109
Recorded events
13
Direct deaths
111
Direct injuries
$36.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Cass County, North Dakota: 109 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F5. That places the county #34 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Cass County, North Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Cass County is the 2000s, when 24 of the county's 109 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Cass County archive, tornado makes up 9.6% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #34 for this hazard and #1 within North Dakota, putting it in the 98.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for tornado in Cass County with 36 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-06-20 | EF5 | 52.4 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-20 | EF5 | 12.1 mi | 1,850 yd | Crossed in |
| 1973-06-15 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1956-08-30 | EF3 | 5.1 mi | 60 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-20 | EF2 | 6.8 mi | 1,351 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-30 | EF2 | 7.4 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-30 | EF2 | 4.3 mi | 600 yd | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-30 | EF2 | 4.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-04 | EF2 | 3.0 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-26 | EF2 | 13.8 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 21, 1957 | F5 | 10 | 103 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 21, 2025 | ELIZABETH | EF4 | 3 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 30, 1956 | F3 | 0 | 8 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 21, 2025 | KINDRED | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | WOODS | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | WOODS | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | COBURN | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | ALICE | EF2 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | ELIZABETH | EF4 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | ARTHUR ARPT | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | HUNTER | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | HUNTER | EF0 | $0 |
| May 15, 2025 | VANCE | EFU | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Cass County
- Hail 494
- Thunderstorm Wind 418
- Flash Flood 50
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado plowed through wooden power poles and viciously ripped up mature trees over its damage path. The tornado also damaged a sturdy pole shed, where the sidewall was caved in and the roof and rafters were torn off. It tore the roof off and collapsed an older barn, then lifted and threw a well-built two car garage from its slab foundation. The tornado crumpled one steel, four footing, high voltage power tower. In combination with extreme downburst winds, the collapse of this first tower helped initiate the collapse of dozens more of these power towers. Peak winds were estimated at 130 mph.
The tornado touched down on the northeast side of Tower City in Cass County and tracked to the south-southwest. In Tower City, the tornado ripped off a section from the roof of a house and tossed garden storage buildings and equipment. The tornado also blew a single car garage off its foundation and destroyed it. Several trees in town were damaged or blown down. Peak winds were estimated at 110 mph.
This tornado tracked northward and brushed the west edge of the industrial park of northwest Fargo and the east edge of Reiles Acres before lifting east of Harwood. The tornado was likely enshrouded in downburst winds and heavy rains for part of this track. Two guyed radio towers collapsed, several empty semi-trailers and travel trailers were flipped and thrown, steel wall and roofing panels were torn from industrial buildings, and numerous power poles and trees were snapped. peak winds were estimated at 135 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Cass County, North Dakota?
109 tornado events are recorded in Cass County between 1950 and 2025, causing 13 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Cass County?
The strongest tornado on record in Cass County measured F5.
Where does the tornado data for Cass County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Cass County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/cass-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.