Tornadoes · United States · North Dakota

Tornadoes in Emmons County, North Dakota

43 tornadoes have crossed Emmons County since 1950, 14th of the 53 counties in North Dakota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 23. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  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.

Now

Tornadoes
43
Deaths
2
Injuries
23
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F5, May 29, 1953

The deadliest in Emmons County

  1. F5 Fort Rice tornado, North DakotaMay 29, 19532 killed, 20 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Fort Rice tornado, North DakotaMay 29, 1953F5, 14.8 mi (24 km)
  2. F3, Emmons County, North DakotaJuly 1, 1955F3, 1.3 mi (2 km)
  3. F2, Emmons, McIntosh and Logan counties, North DakotaMay 5, 1964F2, 47.5 mi (76 km)
  4. EF2, Emmons County, North DakotaSeptember 14, 2025EF2, 6.1 mi (10 km)
  5. EF2, Emmons County, North DakotaJune 27, 2025EF2, 1.8 mi (3 km)
  6. F2, Emmons County, North DakotaMay 26, 1974F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  7. F2, Emmons County, North DakotaAugust 25, 1959F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  8. F2, Emmons County, North DakotaAugust 19, 1974F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Emmons County. Each year links to every tornado in North Dakota that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20255EF2
20111EF0
20101EF0
20051F0
20032F0
200111F1
19991F0
19981F0
19963F0
19952F1
19941F0
19921F0
19882F1
19862F0
19831F0
19811F0
197652F1
19751F0
19743F2
19671F1
19662F0
19641F2
19601F1
19591F2
19551F3
19531220F5

Every tornado that crossed Emmons County

43 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
September 14, 20252:54 PM CDTUnratedEmmons3.350
September 14, 20252:08 PM CDTEF2Emmons6.1200$400,000
September 14, 20251:26 PM CDTUnratedEmmons1.850
June 27, 202510:18 PM CDTEF2Emmons1.8200$200,000
June 27, 202510:12 PM CDTEF1Emmons0.2150$300,000
July 16, 20119:47 PM CDTEF0Emmons1.930$30,000
June 25, 20105:35 PM CDTEF0Emmons0.520
June 7, 20058:19 PM CDTF0Emmons0.020
July 3, 20038:52 PM CDTF0Emmons1.030
June 5, 200312:35 PM CDTF0Emmons0.020
June 9, 20017:10 PM CDTF1Emmons10.0601
June 3, 19995:29 PM CDTF0Emmons0.210
July 6, 19985:55 PM CDTF0Emmons0.530
August 3, 199611:30 PM CDTF0Emmons1.515$750,000
July 10, 199610:40 PM CDTF0Emmons1.015$30,000
July 10, 19968:05 PM CDTF0Emmons0.110
July 3, 19957:53 PM CDTF1Emmons0.110
July 3, 19957:20 PM CDTF0Emmons0.220
October 6, 19945:55 PM CDTF0Emmons0.113
May 21, 19924:12 PM CDTF0Emmons0.110
August 1, 19883:35 PM CDTF1Emmons0.230$5,000 to $50,000
August 1, 19883:07 PM CDTF1Emmons0.230$5,000 to $50,000
May 11, 19868:20 PM CDTF0Emmons0.213
May 11, 19868:20 PM CDTF0Emmons0.213
July 2, 19834:20 PM CDTF0Emmons0.510under $50
April 28, 19817:30 PM CDTF0Emmons0.310$50 to $500
July 12, 197612:45 AM CDTF0Emmons0.1102
June 11, 197612:10 AM CDTF0Emmons0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 197610:30 PM CDTF1Emmons0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 197610:10 PM CDTF1Emmons0.110
June 11, 197610:10 PM CDTF1Emmons0.110
May 17, 19752:05 AM CDTF0Emmons2.317
August 19, 19747:15 PM CDTF2Emmons0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 11, 197410:10 PM CDTF1Emmons0.110
May 26, 197411:30 PM CDTF2Emmons1.010$5,000 to $50,000
August 17, 19674:00 PM GMT-5F1Emmons0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 31, 19667:35 PM GMT-5F0Emmons0.110
July 31, 19667:35 PM GMT-5F0Emmons0.110
May 5, 196410:05 PM GMT-5F2Emmons47.510$50,000 to $500,000
July 24, 19604:00 PM GMT-5F1Emmons0.110$500 to $5,000
August 25, 19596:17 PM GMT-5F2Emmons1.010
July 1, 19556:10 PM GMT-5F3Emmons1.340$5,000 to $50,000
May 29, 19534:00 PM GMT-7F5Fort Rice tornado14.8600220$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Emmons CountyThe forecast for Emmons CountyThe live radar over Emmons CountyEvery county in North Dakota

What this means

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.

Sources

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