92
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
20
Direct injuries
$50.4M
Property damage
Tornado in Grand Forks County, North Dakota: 92 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #72 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Grand Forks County, North Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Grand Forks County is the 2010s, when 33 of the county's 92 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 Grand Forks County archive, tornado makes up 9.1% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #72 for this hazard and #2 within North Dakota, putting it in the 97.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Grand Forks County with 42 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-08-26 | EF4 | 5.0 mi | 1,400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-17 | EF4 | 17.0 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
| 2007-08-26 | EF3 | 6.0 mi | 580 yd | Crossed in |
| 1958-08-11 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-27 | EF2 | 3.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-08-10 | EF2 | 0.9 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-17 | EF2 | 7.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2007-08-26 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2004-07-18 | EF2 | 3.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1977-07-13 | EF2 | 2.3 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 2007 | NORTHWOOD | EF4 | 1 | 18 | $50.0M |
| Aug 11, 1958 | F3 | 0 | 2 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2025 | (GFK)GRAND FORKS INT | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2025 | GRAND FORKS | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2025 | MEKINOCK | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2025 | PILLSBURY | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2025 | KEMPTON | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2025 | HOLMES | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2025 | KEMPTON | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2025 | LARIMORE | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2025 | SHAWNEE | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 8, 2025 | NORTHWOOD | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Grand Forks County
- Thunderstorm Wind 400
- Hail 391
- Flash Flood 54
- Funnel Cloud 42
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado began 4 miles north of Sharon, in Steele County, at 430 pm CDT. The tornado tracked for about 2 miles in Steele County, before it crossed into Grand Forks County, where the path continued for another 5 miles. The tornado blew out the back wall of a pole shed and also tore off some of its steel sheathing. It snapped or uprooted several cottonwood and pine trees in shelterbelts along its path. Peak winds were estimated at 95 mph.
An intermittent track was found from 2.5 miles north of Holmes to 6 miles east of Holmes. Numerous large trees were snapped off or uprooted in shelterbelts and farm yards. A large trampoline was thown over a house and demolished. Metal soffit, gutters, and shingles were torn off a second house.
The tornado touched down along the eastern edge of the Forest River Colony and passed just west of Inkster, before dissipating about two miles east-northeast of Orr. The tornado was observed by Grand Forks Air Force Base personnel at about 408 p. m. CST. A few oak trees were snapped in the Forest River Valley while other large tree branches were broken down in shelterbelts along its path. Peak winds were estimated at 100 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Grand Forks County, North Dakota?
92 tornado events are recorded in Grand Forks County between 1952 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Grand Forks County?
The strongest tornado on record in Grand Forks County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Grand Forks 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
“Tornado in Grand Forks County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/grand-forks-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.