43
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$2.8M
Property damage
Tornado in Cavalier County, North Dakota: 43 recorded events between 1959 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F2. That places the county #537 nationally and #14 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Cavalier County, North Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Cavalier County is the 2010s, when 11 of the county's 43 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 Cavalier County archive, tornado makes up 10.1% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #537 for this hazard and #14 within North Dakota, putting it in the 81.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Cavalier County with 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-06-09 | EF2 | 18.0 mi | 800 yd | Touched down here |
| 1985-06-24 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-21 | EF2 | 8.9 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1959-06-06 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1966-06-24 | EF1 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2018-06-14 | EF1 | 4.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-09 | EF1 | 1.3 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-27 | EF1 | 0.9 mi | 120 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-27 | EF1 | 3.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-08-01 | EF1 | 20.0 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 1966 | F1 | 1 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7, 2025 | CALIO | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2022 | MILTON | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2020 | OSNABROCK | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2019 | CALIO | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 15, 2018 | CALIO | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2017 | CLYDE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 9, 2017 | EASBY | EF2 | $1.5M |
| Jun 9, 2017 | LANGDON | EF1 | $100K |
| Jun 9, 2017 | WALES | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2015 | UNION | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Cavalier County
- Hail 229
- Thunderstorm Wind 126
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado was partially engulfed in downburst winds and hail along its nearly 20 mile path. Large wooden power poles were snapped, roofing was stripped off of homes, steel pole sheds were totally dismantled, numerous steel grain bins were crushed, and large metal segments were carried for a mile or more downwind. Bean and grain fields were completely stripped. Peak winds were estimated at 120 mph.
This tornado originated in Towner County and tracked intermittently for an additional 7 miles before ending about 1 mile north-northeast of Munich by 428 pm CDT. This tornado tipped three steel hopper bottom bins and tore siding and roofing off a pole shed. Maximum wind speeds were estimated at 100 mph.
A weak tornado blew the doors off a seed company elevator and spread door and roof panels around the grounds in a circular pattern. Further downstream, the tornado snapped 6 power poles along 96th avenue northeast, a quarter mile east of highway 1. Peak winds were estimated at 105 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Cavalier County, North Dakota?
43 tornado events are recorded in Cavalier County between 1959 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Cavalier County?
The strongest tornado on record in Cavalier County measured F2.
Where does the tornado data for Cavalier 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 Cavalier County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/cavalier-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.