified as it moved towards and into Wisconsin later Thursday and Friday March 2nd.
- Winter Storm in North Dakota, January 1, 1999A trough of low pressure extended from the northern plains into an area of intense low pressure system over the central plains. A strong upper level short wave accompanied the surface trough as it moved through the northern plains on New Years day.
- Winter Storm in North Dakota, February 28, 2007A low pressure system ejecting out of the Northern Rockies and into Wisconsin brought snow across western and central North Dakota from late Tuesday night February 27th into Wednesday night February 28th.
- Flooding in North Dakota, April 3 to 30, 2011The winter of 2010-2011 generally brought above normal amounts of snow to the area, but particularly so for the Devils Lake basin, the Sheyenne River basin, and the Wild Rice River basin.
- Blizzard in North Dakota, April 12 to 14, 2022A strong Colorado low lifted slowly through the Northern Plains into the Upper Midwest, resulting in a multi-day blizzard over most of North Dakota.
- Blizzard in North Dakota, April 5 to 6, 1997With falling temperatures on the back side of the low, the freezing rain turned to ice pellets and then to snow. A strong pressure gradient created winds up to 65 mph, dropping visibilities down to zero.
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, August 26, 2007A cold front moved across North Dakota on the 26th, with a hot and humid airmass in place ahead of the front. At 6 pm CST, a surface low was located over southern Manitoba (Canada), just north of Pembina, ND.
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, June 20 to 21, 2025An outbreak of severe thunderstorms brought extreme winds, very large hail, and multiple tornadoes across much of southern North Dakota from the late afternoon into the nighttime hours.
The costliest
- Flood in North Dakota, April 18 to 23, 1997
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, July 15, 2007
- Flood in North Dakota, April 16 to 20, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Flood in North Dakota, June 19 to 27, 2000
- Hail in North Dakota, June 9, 2001
- Hail in North Dakota, June 9, 2001
- Flooding in North Dakota, May 1 to 31, 2011
- Blizzard in North Dakota, April 5 to 6, 1997
- Flood in North Dakota, April 8 to 10, 1997
- Flooding in North Dakota, September 1 to 30, 1999
- Ice Storm in North Dakota, April 4 to 5, 1997
- Hail in North Dakota, July 21, 2005
- Flood and Hail in North Dakota, July 4, 1999
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, September 20 to 21, 2019
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, June 12 to 30, 2000
- Blizzard in North Dakota, April 23 to 24, 2022
- Blizzard in North Dakota, January 9 to 11, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, August 18, 1995
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, August 26, 2007
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, June 16 to 17, 2016
- Flood in North Dakota, April 5 to 8, 1997
- Flooding in North Dakota, August 1 to 31, 2001
- Blizzard in North Dakota, April 4 to 7, 1997
- Flooding in North Dakota, June 2 to 30, 2011
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in North Dakota, April 2, 2010
Counties
Every storm event filed in each county, including the zone-filed ones that covered it.
- Adams County510
- Barnes County911
- Benson County853
- Billings County386
- Bottineau County525
- Bowman County524
- Burke County419
- Burleigh County899
- Cass County1,498
- Cavalier County740
- Dickey County496
- Divide County372
- Dunn County537
- Eddy County550
- Emmons County503
- Foster County405
- Golden Valley County432
- Grand Forks County1,357
- Grant County531
- Griggs County620
- Hettinger County535
- Kidder County461
- LaMoure County483
- Logan County381
- McHenry County577
- McIntosh County454
- McKenzie County626
- McLean County582
- Mercer County528
- Morton County817
- Mountrail County630
- Nelson County725
- Oliver County376
- Pembina County789
- Pierce County382
- Ramsey County815
- Ransom County655
- Renville County384
- Richland County1,026
- Rolette County347
- Sargent County650
- Sheridan County331
- Sioux County207
- Slope County391
- Stark County729
- Steele County648
- Stutsman County797
- Towner County552
- Traill County708
- Walsh County1,059
- Ward County604
- Wells County453
- Williams County681
Counties and zones as filed
The places filed most often, as the offices named them.
