Lightning in North Dakota

Events

109

Deaths

2

Injuries

13

Damage

$2.3 million

• Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, July 1 to 25, 19971 death · 2 injured · $1.2 million · F2 · 74 eventslightning struck a barn causing it to catch fire. A nearby farm caught fire as well. Both barns were destroyed.
• Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, July 17, 20111 injured · $1.2 million · EF3 · 32 eventsA prolonged severe weather event materialized July 17th with an extremely unstable atmosphere present and supportive mid level dynamics.
• Flash Flood and Hail in North Dakota, July 13 to 14, 20102 injured · $17 million · 5 in hail · 55 eventsLarge 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.
• Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, August 2 to 31, 1997$16 million · F1 · 35 eventsHail covered ground
• Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, July 1, 19971 death · 2 injured · $41,000 · 6 eventsLightning struck 3 workers in a sugarbeet field near Davenport.
• Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, August 28 to 29, 20243 injured · $2.0 million · EF1 · 25 eventsThunderstorms developed over southwest into south central North Dakota in an environment of very strong instability and elevated deep layer shear. The atmosphere remained capped until early in the evening when rapid thunderstorm development occurred.
• Hail and Lightning Strike in North Dakota, September 21, 2007$30 million · 3.5 in hail · 10 eventsThis episode of storms dealt with 4 distinct groupings. The first group of storms began near Nashua in southeast Wilkin County (MN) and tracked to the northeast. The second began near Lake Park in western Becker County (MN) and tracked to the east-northeast.
• Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, June 27 to 28, 1997$10 million · F0 · 30 eventsThe hail lasted for 12 minutes.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, June 10 to 27, 19981 injured · $6.9 million · F0 · 27 eventsTornado remained in rural areas and caused no damage. Ground was white with pea size hail after storm lifted.
• Hail and Lightning Strike in North Dakota, August 4, 20191 death · 1 in hail · 2 eventsThunderstorms developed in the vicinity of a cold front over western North Dakota, with one storm becoming severe producing one inch diameter hail to the east of Richardton in Stark County.
• Tornado and Hail in North Dakota, July 19, 2003$4.0 million · F0 · 31 eventsThe tornado touched down in an open field north of Highway 5.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in North Dakota, July 4 to 20, 1998$1.4 million · F0 · 52 eventsNumerous 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 Hail in North Dakota, June 1 to 30, 19971 injured · $210,000 · F0 · 43 eventsAn 11 year old boy was struck by lightning while fishing with his father. He had holes burned into his shirt and was knocked unconscience. The boy also quit breathing, but his father and a friend used CPR to get the boy breathing again. The boy suffered some ear damage.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in North Dakota, July 8, 2011$575,000 · EF0 · 19 eventsTornado Watch number 611 was issued in the early afternoon in anticipation of an increasing threat for thunderstorms across west and central North Dakota for the afternoon and evening hours of July 8th.
• Flash Flood and Hail in North Dakota, July 29 to 30, 2011$361,000 · 2.5 in hail · 23 eventsTwo waves of severe weather struck west and central North Dakota from the evening of the 29th through the early morning hours of the 30th.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, July 28 to 29, 2008$465,000 · 1 in hail · 15 eventsA weak surface low pressure system lifted northeast up the Red River Valley, with a warm front extending to its east. Surface dew points were quite juicy, nearly 70F in some areas. As it progressed through, it produced some thunderstorms with hail and damaging winds.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, August 31, 2011$155,000 · 1.75 in hail · 22 eventsIncreasing warm air advection ahead of a short wave impulse combined with a moderately unstable and strongly sheared environment to result in severe thunderstorms over much of west and portions of central North Dakota in the evening of the 31st.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, July 29, 2010$178,000 · 2.5 in hail · 17 eventsSevere Thunderstorm Watch number 550 was issued for much of west and north central North Dakota in the late afternoon hours of Thursday, July 29th.
• Tornado and Hail in North Dakota, August 22, 1999$143,000 · F0 · 20 eventsThe hailstorm hit one farmstead particularly hard. The large hailstones punched holes in the house siding, broke windows, and dented cars and several tractors.
• Lightning Strike in North Dakota, August 2, 1996$300,000 · 1 eventLightning struck a 12 unit condo in Dickinson and set the building on fire. A total of 24 people were left homeless because of the fire.
• Flash Flood and Hail in North Dakota, July 3 to 4, 2018$125,000 · 1 in hail · 17 eventsA shortwave trough approached the area and interacted with a surface boundary which led to thunderstorm development during the late evening and overnight hours. Ample deep layer shear and enhanced instability were present.
• Flash Flood and Hail in North Dakota, July 4, 2012$145,000 · 65 kt wind · 13 eventsOn the morning of July 4th, a cold front pushed into central North Dakota, eventually reaching eastern North Dakota around the noon hour. Ahead of the front, a stationary boundary also set up, basically running along the U. S. Highway 2 corridor.
• Lightning Strike in North Dakota, August 9, 2006$250,000 · 1 eventLightning struck two salt water tanks at oil wells. One oil well 2 miles southeast of Lignite was struck at 715 AM CST, while another 2 miles northwest of Lignite was struck at 830 AM CST.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, August 5, 19972 injured · $51,000 · 1 in hail · 17 eventsA man and his son were walking next to a tree when lightning struck. The two were knocked to the ground, with the tree taking the brunt of the strike. Two businesses in Cavalier were also hit by lightning, damaging their computer systems.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, June 26, 2010$117,000 · 1.75 in hail · 10 eventsDuring the early to mid afternoon hours of Saturday, June 26th, Severe Thunderstorm Watch numbers 416 and 417 were issued for west and central North Dakota, in anticipation of increasing thunderstorm activity behind, along, and ahead of a surface cold front pushing east across…

Lightning everywhereEvery kind of event in North Dakota

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.