Barnes County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 607 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 54.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #570 nationally and #6 in North Dakota.
607
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$9.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Barnes County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Barnes County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 8.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 182 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 137 events fall before 1990 and 470 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $5.2M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Barnes County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 331 | 0 | $50K | 3 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 171 | 0 | $3.4M | 97 | 1964–2025 |
| Tornado | 66 | 0 | $5.2M | F4 | 1955–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $485K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2021 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $525K | 0 | 2007–2011 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $195K | 0 | 1997–2008 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Barnes 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
65 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 61 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-07-18 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 17.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-09-06 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-06-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-08-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-08-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-09-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Barnes County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Eighteen 80 foot tall 345 kV high voltage power transmission towers were blown down in several sections to the Cass county line. A section of Highway 32 north of Oriska was briefly closed where the wires fell on the road.
Several grain bins were lofted for a mile or more and destroyed. Large pine trees were uprooted and numerous trees were stripped of leaves and branches. Equipment storage buildings were unroofed and otherwise flattened to the ground. The tornado tracked continuously for at 14 to 15 miles. There was also widespread wind and hail damage observed in the area.
A tornado was briefly viewed wrapped in heavy rains as it approached the northeast corner of Valley City. The tornado became entirely wrapped in heavy rains and downburst winds as it tracked for about three miles across northern portions of Valley City. Numerous large tree limbs and branches were broken down around town. Peak winds were estimated at 95 mph. The downburst winds affected a much wider path.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,773
Population (ACS)
$174K
Median home value
35
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 22, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 11, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Feb 15, 2024 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jul 5, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 13, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 9, 2020 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Barnes County, North Dakota?
607 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $9.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Barnes County?
Hail, with 331 recorded events — 54.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Barnes County?
65 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 61 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Barnes County?
35 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Barnes County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Barnes County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Barnes County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 46 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Barnes 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
- Adams County 282
- Benson County 551
- Billings County 171
- Bottineau County 314
- Bowman County 297
- Burke County 214
Cite this page
“Barnes County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/barnes-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.