McLean County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 555 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #703 nationally and #9 in North Dakota.
555
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$15.4M
Property damage
The record
What the McLean County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McLean County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 7.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 191 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 103 events fall before 1990 and 452 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the McLean County, North Dakota record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $7.1M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in McLean County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 277 | 0 | $380K | 4.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 200 | 1 | $7.1M | 109 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 47 | 0 | $1.8M | F3 | 1955–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $143K | 0 | 1996–2011 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $435K | 0 | 1999–2018 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $5.6M | 0 | 2009–2011 |
Decade by decade
McLean 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
54 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 47 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-06-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-08-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-08-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-24 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 33.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1955-08-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-09-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-08-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-07-09 | EF1 | 0 | 4 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 29.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McLean County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | MERCER | 1 | 4 | $250K |
| May 25, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| Jul 10, 2007 | Tornado | ROSEGLEN | 0 | 4 | $80K |
| Jul 13, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | COLEHARBOR | 0 | 2 | $3.0M |
| Jul 27, 2010 | Hail | EMMET | 0 | 1 | $45K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
About 30 camping trailers at Heckers Lake and New Johns Lake were damaged and destroyed, with many overturned. Some of the campers came to rest in the water. One fatality occurred at Heckers Lake as an individual was outside his camper, and the camper blew over onto him. Four injuries were also reported in the camping areas|around New Johns and Heckers Lakes.
Significant damage occurred in White Shield and the surrounding area. Homes had vinyl siding damaged by wind driven hail. Vehicle windshields along with windows in homes were broken. In White Shield, four campers were blown over.
Thunderstorm wind gust speed was based on damage photos. Multiple roofs were damaged. Large trees were snapped and uprooted, and one tree landed on a car and crushed it. Various other vehicles were damaged by falling trees and limbs. A camper was overturned.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,823
Population (ACS)
$227K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jul 13, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 1, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 12, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 10, 2011 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in McLean County, North Dakota?
555 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $15.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McLean County?
Hail, with 277 recorded events — 49.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McLean County?
54 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 47 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McLean County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McLean County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McLean County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McLean County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 43 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McLean 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
- McKenzie County 413
- Mercer County 318
- McIntosh County 265
- Morton County 805
- McHenry County 354
- Mountrail County 409
Cite this page
“McLean County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/mclean-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.