Bowman County, North Dakota

What hazards hit Bowman County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 165 since 1958. 70% of its hail reports since 1958 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 Bowman County had?

NOAA records 14 tornadoes in Bowman County from 1966 to 2015, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 1 injury recorded in the county. 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 14 tornadoes whose track touched Bowman County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 14, the same count); 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 Bowman County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 20, 2025 thunderstorm wind ($250,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

A large pole barn building was severely damaged, with the majority of the roofing material and rafters blown off, one wall completely destroyed, and another wall mostly destroyed. The main leg of a grain distribution system was completely blown over, along with the bin distribution pipes. Multiple large grain bins and hopper bins were dented, with one hopper bin completely blown over.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1285210)

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

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

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 Bowman 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?

70% of its hail reports since 1958 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 Bowman County

FEMA's register lists 13 declarations that include Bowman County: 10 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (5) and biological (2).

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 Bowman County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 4 flood or flash flood records for Bowman County from 2001 to 2009, on 4 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Bowman County ranks 2358th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $12,000 on 10 claims filed in Bowman County; the most in one year was 6 in 1978. 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 Bowman County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bowman County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $2.7 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 Bowman County

1. Harding County, SD 1,107
2. Bowman County 524
3. Adams County 510
4. Fallon County, MT 501
5. Slope County 391

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 Bowman CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Bowman County's FEMA declarations (CSV)13 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis