47
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$1.8M
Property damage
Tornado in McLean County, North Dakota: 47 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #432 nationally and #12 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in McLean County, North Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in McLean County is the 2000s, when 12 of the county's 47 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 McLean County archive, tornado makes up 8.5% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #432 for this hazard and #12 within North Dakota, putting it in the 85.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in McLean County with 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-06-05 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2022-08-15 | EF2 | 2.3 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2006-08-24 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 90 yd | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-24 | EF2 | 33.7 mi | 50 yd | Crossed in |
| 1955-08-03 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-09-14 | EF1 | 8.7 mi | 250 yd | Touched down here |
| 2022-08-15 | EF1 | 2.2 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2007-07-09 | EF1 | 1.5 mi | 60 yd | Touched down here |
| 2004-06-06 | EF1 | 11.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2003-07-13 | EF1 | 29.0 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 1975 | F2 | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| Jul 10, 2007 | ROSEGLEN | EF1 | 0 | 4 | $80K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 14, 2025 | BUTTE | EFU | $0 |
| Sep 14, 2025 | MERCER | EF1 | $300K |
| Sep 14, 2025 | MERCER | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | WASHBURN | EFU | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2022 | RUSO | EF2 | $250K |
| Aug 15, 2022 | RUSO | EF1 | $25K |
| Aug 15, 2022 | RUSO | EFU | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2020 | ROSEGLEN | EFU | $0 |
| Aug 13, 2019 | MAX | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2011 | UNDERWOOD | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from McLean County
- Hail 277
- Thunderstorm Wind 200
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado touched down about a mile west of Mercer near a farmstead which it then passed through. At this farmstead, the tornado caused extensive tree damage to the property with many branches and trees snapped, and a large tree uprooted. The tornado then partially destroyed a pole barn by ripping about one-half of the rafters off, and pulling out several large support beams along its southeast side that were buried about five feet deep. Debris was scattered up to one-quarter mile away, with large pieces of wood embedded in the ground along the debris field. From there, the tornado then crossed Highway 200, damaging trees on the north side of the highway. It then proceeded north and destroyed an unanchored and unoccupied mobile home on wheels being stored about six miles north of Mercer. The tornado then lifted about two miles north of the mobile home damage. Based on the damage done this tornado was rated EF-1, and from that wind speeds were estimated to be around 110 mph.
This was the third of three tornadoes this day in McLean County, all near Ruso and in less than a one hour period of time. The tornado formed in an open field and approached a farmstead, passing just to the west and south of it. Near the farmstead the tornado destroyed three small wooden granaries, flipped a large seed cart attached to an air seeder, flipped anhydrous ammonia tanks, and tossed hay bales. The tornado continued on south of the farmstead where it tossed multiple hay bales before dissipating. Based on the damage done the tornado was rated EF-2, with winds estimated to be approximately 120 MPH.
This low end F2 tornado, on the order of 120 mph, produced considerable damage to a farm house and outbuildings 9 miles southwest of Underwood. The attached garage was completely torn from the two story house, and the roofing materials were also torn away, leaving the trusses visible. One detached shop, garden shed, and well house were destroyed. Items from the property were found 1/2 mile away. Nearby power lines were down. National Weather Service personnel conducted storm surveys of the area on two different days.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in McLean County, North Dakota?
47 tornado events are recorded in McLean County between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in McLean County?
The strongest tornado on record in McLean County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for McLean 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 McLean County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/mclean-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.