Rolette County, North Dakota

What hazards hit Rolette County most?

The most frequent records are winter storm records: 105 since 1996. 43% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. 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 Rolette County had?

NOAA records 16 tornadoes in Rolette County from 1958 to 2018, the strongest rated EF3, with 0 deaths and 3 injuries 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 17 tornadoes whose track touched Rolette County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 16: 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 Rolette County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 2, 2026 thunderstorm wind (2 injuries).

Thunderstorm wind damage reported approximately 4 miles northeast of Belcourt. Multiple buildings were damaged at a collection of properties in this area. A garage on the southwest side of the damage area lost a section of its roof that video and drone footage show was blown northeast across the property. The other main building with damage is a residential home at the center property that lost a significant portion of its roof ripped off. On the north and east side of this property, there were multiple hardwood trees damaged, some snapped about halfway down, but all generally extending to the northeast. A utility truck was parked at the center property and was facing south when the storm came through. A two by four plank of wood went through the windshield and both occupants of the truck had minor injuries. …
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1340792)

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 Rolette 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?

43% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.

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

Federal disaster declarations for Rolette County

FEMA's register lists 25 declarations that include Rolette County: 23 major disasters, 2 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (13) and severe storm (8).

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 Rolette County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 13 flood or flash flood records for Rolette County from 1999 to 2023, on 12 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Rolette County ranks 2636th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $59,000 on 4 claims filed in Rolette County; the most in one year was 2 in 1998. 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 Rolette County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rolette County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $10.7 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 Rolette County

1. Towner County 552
2. Bottineau County 525
3. Pierce County 382
4. Rolette County 347

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
• Winter storms in North DakotaThe state's winter storm records, 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 Rolette CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Rolette County's FEMA declarations (CSV)25 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis