North Dakota severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 53 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 6,888 severe thunderstorm wind events in North Dakota from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 187 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 29, 2018 thunderstorm wind: 1 death, 4 injuries and $2.7 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 22 records. North Dakota ranks 29th of 52 states and territories by count and 37th of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in North Dakota, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- 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
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 6,8881955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 187average
- Deaths
- 574 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $773Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2025345 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 severe thunderstorm wind events common in North Dakota?
North Dakota averages about 187 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 29th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2025 (345). Per 10,000 square miles of land, North Dakota records 998 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 37th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, 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 severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Grand Forks County leads North Dakota: 190 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 132.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Cass County has the most thunderstorm wind records (419 since 1955); 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 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in North Dakota?
71% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (2,593 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 15 · Apr 42 · May 414 · Jun 2,272 · Jul 2,593 · Aug 1,256 · Sep 281 · Oct 15 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in North Dakota?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindMercer, McLean County One storm episode: 22 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. An extremely unstable atmosphere combined with very strong deep layer wind shear set the stage for intense thunderstorm development. Initially, thunderstorms were supercells, and formed along a warm front that lifted through North Dakota in the afternoon and evening hours. One of the supercell thunderstorms produced ... | 70 kt wind | 1 | 4 | $2.7M |
| 2025-06-20 | Thunderstorm WindCourtenay, Stutsman County One storm episode: 96 records in 19 places, 2025-06-20 to 2025-06-21; the totals are the episode's. An outbreak of severe thunderstorms brought extreme winds, very large hail, and multiple tornadoes across much of southern North Dakota from the late afternoon into the nighttime hours. A low-pressure system in southeastern Montana and a warm front stretching eastward across southern North Dakota provided a focus for ... | 68 kt wind | 1 | 1 | $8.6M |
| 1990-06-26 | Thunderstorm WindWilliams County | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 1999-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindMandan, Morton County One man killed while attempting to land small plane at the Mandan airport. Extensive damage occurred to building roofs and large trees were damage or destroyed. Widespread electrical outage. | 1 | 0 | $3.5M | |
| 2005-07-07 | Thunderstorm WindBelcourt, Rolette County Trailer home blown over by straight line winds. Trailer home was not tied down. | 65 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
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 severe thunderstorm wind events in North Dakota
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-07-15 | Thunderstorm WindTower City, Cass County One storm episode: 22 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $249M |
| 1999-07-04 | Thunderstorm WindFargo, Cass County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $151M | |
| 2000-08-11 | Thunderstorm WindDevils Lake, Ramsey County One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 96 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $31M |
| 2001-08-08 | Thunderstorm WindGrand Forks County One storm episode: 5 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 88 kt wind | 0 | 13 | $31M |
| 2003-07-03 | Thunderstorm WindBrampton, Sargent County One storm episode: 9 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 87 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $25M |
| 1999-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindMelville, Foster County | 0 | 0 | $18M | |
| 2005-06-19 | Thunderstorm WindEsmond, Benson County One storm episode: 43 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 96 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $17M |
| 2018-09-14 | Thunderstorm WindCleveland, Stutsman County | 104 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $14M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events 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.
| Decade | North Dakota | United States | North Dakota's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 57 | 3,482 | 1.6% |
| 1960s | 149 | 10,124 | 1.5% |
| 1970s | 404 | 18,714 | 2.2% |
| 1980s | 584 | 39,604 | 1.5% |
| 1990s | 654 | 85,554 | 0.8% |
| 2000s | 1,455 | 129,990 | 1.1% |
| 2010s | 1,974 | 161,286 | 1.2% |
| 2020-26 | 1,611 | 126,815 | 1.3% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in North Dakota
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindRolla, Rolette County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindRugby, Pierce County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindVelva, McHenry County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindSawyer, Ward County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindMax, McLean County | 67 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindDouglas, Ward County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindGarrison, McLean County | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindMandan Municipal Airport, Morton County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindClyde, Cavalier County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindWebster, Ramsey County | 63 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindNiles, Benson County | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindLidgerwood, Richland County | 52 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.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in North Dakota
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 26 declarations in North Dakota, 26 of them major disasters; the latest on September 1, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | DR-4934 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 7 |
| 2025-10-22 | DR-4895 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 7 |
| 2025-09-11 | DR-4888 | Severe Storm, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds | 19 |
| 2022-07-13 | DR-4660 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | 40 |
| 2021-09-01 | DR-4613 | Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 9 |
| 2020-10-02 | DR-4565 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 6 |
| 2013-10-31 | DR-4154 | Severe Winter Storm | 7 |
| 2013-07-12 | DR-4128 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 21 |
| 2011-05-20 | DR-1986 | Severe Winter Storm | 9 |
| 2010-04-21 | DR-1901 | Severe Winter Storm | 13 |
| 2010-02-26 | DR-1879 | Severe Winter Storm | 26 |
| 2009-03-24 | DR-1829 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 52 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Grand Forks County: the county's whole recordThe North Dakota county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in North DakotaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Hail in North Dakota10,026 records
- Winter storms in North Dakota6,541 records
- High wind and dust storms in North Dakota2,659 records