Bottineau County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 314 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 58.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,702 nationally and #29 in North Dakota.
314
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$13.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Bottineau County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bottineau County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 94 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 67 events fall before 1990 and 247 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 $6.4M 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 Bottineau County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 182 | 0 | $1.0M | 3 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 73 | 0 | $6.4M | 87 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 34 | 0 | $3.5M | F3 | 1955–2022 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 2001–2014 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $759K | 0 | 1998–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2013 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Bottineau 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
37 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 33 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-06-26 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-07-06 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 17.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 11.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-06-12 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-08-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 13.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-07-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-09-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-05-17 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-06-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bottineau County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 4, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| Jun 30, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | BOTTINEAU | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 13, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Widespread damage occurred in the city of Lansford. A mobile home sustained substantial damage as the roof and part of the wall structure were removed. Permanent homes had roof damage and broken windows. The grain elevator sustained an estimated three to four million dollars in damages as the primary structure along with multiple grain bins, some containing grain, were damaged or destroyed. Tree damage was widespread and extensive, as many very large trees were uprooted or snapped. Winds throughout northwest into north central North Dakota were as high as 70 mph, with winds estimated as high as 100 mph around Lansford. The event at Lansford may have been a microburst, leading to the higher winds and more extensive damage. No injuries or deaths were reported.
This flooding, along the Souris (Mouse) River, was in part due to earlier snow melt runoff and releases from upstream dams reaching this part of Bottineau County. Heavy rains in June added to the high water. Damage was reported to roads and bridges.
Seven empty hopper style grain bins were blown over, and one empty standard style grain bin was also destroyed. Various trees were damaged, with some smaller trees broken off. The wind was also accompanied by up to one-inch diameter hail and caused extensive crop damage in the area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,378
Population (ACS)
$193K
Median home value
27
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 |
| Jul 12, 2017 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 19, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 12, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bottineau County, North Dakota?
314 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $13.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bottineau County?
Hail, with 182 recorded events — 58.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bottineau County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 33 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bottineau County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bottineau County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bottineau County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bottineau County as very low risk, placing it in the 19 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bottineau 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
- Billings County 171
- Bowman County 297
- Benson County 551
- Burke County 214
- Barnes County 607
- Burleigh County 681
Cite this page
“Bottineau County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/bottineau-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.