Stutsman County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 577 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 44.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #647 nationally and #8 in North Dakota.
577
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$47.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Stutsman County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Stutsman County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 7.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 154 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 136 events fall before 1990 and 441 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Stutsman County, North Dakota record is winter weather, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $21.4M 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 Stutsman County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 256 | 0 | $21.4M | 4.5 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 218 | 0 | $19.4M | 104 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 57 | 0 | $3.7M | F4 | 1952–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $1.7M | 0 | 2004–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $5K | 460 | 1996–2011 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Winter Weather | 1 | 1 | $15K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
Stutsman 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
58 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 53 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-08-11 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-08-23 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 8.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-07-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-08-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-07-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-08-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-08-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-08-24 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Stutsman County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 1997 | Winter Weather | SPIRITWOOD | 1 | 1 | $15K |
| Aug 23, 1968 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jun 22, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 20, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jun 13, 2000 | Tornado | CLEVELAND | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 25, 1959 | Tornado | 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 made bridges and overpasses extremely slick. The deceased's Jeep hit an icy overpass on the Spiritwood interchange on I-94. The Jeep rolled numerous times down the embankment. The passenger was also injured in the accident.
Nine single legged aluminum and steel electrical towers covering approximately one-quarter mile were damaged by strong thunderstorm winds. Seven of the towers were completely destroyed and had to be replaced. The remaining two towers were partially taken down, but were salvageable. Five spans of high-voltage electrical wire had to be replaced with each span being approximately one-quarter mile in length. Winds were estimated to have been around 120 mph.
Hail to three inches in dimameter caused significant damage throughout the city of Jamestown and surrounding areas. Many roofs were damaged, with a few having holes punched through the sheathing. Vehicles throughout the city were severely damged.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
21,549
Population (ACS)
$208K
Median home value
31
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 22, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| 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 13, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 9, 2020 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 1, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Stutsman County, North Dakota?
577 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $47.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Stutsman County?
Hail, with 256 recorded events — 44.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Stutsman County?
58 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 53 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Stutsman County?
31 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Stutsman County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Stutsman County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Stutsman County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 46 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Stutsman 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
- Steele County 360
- Towner County 281
- Stark County 493
- Traill County 407
- Slope County 167
- Walsh County 513
Cite this page
“Stutsman County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/stutsman-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.