Adams County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 282 recorded events between 1962 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 55.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,883 nationally and #34 in North Dakota.
282
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$11.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Adams County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Adams County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 100 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 40 events fall before 1990 and 242 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $9.0M 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 Adams County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 155 | 0 | $9.0M | 3 | 1962–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 102 | 0 | $1.7M | 87 | 1966–2025 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $75K | F1 | 1966–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2018 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $179K | 0 | 2007–2009 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 1998–2000 |
| Flash Flood | 1 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2018–2018 |
Decade by decade
Adams 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-06-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-08-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-08-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-08-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 22.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-06-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-07-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Adams County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2005 | Hail | HETTINGER | 0 | 3 | $7.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Golfball to baseball size hail combined with 50 mph winds caused extensive damage to homes and vehicles. One hundred (100) vehicles at an automoble dealership sustained heavy damage. Two (2) persons were treated for minor cuts, abrasions and bruises at the Hettinger hospital as a result of the hail storm. A third person sustained minor cuts when the windows of her car were broken by the hail.
Extensive thunderstorm wind damage occurred in and around the city of Hettinger. About three miles west of Hettinger, multiple hopper-style grain bins blew over, damaging other grain bins nearby. About two miles south of Hettinger, a shop building was severely damage, with two of the four walls collapsed and the roof completely removed. Within the city of Hettinger, many campers and trailers were rolled onto their side, and multiple trees were down. Power lines were also down in various locations due to both the strong winds and trees falling on the lines.
Widespread damage was reported in and around Hettinger. A car dealership with approximately 50 vehicles sustained heavy damage. Broken windows were reported throughout town. Significant crop damage occurred around the area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,145
Population (ACS)
$113K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 13, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 1, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 12, 2019 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 31, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Apr 21, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Adams County, North Dakota?
282 events are on record between 1962 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $11.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Adams County?
Hail, with 155 recorded events — 55.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Adams 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 Adams County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Adams County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Adams County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Adams County as very low risk, placing it in the 5 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Adams 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
- Barnes County 607
- Benson County 551
- Billings County 171
- Bottineau County 314
- Bowman County 297
- Burke County 214
Cite this page
“Adams County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/adams-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.