Sargent County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 361 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,423 nationally and #22 in North Dakota.
361
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$3.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Sargent County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sargent County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 5.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 153 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 324 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 $2.0M 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 Sargent County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 177 | 0 | $70K | 2.75 | 1965–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 110 | 0 | $2.0M | 110 | 1960–2024 |
| Tornado | 26 | 0 | $1.3M | F3 | 1956–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 2000–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2021 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $310K | 0 | 2006–2019 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2008–2008 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Sargent 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
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-07-01 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 26.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-06-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-07-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-07-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-07-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-06-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado was enshrouded in downburst winds and heavy rains, but was briefly visible to spotters near Cogswell. The tornado ripped out nearly seven miles of dual wooden high voltage power line along its track. Numerous trees and singular power poles were snapped and pole sheds and steel grain bins were destroyed at multiple locations. Peak winds were estimated at 120 mph.
Three of four 44,000 bushel grain bins were blown over at the Crete Elevator complex. The fourth, which was full of grain, remained standing. Eight 40,000 bushel grains bins were also damaged and one 40,000 bushel grain bin was blown down.
Two 30,000 bushel grain bins were destroyed by the strong wind. The tops of two 4,000 bushel grain silos were damaged. A flag pole and large trees were blown over. Ten homes had broken windows, damaged siding, and damaged roofing.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,804
Population (ACS)
$163K
Median home value
32
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 15, 2024 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Jul 5, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 5, 2023 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sargent County, North Dakota?
361 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $3.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sargent County?
Hail, with 177 recorded events — 49.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sargent County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 27 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sargent County?
32 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sargent County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sargent County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sargent County as very low risk, placing it in the 7 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sargent 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
- Rolette County 148
- Sheridan County 127
- Richland County 708
- Sioux County 207
- Renville County 175
- Slope County 167
Cite this page
“Sargent County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/sargent-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.