Bowman County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 297 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 55.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,798 nationally and #32 in North Dakota.
297
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$3.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Bowman County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bowman County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 4.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 110 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 45 events fall before 1990 and 252 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 $1.5M 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 Bowman County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 164 | 0 | $934K | 3.5 | 1958–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 102 | 0 | $1.5M | 87 | 1966–2025 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $520K | F2 | 1966–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2001 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $437K | 0 | 2001–2009 |
| Flash Flood | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2008–2008 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Bowman 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
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-06-14 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-06-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-08-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-06-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-06-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bowman County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 1977 | 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
A one to two mile wide swath of large and destructive hail was reported. The largest stone was measured at three and one half inches in diameter. There was significant damage to roofs on the north and east sides of Bowman, and to structures in rural north and east Bowman County.
Thunderstorm winds blew part of the roof off of the West River Clinic on the southeast side of Bowman. No damage occurred to mobile homes being transported, gas station awnings, campers, or other structures in the area around the clinic. There appeared to be a significant overhang of the roof on that upwind side of the building, where the wind direction and speed caught it just in the right location, to cause the damage. All the debris from the roof blew in a north-northwest direction, with some insulation making it to the Bowman School.
A large pole barn building was severely damaged, with the majority of the roofing material and rafters blown off, one wall completely destroyed, and another wall mostly destroyed. The main leg of a grain distribution system was completely blown over, along with the bin distribution pipes. Multiple large grain bins and hopper bins were dented, with one hopper bin completely blown over.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,906
Population (ACS)
$165K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 31, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Feb 26, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Mar 24, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 17, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bowman County, North Dakota?
297 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $3.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bowman County?
Hail, with 164 recorded events — 55.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bowman County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bowman County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bowman County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bowman County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bowman County as very low risk, placing it in the 2 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bowman 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
- Bottineau County 314
- Burke County 214
- Billings County 171
- Burleigh County 681
- Benson County 551
- Cass County 1,139
Cite this page
“Bowman County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/bowman-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.