Ransom County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 365 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 46.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,408 nationally and #21 in North Dakota.
365
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$7.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Ransom County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ransom County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 5.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 122 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 62 events fall before 1990 and 303 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ransom County, North Dakota record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.9M 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 Ransom County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 170 | 0 | $105K | 4.5 | 1959–2022 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 116 | 0 | $1.1M | 100 | 1959–2025 |
| Tornado | 34 | 0 | $5.9M | F2 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 1 | $26K | 0 | 2000–2022 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $242K | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $17K | 0 | 2001–2004 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2020 |
Decade by decade
Ransom 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
36 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 30 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-20 | EF5 | 3 | 0 | 12.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-07-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-07-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-08-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 28.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-08-29 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 10.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-08-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.7 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ransom County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 2013 | Flash Flood | LISBON | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| Aug 30, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $25K | |
| Jun 25, 1969 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado was embedded in a squall line which also produced large hail and a wide swath of damaging downburst winds. The most extreme tornado damage was observed at two farmsteads, one about four miles west of Lisbon where a barn was ripped off its foundation and destroyed, and another about 4 miles ESE of Lisbon where a well constructed steel shop was completely blown apart. At least three wooden power poles were snapped at two different locations east of Lisbon. Numerous lareg trees were blown down or uprooted in Lisbon, and many homes and business had extensive roofing damage. peak winds estimated to 120 mph.
Most of the damage from the tornado occurred roughly 3 miles northeast of Fort Ransom, just across the Sheyenne River. One farm had a wood barn and 2 large pole barns completely destroyed. At another nearby farm, another wood barn and a pole barn were destroyed, some debris deposited several hundred feet away. Numerous large trees were broken and a feeding car was thrown a half a mile away. Thousands of large trees surrounding the path of the tornado were snapped in two, many of these along the Sheyenne River Valley.
This tornado was embedded in a squall line which also produced large hail and a wide swath of damaging downburst winds. the most extreme tornado damage was observed at two farmsteads northwest of elliot and in the town of elliot where wooden quonset structures and large steel grain bins were violently crumpled and tossed in various directions. Peak winds estimated to 105 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,643
Population (ACS)
$193K
Median home value
36
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Feb 15, 2024 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jul 5, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 5, 2023 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jul 13, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 9, 2020 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ransom County, North Dakota?
365 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $7.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ransom County?
Hail, with 170 recorded events — 46.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ransom County?
36 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ransom County?
36 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ransom County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ransom County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ransom County as very low risk, placing it in the 13 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ransom 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
- Ramsey County 492
- Renville County 175
- Pierce County 185
- Richland County 708
- Pembina County 468
- Rolette County 148
Cite this page
“Ransom County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/ransom-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.