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North Dakota high wind and dust storms

Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 53 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 2,659 high wind and dust records in North Dakota from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 93 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 31, 2000 high wind in Cass County: 1 death, 11 injuries and $5.1 million in damage in 2025 dollars. North Dakota ranks 19th of 52 states and territories by count and 28th of 51 per square mile.

High wind and dust storms in North Dakota, 1996 to 2026

Wind 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
2,6591996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
93average
Deaths
233 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$27Mas filed
Busiest year
2022272 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 high wind and dust records common in North Dakota?

North Dakota averages about 93 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 19th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2022 (272). Per 10,000 square miles of land, North Dakota records 385 high wind and dust records since 1996, 28th of 51 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Rhode Island 7061
  2. 2. New Jersey 4882
  3. 3. Massachusetts 4776
  4. 4. Delaware 3705
  5. 5. Maryland 1330
  6. 6. Connecticut 1301
  7. 7. Vermont 1178
  8. 8. Hawaii 1067
  9. 9. New York 1028
  10. 10. Wyoming 900
  11. 28. North Dakota 385

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 high wind and dust records?

Per square mile, Adams County leads North Dakota: 91 days with a high wind record since 1996, 92.1 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Adams County has the most wind records (93 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).

  1. Adams County 92.1 (93)
  2. Hettinger County 75.1 (86)
  3. Bowman County 74.0 (88)
  4. Oliver County 73.4 (53)
  5. Slope County 69.9 (85)
  6. Golden Valley County 69.9 (72)
  7. Foster County 66.2 (42)
  8. Stark County 63.7 (85)
  9. Billings County 63.6 (73)
  10. Sioux County 61.2 (67)
  11. Eddy County 53.9 (34)
  12. Sheridan County 53.5 (53)

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 windy season in North Dakota?

North Dakota's high wind and dust records by month. The busiest month is October (411 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 320 · Feb 240 · Mar 350 · Apr 129 · May 325 · Jun 113 · Jul 96 · Aug 52 · Sep 74 · Oct 411 · Nov 377 · Dec 172 (records).

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

What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in North Dakota?

North Dakota: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2000-07-31 High WindCass County · forecast zone Cass A three-story apartment building under construction in southwest Fargo collapsed after strong winds hit. No thunderstorms were in the area, but temperature and moisture boundaries were present. Twelve construction workers were inside the structure when it collapsed. One of the workers went into cardiac arrest and ... 1 11 $5.1M
2022-11-06 High WindLaMoure County · forecast zone La Moure Verona NDDOT site reported wind gusts to 66 mph. Along Highway 281 ten miles north of Edgeley at 9:07 AM CST, a pickup truck was northbound pulling an empty enclosed trailer. The trailer was flipped by the high winds and detached, causing the pickup truck to rotate left into the southbound lane, into the path of a ... 57 kt wind 1 1 $76K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest high wind and dust records in North Dakota

North Dakota: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1999-10-31 High WindMcKenzie County · forecast zone McKenzie One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $13M
2000-07-31 High WindCass County · forecast zone Cass 1 11 $5.1M
2017-06-13 High WindGrand Forks County · forecast zone Grand Forks 61 kt wind 0 0 $963K
1999-11-01 High WindCass County · forecast zone Cass One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $797K
2018-07-08 High WindEddy County · forecast zone Eddy 96 kt wind 0 0 $764K
2008-06-11 High WindBarnes County · forecast zone Barnes 43 kt wind 0 0 $685K
2008-06-11 High WindRichland County · forecast zone Richland 40 kt wind 0 0 $274K
2021-01-13 High WindWard County · forecast zone Ward 68 kt wind 0 0 $272K

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

Are high wind and dust 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.

High wind and dust storms: North Dakota and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeNorth DakotaUnited StatesNorth Dakota's share
1996-9912514,0260.9%
2000s76437,2542.1%
2010s84541,7482.0%
2020-2692536,3002.5%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent high wind and dust records in North Dakota

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-29 High WindCass County · forecast zone Cass 56 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-29 High WindSargent County · forecast zone Sargent 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-29 High WindRichland County · forecast zone Richland 54 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-06 High WindBillings County · forecast zone Billings 57 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-15 High WindMountrail County · forecast zone Mountrail 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-15 High WindMcKenzie County · forecast zone McKenzie 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-15 High WindRolette County · forecast zone Rolette 54 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-15 High WindBottineau County · forecast zone Bottineau 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-15 High WindAdams County · forecast zone Adams 51 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-15 High WindMcLean County · forecast zone Ndz057: Western McLean 51 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-15 High WindWard County · forecast zone Ndz055: Northwest Ward 51 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-15 High WindRamsey County · forecast zone Ramsey 50 kt wind 0 0 –

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.

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