| County or zone | Events | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cass | 1,144 | 17 | 117 | $435 million |
| Grand Forks | 1,012 | 4 | 36 | $123 million |
| Morton | 817 | 3 | 25 | $146 million |
| Richland | 711 | 2 | 32 | $9.8 million |
| Burleigh | 689 | 3 | 46 | $323 million |
| Barnes | 608 | 0 | 1 | $26 million |
| Ward | 597 | 1 | 5 | $165 million |
| Stutsman | 583 | 2 | 10 | $49 million |
| McLean | 577 | 1 | 17 | $18 million |
| Benson | 557 | 0 | 0 | $30 million |
| Walsh | 516 | 1 | 2 | $9.6 million |
| Stark | 502 | 1 | 2 | $33 million |
| Ramsey | 497 | 0 | 17 | $35 million |
| Williams | 472 | 1 | 2 | $9.6 million |
| Pembina | 470 | 0 | 10 | $22 million |
| Cavalier | 432 | 2 | 3 | $23 million |
| Nelson | 425 | 0 | 0 | $39 million |
| McKenzie | 418 | 2 | 49 | $17 million |
| Mountrail | 412 | 0 | 2 | $5.6 million |
| Traill | 407 | 0 | 1 | $48 million |
| Ransom | 366 | 1 | 8 | $19 million |
| McHenry | 366 | 0 | 0 | $10 million |
| Sargent | 363 | 0 | 0 | $48 million |
| Steele | 360 | 0 | 4 | $77 million |
| Cass zone | 354 | 2 | 11 | $300 million |
| Grand Forks zone | 345 | 0 | 0 | $3.0 billion |
| Mercer | 334 | 0 | 4 | $13 million |
| Grant | 325 | 5 | 40 | $16 million |
| Griggs | 321 | 0 | 1 | $22 million |
| Bottineau | 320 | 0 | 10 | $14 million |
| Pembina zone | 319 | 2 | 1 | $34 million |
| Emmons | 318 | 0 | 3 | $12 million |
| Ramsey zone | 318 | 0 | 1 | $127 million |
| Dunn | 316 | 0 | 3 | $29 million |
| Richland zone | 315 | 0 | 2 | $86 million |
| Hettinger | 310 | 3 | 4 | $9.7 million |
| Cavalier zone | 308 | 0 | 0 | $13 million |
| Bowman | 305 | 0 | 1 | $4.2 million |
| Barnes zone | 303 | 0 | 3 | $13 million |
| Traill zone | 301 | 0 | 0 | $24 million |
| Nelson zone | 300 | 0 | 1 | $17 million |
| Griggs zone | 299 | 0 | 0 | $12 million |
| Dickey | 296 | 0 | 2 | $13 million |
| Benson zone | 296 | 0 | 0 | $71 million |
| Ransom zone | 289 | 0 | 0 | $13 million |
| Steele zone | 288 | 0 | 0 | $13 million |
| Sargent zone | 287 | 0 | 0 | $13 million |
| Adams | 283 | 0 | 3 | $13 million |
| Towner | 283 | 0 | 0 | $2.2 million |
| Eddy | 280 | 0 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| Eastern Walsh zone | 278 | 1 | 0 | $25 million |
| La Moure | 275 | 0 | 2 | $18 million |
| Eddy zone | 270 | 0 | 2 | $13 million |
| Towner zone | 269 | 0 | 0 | $12 million |
| McIntosh | 267 | 0 | 0 | $5.7 million |
| Kidder | 262 | 0 | 1 | $12 million |
| Western Walsh zone | 246 | 0 | 0 | $905,000 |
| Wells | 236 | 0 | 1 | $9.3 million |
| Golden Valley | 231 | 0 | 3 | $4.6 million |
| Stark zone | 227 | 2 | 6 | $4.8 million |
| Adams zone | 227 | 0 | 0 | $11 million |
| Hettinger zone | 225 | 1 | 3 | $7.4 million |
| Dunn zone | 221 | 0 | 3 | $5.3 million |
| Slope zone | 220 | 0 | 0 | $5.0 million |
| Bowman zone | 219 | 0 | 7 | $4.5 million |
| Morton zone | 218 | 1 | 9 | $24 million |
| Mountrail zone | 218 | 1 | 1 | $13 million |
| Burke | 217 | 0 | 0 | $4.1 million |
| McLean zone | 217 | 3 | 6 | $7.2 million |
| Wells zone | 217 | 2 | 1 | $4.0 million |
| Stutsman zone | 214 | 0 | 16 | $7.2 million |
| Ward zone | 213 | 4 | 20 | $8.0 million |
| Sioux zone | 211 | 3 | 12 | $13 million |
| McHenry zone | 211 | 0 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| Burleigh zone | 210 | 1 | 25 | $7.2 million |
| Renville zone | 209 | 2 | 3 | $5.5 million |
| Williams zone | 209 | 7 | 17 | $38 million |
| Billings zone | 209 | 0 | 2 | $4.4 million |
| La Moure zone | 208 | 4 | 5 | $8.0 million |
| McKenzie zone | 208 | 3 | 6 | $26 million |
| Sioux | 207 | 2 | 8 | $8.1 million |
| Foster zone | 206 | 1 | 1 | $5.0 million |
| Grant zone | 206 | 0 | 3 | $20 million |
| Bottineau zone | 205 | 0 | 5 | $6.1 million |
| Sheridan zone | 202 | 0 | 1 | $3.8 million |
| Burke zone | 202 | 0 | 1 | $8.9 million |
| Golden Valley zone | 201 | 0 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| Dickey zone | 200 | 0 | 4 | $7.6 million |
| Foster | 199 | 0 | 2 | $18 million |
| Kidder zone | 199 | 0 | 9 | $5.3 million |
| Pierce zone | 196 | 0 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| Mercer zone | 194 | 0 | 4 | $4.8 million |
| Rolette zone | 194 | 1 | 0 | $6.3 million |
| Logan | 192 | 0 | 10 | $8.0 million |
| Oliver zone | 189 | 0 | 2 | $4.6 million |
| Logan zone | 189 | 2 | 1 | $5.2 million |
| Oliver | 187 | 0 | 1 | $2.2 million |
| McIntosh zone | 187 | 1 | 0 | $9.0 million |
| Divide zone | 187 | 0 | 0 | $13 million |
| Pierce | 186 | 0 | 0 | $5.8 million |
| Divide | 185 | 0 | 0 | $7.4 million |
| Emmons zone | 185 | 2 | 2 | $4.7 million |
| Billings | 177 | 0 | 3 | $2.8 million |
| Renville | 175 | 1 | 4 | $12 million |
| Slope | 171 | 0 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| Rolette | 152 | 2 | 6 | $5.2 million |
| Sheridan | 129 | 0 | 2 | $3.2 million |
| 39 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Walsh zone | 19 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ndz056: Central and Southern Ward/Minot Area zone | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ndz055: Northwest Ward zone | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ndz058: Eastern McLean zone | 3 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ndz057: Western McLean zone | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| Ndz004 - 007 - 008 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rollette zone | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Every year
- 2026
- 2025
- 2024
- 2023
- 2022
- 2021
- 2020
- 2019
- 2018
- 2017
- 2016
- 2015
- 2014
- 2013
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005
- 2004
- 2003
- 2002
- 2001
- 2000
- 1999
- 1998
- 1997
- 1996
- 1995
- 1994
- 1993
- 1992
- 1991
- 1990
- 1989
- 1988
- 1987
- 1986
- 1985
- 1984
- 1983
- 1982
- 1981
- 1980
- 1979
- 1978
- 1977
- 1976
- 1975
- 1974
- 1973
- 1972
- 1971
- 1970
- 1969
- 1968
- 1967
- 1966
- 1965
- 1964
- 1963
- 1962
- 1961
- 1960
- 1959
- 1958
- 1957
- 1956
- 1955
- 1954
- 1953
- 1952
- 1951
- 1950
More
Every tornado in North DakotaEvery warning in North Dakota since 1986River gauges in North DakotaEvery state
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.