41
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$603K
Property damage
Tornado in Nelson County, North Dakota: 41 recorded events between 1976 and 2022. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #598 nationally and #18 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Nelson County, North Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Nelson County is the 2000s, when 13 of the county's 41 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 Nelson County archive, tornado makes up 9.6% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #598 for this hazard and #18 within North Dakota, putting it in the 79.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for tornado in Nelson County with 19 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 | EF3 | 6.0 mi | 580 yd | Touched down here |
| 2001-07-18 | EF3 | 5.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-07-28 | EF1 | 3.8 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2018-06-08 | EF1 | 2.7 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-27 | EF1 | 4.8 mi | 75 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-07-23 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 350 yd | Touched down here |
| 2007-08-10 | EF1 | 4.1 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1999-06-06 | EF1 | 2.0 mi | 0 yd | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-13 | EF1 | 1.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1977-06-27 | EF1 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2022 | MC VILLE ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2022 | TOLNA | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2022 | TOLNA | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 2020 | LAKOTA MUNI ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 2019 | MAPES | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 2018 | PETERSBURG | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 2018 | MICHIGAN CITY | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 1, 2017 | TOLNA | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 1, 2017 | TOLNA | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 2016 | LAKOTA MUNI ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Nelson County
- Hail 187
- Thunderstorm Wind 139
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado hit the home of the Nelson county sheriff, who was out of town at the time. The tornado tore the roof off the house and destroyed the barn. A piece of farm machinery was thrown through the bedroom wall and a tractor was hurled 75 yards. The sheriff's squad car was crushed.
The tornado uprooted several trees, bent a tower, and blew a quonset storage building off its foundation. Most of the damage occurred in the vicinity of Lee Avenue on the south side of Tolna, including the city park area. A power outage also occurred as the tornado hit. Peak winds were estimated at 110 mph.
A persistent wall cloud with brief funnel and tornado was noted and filmed by chasers located in Tolna. The tornado likely lasted for a minute or less as it tracked eastward, well behind the initial storm outflow, for a half mile or less. Peak winds estimated to 75 mph, with a maximum width to 100 yards.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Nelson County, North Dakota?
41 tornado events are recorded in Nelson County between 1976 and 2022, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Nelson County?
The strongest tornado on record in Nelson County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Nelson 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 Nelson County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/nelson-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.