Richland County, North Dakota

What hazards hit Richland County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 296 since 1958. 57% of its hail reports since 1958 fell in July and August. 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 Richland County had?

NOAA records 62 tornadoes in Richland County from 1952 to 2025, the strongest rated EF4, with 2 deaths and 30 injuries recorded in the county. That is 3rd 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 62 tornadoes whose track touched Richland County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 62, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 2 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 Richland County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the December 18, 2025 blizzard (2 injuries).

North Dakota Highway Patrol reported via social media a five-vehicle crash occurred on I-29 near mile marker 19 during near whiteout conditions. Initial fender-bender crashes occurred on the shoulder. While first responders were working to reach the scene, a semi truck traveling approximately 65 mph struck the crash scene, resulting in two injuries. Due to extreme low visibility, it took approximately one hour for first responders to safely arrive. Time of incident unknown and estimated based on observed blizzard conditions at nearby KBWP between 1055 to 1455 CST.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1307401)

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 Richland 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?

57% of its hail reports since 1958 fell in July and August. The two busiest months are in violet.

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

Federal disaster declarations for Richland County

FEMA's register lists 37 declarations that include Richland County: 31 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (22) and severe storm (10).

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 Richland County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 83 flood or flash flood records for Richland County from 1996 to 2024, on 62 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Richland County ranks 885th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $2.3 million on 223 claims filed in Richland County; the most in one year was 124 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 Richland County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Richland County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $12.5 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 Richland County

1. Cass County 1,498
2. Richland County 1,026
3. Clay County, MN 823
4. Roberts County, SD 688
5. Ransom County 655
6. Sargent County 650
7. Wilkin County, MN 649
8. Marshall County, SD 621
9. Traverse County, MN 415

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 Richland CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Richland County's FEMA declarations (CSV)37 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis