Cass County, North Dakota

What hazards hit Cass County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 498 since 1959. 55% of its hail reports since 1959 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 Cass County had?

NOAA records 109 tornadoes in Cass County from 1950 to 2025, the strongest rated F5, with 13 deaths and 111 injuries recorded in the county. That is 1st 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 108 tornadoes whose track touched Cass County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 109: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 13 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 Cass County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 20, 2025 tornado (3 deaths).

This large and violent tornado initially began in Ransom county 3 miles SSW Enderlin. It crossed into Cass county approximately 3 miles east of Enderlin. EF-4 damage occurred just north of Highway 46 at two farmsteads where devastating damage occurred to both houses and seven outbuildings were destroyed. On the eastern farmstead, one farmhouse was leveled with the debris swept from its foundation and scattered downwind, leading to two fatalities. A lack of structural anchoring was noted at this location. Trees around the farmstead were also debarked, and a few root balls were displaced. The farmstead to the west was leveled for all portions above ground as well. The home had been built into the side of the surrounding hill with some of the debris still piled up around the location. …
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1278903)

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 Cass 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?

55% of its hail reports since 1959 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 Cass County

FEMA's register lists 35 declarations that include Cass County: 30 major disasters, 5 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (22) and severe storm (9).

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 Cass County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 87 flood or flash flood records for Cass County from 1996 to 2025, on 64 days, with 3 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Cass County ranks 127th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $24.8 million on 3,345 claims filed in Cass County; the most in one year was 1,201 in 1997. 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 Cass County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cass County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $81.8 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 Cass County

1. Cass County 1,498
2. Richland County 1,026
3. Barnes County 911
4. Clay County, MN 823
5. Traill County 708
6. Ransom County 655
7. Steele County 648
8. Norman County, MN 640

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 Cass CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Cass County's FEMA declarations (CSV)35 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis