Wells County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 232 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 52.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,236 nationally and #40 in North Dakota.
232
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$7.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Wells County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wells County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 77 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 195 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $2.7M 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 Wells County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 122 | 0 | $2.7M | 3.5 | 1963–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 60 | 0 | $833K | 79 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 25 | 0 | $383K | F3 | 1952–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2006–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2025 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $2.6M | 0 | 1999–2023 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Wells 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
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 26 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-06-15 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-07-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-07-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-06-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-08-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-07-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-06-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-06-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wells County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 1952 | 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
A slow moving supercell thunderstorm dropped very large hail on the Harvey area. House roofs and gutters were damaged throughout the city. Many vehicles were damaged with windshields and back windows shattered. Crops were damaged, though most were expected to rebound as the plants were young enough to do so.
Deep flood waters flowed over many roads and caused damage throughout much of southern Wells County, where up to seven inches of rain fell from thunderstorms. Multiple roads were washed out and so closed for days. Parts of State Highway 200 and U.S. Highway 52 were closed resulting in major traffic detours. A part of State Highway 200 near Bowdon was washed out. The heavy rain also caused crop damage and yield loss. Hay bales were partially submerged in flood water. Soil erosion was extensive.
Multiple rounds of heavy rain fell over northwest and west-central Wells County, with a daily total of almost seven inches near the Harvey area. Many rural roads and fields were flooded. A side hill gave way onto a road on the west end of Harvey.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,890
Population (ACS)
$115K
Median home value
29
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, TORNADOES, 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 |
| Oct 2, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 9, 2020 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wells County, North Dakota?
232 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $7.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wells County?
Hail, with 122 recorded events — 52.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wells County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 26 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wells County?
29 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wells County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wells County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wells County as very low risk, placing it in the 9 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wells 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
- Ward County 585
- Williams County 462
- Walsh County 513
- Traill County 407
- Towner County 281
- Stutsman County 577
Cite this page
“Wells County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/wells-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.