Billings County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 171 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 66.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,602 nationally and #49 in North Dakota.
171
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$1.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Billings County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Billings County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 2.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 52 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 23 events fall before 1990 and 148 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $1.4M 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 Billings County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 113 | 0 | $310K | 3 | 1971–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 39 | 0 | $1.4M | 104 | 1978–2025 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $28K | F1 | 1954–2009 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 1996–2000 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $40K | 0 | 2002–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2013 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2009–2011 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Billings 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
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-08-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-07-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-06-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-08-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Billings County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 1996 | Hail | MEDORA | 0 | 3 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Extensive damage was reported throughout the community of Fairfield and surrounding areas, especially to the west. Approximately 100 power poles were snapped throughout the area. A pad mounted electrical transformer weighing approximately two tons was blown over about eight miles west of Fairfield. Six miles west of Fairfield, a 120 foot communications tower blew over, and an adjacent small building was demolished. Closer to and in the community of Fairfield, a Quonset hut was blown approximately 150 yards, and a roof on a home was severely damaged. Multiple trees in the area were uprooted and snapped, and multiple stock trailers were flipped over.
Intense thunderstorm winds resulted in damage to outbuildings on a farm. Specifically, one pole barn was destroyed, with the debris from the pole barn damaging two grain bins, a small garage, and vehicles on the farm. Based on reports from local officials and photographs of the damage, it was determined a microburst occurred.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,024
Population (ACS)
$331K
Median home value
12
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 |
| May 10, 2011 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 26, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Mar 24, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Billings County, North Dakota?
171 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Billings County?
Hail, with 113 recorded events — 66.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Billings County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Billings County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Billings County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Billings County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Billings County as very low risk, placing it in the 1 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Billings 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
- Benson County 551
- Bottineau County 314
- Barnes County 607
- Bowman County 297
- Adams County 282
- Burke County 214
Cite this page
“Billings County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/billings-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.