Hettinger County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 303 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 53.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,766 nationally and #31 in North Dakota.
303
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$7.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Hettinger County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hettinger County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 4.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 106 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 51 events fall before 1990 and 252 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hettinger County, North Dakota record is flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.6M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Hettinger County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 162 | 0 | $1.8M | 4.25 | 1962–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 103 | 0 | $865K | 83 | 1975–2025 |
| Tornado | 20 | 1 | $4.6M | F4 | 1951–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $45K | 0 | 2001–2016 |
| Flood | 4 | 2 | $268K | 0 | 2009–2023 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 237 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Hettinger 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
22 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-06-29 | EF4 | 1 | 4 | 68.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-08-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-06-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-07-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hettinger County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2022 | Flood | MOTT | 2 | 0 | $30K |
| Jun 30, 1975 | Tornado | 1 | 4 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A married couple, both 74 years old, died after driving into the water at a low water crossing. This crossing is locally known to have water running through it during snowmelt and rain events. At the time of the attempted crossing, the water was approximately three to four feet deep over the low water crossing.
The tornado touched down roughly two miles north-northwest of Mott, and tracked to the south-southeast before lifting about one mile east-southeast of town, having passed through the northeast corner of the city. Extensive tree damage occurred in Mott, mostly from high winds associated with the Rear-Flank Downdraft of the tornado. Farm bins were torn from their foundations, a shed was destroyed, and a very large building on the fairgrounds was collapsed. Near the intersection of ND Highway 8 and 21 the roof was torn from a storage facility. A house just east of there, along ND Highway 21, had the attached garage shifted off its foundation and collapsed. Based on the damage done this tornado was rated EF1 with estimated wind speeds around 105 mph.
County officials reported up to baseball size hail in Mott. All vehicles left outside received major damage. The north side of homes sustained siding damage and broken windows. Roofs were also damaged from the large hail.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,432
Population (ACS)
$117K
Median home value
19
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 |
| Jun 12, 2019 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 31, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hettinger County, North Dakota?
303 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $7.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hettinger County?
Hail, with 162 recorded events — 53.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hettinger County?
22 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hettinger County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hettinger County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hettinger County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hettinger County as very low risk, placing it in the 9 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hettinger 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
- Griggs County 319
- Kidder County 255
- Grant County 324
- LaMoure County 275
- Grand Forks County 1,011
- Logan County 191
Cite this page
“Hettinger County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/hettinger-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.