Pembina County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 468 recorded events between 1959 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 50.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #987 nationally and #14 in North Dakota.
468
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$7.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Pembina County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pembina County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 7.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 175 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 51 events fall before 1990 and 417 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $3.1M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Pembina County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 235 | 0 | $205K | 4.5 | 1962–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 133 | 0 | $3.1M | 79 | 1959–2024 |
| Tornado | 43 | 0 | $1.6M | F4 | 1967–2025 |
| Flood | 28 | 0 | $1.8M | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $791K | 0 | 2001–2023 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 1997–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Pembina 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
44 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 39 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-06-06 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-05-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 25.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-07-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-07-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-08-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pembina County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Aug 5, 1997 | Lightning | CAVALIER | 0 | 2 | $20K |
| Jul 18, 1992 | Hail | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jul 14, 2017 | Lightning | DRAYTON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 19, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | WALHALLA | 0 | 1 | $2.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Widespread tree damage was reported in Walhalla. One tree fell on a tent in Walhalla, injuring one man. The other person in the tent was able to go for help. Widespread power outages occurred throughout the county. The Walhalla school building roof was heavily damaged. Flooding occurred in the school basement, due to the numerous holes in the roof. Emergency routes were blocked by fallen trees. Trees fell on cars, homes, garages, fences, and power lines.
A tornado touched down southeast of Mountain, where it damaged several farmsteads. One farm home was completely lifted up and tossed 100 yards. A combine was also picked up and thrown several hundred feet. A swather was picked up and wrapped around several trees. In the town of Mountain, numerous trees were knocked flat. 2 mobile homes were destroyed, the roof was torn off a house, and a garage was destroyed.
Strong winds destroyed eight grain bins, knocked down some trees, and damaged the doors on a scale house. One of the 50 foot tall bins was carried away nearly 1000 feet, landing in a nearby farm field. The 8 bins were empty at the time, each capable of holding 50,000 bushels. Three large grain augers were also ruined.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,727
Population (ACS)
$119K
Median home value
38
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 13, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 9, 2020 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 1, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 12, 2019 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pembina County, North Dakota?
468 events are on record between 1959 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $7.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pembina County?
Hail, with 235 recorded events — 50.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pembina County?
44 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 39 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pembina County?
38 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pembina County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pembina County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pembina County as very low risk, placing it in the 21 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pembina 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
- Oliver County 186
- Pierce County 185
- Nelson County 425
- Ramsey County 492
- Mountrail County 409
- Ransom County 365
Cite this page
“Pembina County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/pembina-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.