Dunn County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 309 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 53.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,732 nationally and #30 in North Dakota.
309
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$26.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Dunn County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dunn County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 4.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 122 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 50 events fall before 1990 and 259 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $22.4M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Dunn County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 166 | 0 | $22.4M | 3.25 | 1963–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 99 | 0 | $1.4M | 100 | 1969–2025 |
| Tornado | 24 | 0 | $386K | F2 | 1960–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2024 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $2.4M | 0 | 2009–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2002–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Dunn 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
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 26 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-06-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-07-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-07-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-07-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-07-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-07-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-06-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dunn County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 2016 | Hail | KILLDEER | 0 | 2 | $20.0M |
| Sep 4, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | DUNN CENTER | 0 | 1 | $300K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A slow moving supercell resulted in an extended period of very large hail and damaging wind gusts in and around the city of Killdeer. Hail up to 3.25 inches in diameter completely covered the ground in many locations. The hail combined with wind gusts of 75 mph to cause extreme damage to buildings, trees, and vehicles in the city. At the Killdeer nursing home windows were broken out and four rooms were damaged to the point where they were not habitable. Two residents sustained minor injuries. The first was injured (direct injury) when they were struck by broken flying glass. The other person was injured (direct injury) as they were evacuating their living area due to broken windows and fell on a wet floor as rain and hail were pouring in. Every field light at the new football stadium was destroyed, and every bus at the school was significantly damaged. Significant damage occurred to vehicles including those at a dealership.
Upwards of 10.50 inches of rain in parts of Dunn County led to very significant overland flooding. There was also flooding along the Knife River and its tributaries. There was significant damage to roads and crops. A county emergency declaration was issued.
Minor injuries occurred to a 9 year old female that was inside a 5th wheel trailer-camper that tipped over. A horse trailer nearby also tipped over. Farm outbuildings and fences were damaged and trees were snapped. There was speculation that the damage could have been caused by a tornado, but determination from photo evidence was that this damage was caused by very high straight line thunderstorm winds.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,040
Population (ACS)
$275K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| 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, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 20, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dunn County, North Dakota?
309 events are on record between 1960 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $26.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dunn County?
Hail, with 166 recorded events — 53.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dunn County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 26 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dunn County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dunn County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dunn County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dunn County as very low risk, placing it in the 11 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dunn 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
- Divide County 170
- Eddy County 280
- Dickey County 294
- Emmons County 318
- Cavalier County 427
- Foster County 199
Cite this page
“Dunn County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/dunn-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.