54
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
20
Direct injuries
$3.6M
Property damage
Tornado in Morton County, North Dakota: 54 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F5. That places the county #323 nationally and #8 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Morton County, North Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Morton County is the 2010s, when 14 of the county's 54 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 Morton County archive, tornado makes up 6.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #323 for this hazard and #8 within North Dakota, putting it in the 89.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Morton County with 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-05-29 | EF5 | 14.8 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 1981-07-30 | EF3 | 23.9 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-25 | EF3 | 2.5 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-20 | EF2 | 5.6 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-04 | EF2 | 0.5 mi | 27 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-25 | EF1 | 1.6 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-24 | EF1 | 5.6 mi | 75 yd | Touched down here |
| 2000-11-01 | EF1 | 22.0 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1999-06-13 | EF1 | 29.0 mi | 50 yd | Crossed in |
| 1998-05-13 | EF1 | 3.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 1953 | F5 | 2 | 20 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 2025 | SWEET BRIAR | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2025 | NEW SALEM | EF2 | $1.5M |
| Jun 21, 2025 | NEW SALEM | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2020 | BREIEN | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2018 | GLEN ULLIN | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 1, 2018 | HEBRON | EF0 | $5K |
| May 31, 2018 | GLEN ULLIN | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 9, 2016 | FLASHER | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 31, 2013 | NEW SALEM | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 9, 2013 | JUDSON | EF0 | $95K |
Other hazards here
More from Morton County
- Hail 420
- Thunderstorm Wind 294
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This Quasi-Linear Convective System (QLCS) tornado occurred to the north-northwest of Sweet Briar Lake. Three farmsteads were impacted. The first farmstead had minimal damage. The second farmstead had two large pole barns lose their roofs, with some collapsed walls. A half-full steel grain bin had its top completely removed, with the bin side dented in to grain level. A large Harvestore silo was significantly dented. A mile of power poles were broken between the second and third farms. The third farm had damage to the house which included much of the shingling being removed and a portion of the roof sheathing being removed, along with windows being broken. In addition, a pole barn had almost all its roof covering blown off with mainly rafters remaining. After the third farm, the tornado then struck a wind turbine, which snapped its support pole 1/4 of the way up, resulting the turbine toppling. Another turbine suffered blade damage. Based on the damage done this tornado was rated EF-2, and from that wind speeds were estimated to be around 120 mph.
The tornado damage was confined to the west side of town while downburst winds and hail affected the east side. Several buildings at the airport and golf coarse were destroyed as well as garages and grain bins. Numerous trees and power lines were downed. The first severe weather outbreak of the season saw numerous funnel cloud, tornado and hail reports. Thunderstorms developed late in the afternoon along a warm front which extended from Dickinson to Devils Lake. Most of the storms moved northeast and produced heavy rain and pea size hail. Those storms that moved east produced the severe weather.
The tornado was originally reported by Morton County law enforcement. A storm damage survey was conducted by the National Weather Service and found that damage occurred to five farms in the New Salem area. Damage to farm houses was minor. Damage to farm outbuildings was significant with roofs torn off and smaller buildings destroyed. In some cases small outbuildings were destroyed while others nearby had little in any damage. Horse trailers were pushed and some were tipped. Tree trunks were snapped part way up their bases. The tornado damage corresponded to EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. From that it was determined that wind speeds in the tornado were on the order of 100 mph. This was the first of two tornadoes in Morton County this evening.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Morton County, North Dakota?
54 tornado events are recorded in Morton County between 1953 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Morton County?
The strongest tornado on record in Morton County measured F5.
Where does the tornado data for Morton 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 Morton County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/morton-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.