Tornadoes in North Dakota

1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

   Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

   Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

   Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

   Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

   Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

   Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

7. Unrated

   The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

1. F5, Cass and Clay counties, North Dakota and MinnesotaJune 20, 195710 killed, 103 injured
2. F4, Grant County, North DakotaJuly 4, 19785 killed, 35 injured
3. EF5, Ransom and Cass counties, North DakotaJune 20, 20253 killed
4. F3, McIntosh and McPherson counties, North Dakota and South DakotaJuly 31, 19662 killed, 4 injured
5. F4, Richland County, North DakotaJuly 2, 19552 killed, 19 injured
6. F5, Emmons and Morton counties, North DakotaMay 29, 19532 killed, 20 injured
7. EF2, McKenzie County, North DakotaJuly 9, 20181 killed, 28 injured
8. EF3, Burke and Ward counties, North DakotaAugust 12, 20101 killed, 1 injured
9. EF4, Grand Forks County, North DakotaAugust 26, 20071 killed, 18 injured
10. F2, Renville County, North DakotaJuly 23, 19971 killed, 2 injured
11. F4, Hettinger and Grant counties, North DakotaJune 29, 19751 killed, 4 injured
12. F1, Cavalier County, North DakotaJune 24, 19661 killed, 1 injured

1. F5, Cass and Clay counties, North Dakota and MinnesotaJune 20, 1957F5, 52.4 mi (84 km)
2. F5, Emmons and Morton counties, North DakotaMay 29, 1953F5, 14.8 mi (24 km)
3. EF5, Ransom and Cass counties, North DakotaJune 20, 2025EF5, 12.1 mi (19 km)
4. F4, Hettinger and Grant counties, North DakotaJune 29, 1975F4, 68.0 mi (109 km)
5. F4, Burleigh and Kidder counties, North DakotaJuly 1, 1952F4, 48.0 mi (77 km)
6. F4, Mountrail County, North DakotaJuly 5, 1955F4, 28.0 mi (45 km)
7. F4, Grant County, North DakotaJuly 4, 1978F4, 26.0 mi (42 km)
8. EF4, Traill and Grand Forks counties, North DakotaJune 17, 2010EF4, 17.0 mi (27 km)
9. F4, Barnes and LaMoure counties, North DakotaJuly 18, 2004F4, 12.0 mi (19 km)
10. F4, Richland County, North DakotaJuly 2, 1955F4, 9.1 mi (15 km)
11. F4, Pembina County, North DakotaJune 6, 1999F4, 8.0 mi (13 km)
12. EF4, Wilkin and Richland counties, North Dakota and MinnesotaAugust 7, 2010EF4, 5.0 mi (8 km)

1. F4, Hettinger and Grant counties, North DakotaJune 29, 197568.0 mi (109 km)
2. F5, Cass and Clay counties, North Dakota and MinnesotaJune 20, 195752.4 mi (84 km)
3. F4, Burleigh and Kidder counties, North DakotaJuly 1, 195248.0 mi (77 km)
4. F2, Emmons, McIntosh and Logan counties, North DakotaMay 5, 196447.5 mi (76 km)
5. F2, Burleigh and Kidder counties, North DakotaJune 17, 195637.1 mi (60 km)
6. F2, Cass County, North DakotaMay 5, 196533.8 mi (54 km)
7. F2, Mercer and McLean counties, North DakotaMay 24, 197533.7 mi (54 km)
8. F2, Kidder and Stutsman counties, North DakotaJuly 17, 200130.0 mi (48 km)
9. F1, McLean and Sheridan counties, North DakotaJuly 13, 200329.0 mi (47 km)
10. F1, Oliver County, North DakotaJune 13, 199929.0 mi (47 km)
11. F2, LaMoure, Barnes and Ransom counties, North DakotaAugust 15, 199928.5 mi (46 km)
12. F4, Mountrail County, North DakotaJuly 5, 195528.0 mi (45 km)

1. EF4, Grand Forks County, North DakotaAugust 26, 2007$50 million
2. EF3, Stark County, North DakotaJuly 8, 2009$20 million
3. EF2, McKenzie County, North DakotaJuly 9, 2018$3.5 million
4. EF2, McKenzie County, North DakotaMay 26, 2014$2.5 million
5. EF2, Cass County, North DakotaJuly 15, 2007$2.5 million
6. EF2, Ransom County, North DakotaJuly 14, 2010$2.0 million
7. F4, Barnes and LaMoure counties, North DakotaJuly 18, 2004$1.7 million
8. EF1, Hettinger County, North DakotaJuly 12, 2019$1.6 million
9. EF3, Rolette and Towner counties, North DakotaJuly 7, 2008$1.5 million
10. EF1, Kidder and Stutsman counties, North DakotaJune 20, 2025$1.5 million
11. EF2, Morton County, North DakotaJune 20, 2025$1.5 million
12. EF2, Cavalier County, North DakotaJune 9, 2017$1.5 million

1. June 20, 202524tornadoes
2. June 11, 197624tornadoes
3. June 17, 201022tornadoes
4. September 14, 202520tornadoes
5. June 6, 199920tornadoes
6. July 18, 200119tornadoes
7. June 27, 201518tornadoes
8. May 19, 200414tornadoes
9. August 8, 202513tornadoes
10. June 26, 200913tornadoes
11. June 4, 198013tornadoes
12. July 21, 198712tornadoes

A tornado is counted once for every county its path crossed, so these add up to more than 1,737. Each county has a page of its own: every tornado that crossed it, year by year.

Warnings in force in North DakotaForecast for your townThe live radar over North Dakota

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.