Flash Flood in North Dakota
Every flash flood event the National Weather Service has filed in North Dakota, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
The most significant on the map
The most significant flash flood episodes in North Dakota.
- 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
- 557
- Deaths
- 5
- Injuries
- 2
- Damage
- $252 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- 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.
- 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 and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, August 8, 2001The tornado began northwest of Maddock and travelled along a path intermittently to near Flora and near Oberon. A 40x60 foot metal shed was demolished. About 2 miles northeast of Maddock, a grain bin was pulled from its foundation and thrown about 500 yards.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in North Dakota, June 28 to 29, 2018An extremely unstable atmosphere combined with very strong deep layer wind shear set the stage for intense thunderstorm development. Initially, thunderstorms were supercells, and formed along a warm front that lifted through North Dakota in the afternoon and evening hours.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, July 18 to 19, 2001The ground was white with hail.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in North Dakota, June 19 to 20, 2013Several rounds of late night thunderstorms dropped large hail, strong winds, and heavy rain across mainly southeast North Dakota.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, September 14, 2025A low-pressure center moved north from South Dakota to North Dakota with a warm front lifting to the north. This resulted in strong low-level wind shear over central North Dakota.
- Flash Flood and Hail in North Dakota, July 13 to 14, 2010Large scale forcing associated with a dynamic upper level trough coincided with very strong deep layer shear and very steep mid level lapse rates to trigger rapid thunderstorm development and intensification across southwest and south central North Dakota.
- Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, July 1, 1997Lightning struck 3 workers in a sugarbeet field near Davenport.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, September 20 to 21, 2019By the late afternoon of the 20th, a weak area of surface low pressure set up near Devils Lake, with the warm front extending out to the east-southeast. Temperatures had risen into the mid 70s to low 80s in the warm sector, with dew points in the upper 60s to lower 70s.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in North Dakota, June 19 to 27, 2000Six inch diameter tree branches were blown down.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, July 17, 2001The hail battered a farmhouse, denting the siding and putting holes in the gutters. Several windows were broken and the shingles were damaged.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, June 12 to 13, 2011A strong short wave trough ejecting into the Northern Plains, coupled with increasing large scale ascent ahead of an upper level jet streak, brought widespread severe weather to much of southwest and south central North Dakota during the evening hours of June 12th.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in North Dakota, May 24, 2010A surface warm front continued to lift slowly north across southern North Dakota during the day on Monday, May 24th, in advance of a potent upper level trough racing northeast across the Rocky Mountains and towards the Northern Plains.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in North Dakota, June 21 to 25, 2016A compact upper level low approached North Dakota while strong instability and very strong deep layer shear were present over a broad portion of the state.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, June 29 to 30, 20054.5 inches of rain fell in an hour. Water rose above several county roads.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, August 3, 2016By mid to late afternoon of August 3rd, a cold front had moved into central North Dakota. Ahead of the cold front, a warm front extended out to the east, or along the Canadian border.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in North Dakota, June 10 to 11, 2021A strong short-wave trough moved into the Northern Plains as a slow moving warm front lifted through North Dakota. Very strong instability developed by afternoon, along with increased deep layer shear. The initial storms occurred over west-central and northwest North Dakota.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, June 7 to 8, 2021An extended period consisting of two days of continuous severe weather occurred from June 7 through June 8.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, June 10 to 27, 1998Tornado remained in rural areas and caused no damage. Ground was white with pea size hail after storm lifted.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, June 26 to 30, 2009A warm front pushed northward through eastern North Dakota during the afternoon of the 26th. By the early evening, low pressure had set up over northwest South Dakota, with the warm front extending to the northeast along a line from near Bismarck to near Devils Lake.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in North Dakota, July 4 to 20, 1998Numerous roads in Williston impassable due to water. Parts of highways 2 and 85 also under water due to the heavy rain. Spring Brook also flooded.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in North Dakota, June 17, 2010Downstream of a strong upper level short wave trough, atmospheric destabilization was occurring late Thursday morning across much of west and central North Dakota in the wake of earlier thunderstorms, along with large scale ascent ahead of the trough resulting in surface low…
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in North Dakota, August 15 to 17, 2014Several waves of heavy rain, with embedded non severe thunderstorms with torrential rain, moved through western and central North Dakota. There was overland, stream, river and flash flooding, mainly over the southern half of the western and central parts of the state.
More
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.