Burleigh County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 681 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #426 nationally and #5 in North Dakota.
681
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
46
Direct injuries
$321.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Burleigh County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Burleigh County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 9.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 228 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 101 events fall before 1990 and 580 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Burleigh County, North Dakota record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $272.6M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Burleigh County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 324 | 0 | $272.6M | 4.5 | 1962–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 232 | 0 | $15.4M | 96 | 1965–2025 |
| Tornado | 57 | 1 | $1.3M | F4 | 1951–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $10.5M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 1 | $0 | 100 | 1996–2013 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $21.1M | 0 | 1999–2011 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $207K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
| Winter Weather | 1 | 1 | $20K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Burleigh County, North Dakota severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
57 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 56 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-07-01 | EF4 | 1 | 26 | 48.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-07-30 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 23.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-07-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-06-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 37.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-09-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-11-01 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Burleigh County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 1952 | Tornado | 1 | 25 | $250K | |
| Nov 21, 1997 | Winter Weather | MC KENZIE | 1 | 12 | $20K |
| Jul 17, 1996 | Heavy Rain | BISMARCK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2024 | Lightning | STERLING | 0 | 3 | $1K |
| Nov 1, 2000 | Tornado | BISMARCK | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | (BIS)BISMARCK MUNI A | 0 | 1 | $5.0M |
| Apr 9, 2003 | Wildfire | BISMARCK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 25, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Freezing drizzle fell across parts of South Central North Dakota most of the afternoon. The deceased was driving a pickup eastbound on I-94 when he lost control of the vehicle and crossed them median hitting a suburban head on. All 8 people in the suburban suffered minor injuries. The deceased's wife was also injured. Within a 6 mile stretch of I-94 that included this accident, there were 2 other accidents all within 10 minutes of each other resulting in 3 minor injuries. Traffic speeds were reported to be around 20 mph during the time of the accidents.
Nickel size to tennis ball size hail combined with 70 mph winds caused extensive and widespread damage in Bismarck. The larger hail fell on the north side of the city where most of the damage occurred. Numerous homes and vehicles damaged. There was damage to siding and roofs, and windows were broken. Property damage estimates were provided by the North Dakota Insurance Commissioner.
A severe thunderstorm struck northern portions of the city of Bismarck around 4:30 AM CDT. Large hail combined with strong wind gusts to cause substantial damage. The largest hail with a diameter of 3.25 inches fell near Legacy High School. Winds of 75 mph combined with large hail to cause a swath of substantial damage from along Divide Avenue in north Bismarck to approximately five miles north of the city of Bismarck. Siding, roofs, and windows were damaged on homes. Multiple car dealerships sustained hail damage, which included the largest dealership in the city.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
100,600
Population (ACS)
$324K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Apr 1, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| May 10, 2011 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 7, 2011 | Flood | FLOODING | EM |
| Apr 21, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Bismarck 208
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Burleigh County, North Dakota?
681 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $321.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Burleigh County?
Hail, with 324 recorded events — 47.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Burleigh County?
57 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 56 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Burleigh County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Burleigh County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Burleigh County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Burleigh County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 85 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Burleigh County, North Dakota severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Burke County 214
- Cass County 1,139
- Bowman County 297
- Cavalier County 427
- Bottineau County 314
- Dickey County 294
Cite this page
“Burleigh County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/burleigh-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.