Tornadoes · United States · North Dakota

Tornadoes in Stark County, North Dakota

26 tornadoes have crossed Stark County since 1950, 31st of the 53 counties in North Dakota with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.9 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 2. None was rated F4 or above.

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
26
Deaths
0
Injuries
2
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, July 8, 2009

The strongest

  1. EF3, Stark County, North DakotaJuly 8, 2009EF3, 2.3 mi (4 km)
  2. F2, Stark County, North DakotaJune 10, 1952F2, 10.1 mi (16 km)
  3. F2, Stark County, North DakotaJune 4, 1976F2, 5.7 mi (9 km)
  4. F2, Stark County, North DakotaApril 22, 1957F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 17 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Stark County. Each year links to every tornado in North Dakota that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF1
20241Unrated
20181EF0
20141EF0
20113EF0
200942EF3
20052F1
20021F0
19981F0
19801F0
19791F0
19783F1
19761F2
19721F0
19652F0
19571F2
19521F2

Every tornado that crossed Stark County

26 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 19, 20256:22 PM MDTEF1Stark1.4200$300,000
June 27, 20246:38 PM MDTUnratedStark0.550
May 31, 20184:19 PM MDTEF0Stark0.450
June 16, 20148:23 PM MDTEF0Stark1.425
July 22, 20118:05 PM MDTEF0Stark1.530
July 22, 20117:35 PM MDTEF0Stark0.130
June 7, 20114:24 PM MDTEF0Stark0.330$10,000
July 11, 20096:55 PM MDTEF0Stark4.030
July 8, 20098:15 PM MDTEF3Stark2.33502$20 million
June 24, 20096:03 PM MDTEF0Stark18.850$75,000
June 24, 20095:28 PM MDTEF1Stark6.880$700,000
June 6, 20058:30 PM MDTF1Stark1.060
June 1, 20058:45 PM MDTF1Stark4.050
July 24, 20026:51 PM MDTF0Stark0.040
May 13, 19986:18 PM MDTF0Stark0.130
June 4, 19805:50 PM MDTF0Stark0.110
August 27, 19792:00 PM MDTF0Stark0.110
September 11, 19784:35 PM MDTF1Stark1.0133
July 4, 19788:08 PM MDTF0Stark0.110
June 15, 197812:30 AM MDTF1Stark0.310
June 4, 19765:30 PM MDTF2Stark5.710$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19724:40 PM MDTF0Stark3.630
July 8, 196512:17 PM GMT-6F0Stark0.110
July 8, 196512:05 PM GMT-6F0Stark0.110
April 22, 19575:20 PM GMT-7F2Stark0.5800$500 to $5,000
June 10, 19526:00 PM GMT-7F2Stark10.110$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Stark CountyThe forecast for Stark CountyThe live radar over Stark 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.