152
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$8.5M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Benson County, North Dakota: 152 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 103. That places the county #1,501 nationally and #15 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Benson County, North Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Benson County is the 2000s, when 62 of the county's 152 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Benson County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 27.6% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,501 for this hazard and #15 within North Dakota, putting it in the 52.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Benson County with 58 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 2026 | MADDOCK MUNI ARPT | 50 | $0 |
| Sep 16, 2024 | LEEDS | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | ESMOND | 63 | $0 |
| Aug 25, 2023 | FT TOTTEN | 50 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2022 | BRINSMADE | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2022 | WARWICK | 56 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2022 | ST MICHAEL | 56 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2022 | NILES | 58 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2022 | NILES | 76 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2022 | MADDOCK MUNI ARPT | 54 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Benson County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Downburst winds and tornadoes tore down 31 miles of 230 kV power transmission lines crossing far eastern Pierce and western Benson counties. The 25 mile section from the Pierce county line to 2 miles northwest of Minnewaukan was blown down between 5:00 am to 5:20 am CDT by winds of 90 to 110 mph. The Great River Power Company estimated property loss in Benson county at $6.45 million.
A deputy reported 18 to 20 power poles snapped along the highway west of Minnewauken. An accompanying photo showed a damage pattern associated with an apparent microburst with very strong outflow. Peak winds were estimated at 110 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Benson County, North Dakota?
152 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Benson County between 1961 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Benson County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Benson County measured 103.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Benson County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Benson County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/benson-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.