Benson County, North Dakota

What hazards hit Benson County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 299 since 1967. 63% of its hail reports since 1967 fell in June and July. The rank column places the county among North Dakota's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.

How many tornadoes has Benson County had?

NOAA records 49 tornadoes in Benson County from 1958 to 2020, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 15th of 53 North Dakota counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.

Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 50 tornadoes whose track touched Benson County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 49: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in North Dakota.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.

When was the last damaging storm in Benson County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 17, 2020 tornado ($25,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

A tornado briefly touched down near highway 2, snapping trees in a shelterbelt. A nearby RWIS mesonet sensor reported a wind gust to 101 mph. The tornado was likely wrapped in heavy rain and downburst winds. Peak winds were estimated at 105 mph.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 898200)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.

The deadliest and costliest records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.

Is it getting more frequent?

Records per decade for Benson County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

63% of its hail reports since 1967 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Benson County

FEMA's register lists 31 declarations that include Benson County: 27 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (15) and severe storm (11).

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.

How many floods has Benson County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 65 flood or flash flood records for Benson County from 1997 to 2020, on 61 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Benson County ranks 584th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $11.2 million on 420 claims filed in Benson County; the most in one year was 72 in 2011. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk for Benson County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Benson County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $5.0 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Benson County

1. Benson County 853
2. Ramsey County 815
3. Nelson County 725
4. Towner County 552
5. Eddy County 550
6. Wells County 453
7. Pierce County 382

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

Next

• Tornadoes in North DakotaEvery North Dakota tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
• Hail in North DakotaThe state's hail reports, by county, year and month
• The North Dakota recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
• FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Benson CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Benson County's FEMA declarations (CSV)31 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis