Griggs County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 319 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,669 nationally and #26 in North Dakota.
319
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$18.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Griggs County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Griggs County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 4.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 116 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 51 events fall before 1990 and 268 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 $9.2M 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 Griggs County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 159 | 0 | $5.0M | 2.75 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 96 | 0 | $9.2M | 90 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 37 | 0 | $3.8M | F3 | 1957–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 2000–2011 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2009–2011 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Griggs 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
35 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 34 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-07-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-07-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-08-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-05-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Griggs County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 3, 1997 | Hail | COOPERSTOWN | 0 | 1 | $5.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorm downburst winds funneled down the Sheyenne River Valley and blew numerous double-stack containers and BNSF railroad container cars off the south side of the Luverne Trestle Bridge. At least 76 containers were destroyed after plunging up to 150 feet into the valley below. The bridge is located about 2 miles west of Luverne. Peak winds were estimated at 85 mph.
The hail began near Jessie, cut a 3 by 12 mile long swath of damage, and ended 3 miles south of Cooperstown. The hail lasted for 15 minutes in Cooperstown, breaking windows, and damaging homes and businesses. One car dealership sustained $400,000 worth of damages. 20,000 acres of crops were destroyed, the equivalent of 20 farms. A 15 year-old girl, driving in the storm, suffered minor cuts due to flying glass. One hailstone recovered near Cooperstown measured 4 by 7 inches.
A severe thunderstorm, which spawned a tornado, funnel clouds, and waterspouts, passed near a Bible Camp. Trees were destroyed and power lines downed. Strong winds from the storm caused a pickup and camper, with three passengers, to roll over on its side. There were no injuries reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,245
Population (ACS)
$119K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 22, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Sep 11, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | 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 |
| Jan 21, 2020 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Griggs County, North Dakota?
319 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $18.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Griggs County?
Hail, with 159 recorded events — 49.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Griggs County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 34 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Griggs County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Griggs County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Griggs County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Griggs County as very low risk, placing it in the 5 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Griggs 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
- Grant County 324
- Hettinger County 303
- Grand Forks County 1,011
- Kidder County 255
- Golden Valley County 225
- LaMoure County 275
Cite this page
“Griggs County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/griggs-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.