Foster County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 199 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 50.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,447 nationally and #44 in North Dakota.
199
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$16.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Foster County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Foster County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 2.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 64 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 28 events fall before 1990 and 171 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 $13.6M 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 Foster County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 101 | 0 | $225K | 2.75 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 66 | 0 | $13.6M | 91 | 1974–2025 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $650K | F2 | 1963–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 2005–2011 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $615K | 0 | 2009–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 500 | 1996–2011 |
Decade by decade
Foster 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
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-07-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-08-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-08-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-05-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Foster County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 1994 | Hail | Carrington | 0 | 2 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Severe thunderstorm winds of 65 to 105 miles per hour tore across Foster County causing extensive damage on many farms and in towns. Damage included grain bins destroyed, a grain elevator severely damaged, roofs torn off of outbuildings, and damage to homes. Vehicle damage was also surveyed, including to a semi tractor that was struck by a grain bin. Agricultural damage was severe and extensive.
The tornado touched down to the southwest of Grace City, then tracked northeasterly approximately five and three-quarter miles before lifting. Near the point of touchdown, the tornado struck a farmstead causing significant damage. A barn which was built with brick about half-way up then built with wood and sheet metal had the top wooden and sheet metal portion torn off, while an adjacent silo had its top blown off. A pole barn had its roof blown off and another barn had its doors blown off. The tornado then progressed through open fields until it moved through a shelterbelt at a farmstead near the end of its path, where it broke many trees, and twisted off large branches. It also took one large branch and speared it into a camper. Across the road the tornado broke down power lines before it broke in the large door and tore a significant portion off one of the Foster County shop buildings housing a maintainer. Based on the damage done this tornado was rated EF-1, and from that wind speeds were estimated to be around 110 mph.
Measured wind gusts to 74 mph combined with quarter size hail to cause widespread damage in the Juanita area. One foot diameter trees were broken down. Wind driven hail caused damage to windows, vehicles, and siding. A grain truck was knocked over, and a door was torn off a quonset hut. Crops were damaged, with some corn flattened. Other reports of wind included estimates as high as 85 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,358
Population (ACS)
$168K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jul 13, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 9, 2020 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 1, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jan 21, 2020 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Foster County, North Dakota?
199 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $16.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Foster County?
Hail, with 101 recorded events — 50.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Foster County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Foster County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Foster County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Foster County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Foster County as very low risk, placing it in the 7 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Foster 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
- Emmons County 318
- Golden Valley County 225
- Eddy County 280
- Grand Forks County 1,011
- Dunn County 309
- Grant County 324
Cite this page
“Foster County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/foster-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.