North Dakota heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 53 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 92 heat records in North Dakota from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 23 a year since 2000. The costliest was the July 16, 2011 excessive heat ($918,000 in 2025 dollars). North Dakota ranks 42nd of 51 states and territories by count and 43rd of 50 per square mile.

Heat in North Dakota, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

recorded, no damage figure
under $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
a year with a death

Records: 921996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 23average
Deaths: 00 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $918Kas filed
Busiest year: 201147 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are heat records common in North Dakota?

North Dakota averages about 23 heat records a year since 2000, 42nd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2011 (47). Per 10,000 square miles of land, North Dakota records 13 heat records since 1996, 43rd of 50 states and territories by that measure.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in North Dakota have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Steele County leads North Dakota: 4 days with a heat record since 1996, 5.6 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Barnes County has the most heat records (4 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in North Dakota?

100% of its heat records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (65 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 0 · Jun 0 · Jul 65 · Aug 27 · Sep 0 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

The costliest heat records in North Dakota

North Dakota: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
2011-07-16	Excessive HeatSlope County · forecast zone Slope		0	0	$918K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in North Dakota?

North Dakota's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Heat: North Dakota and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	North Dakota	United States	North Dakota's share
1996-99	0	4,355	0
2000s	27	9,163	0.29%
2010s	55	16,445	0.33%
2020-26	10	26,796	0.04%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in North Dakota

The 1 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
2011-07-16	Excessive HeatSlope County · forecast zone Slope		0	0	$918K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.