Traill County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 407 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 43.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,225 nationally and #20 in North Dakota.
407
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$4.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Traill County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Traill County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 5.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 145 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 47 events fall before 1990 and 360 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 $2.1M 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 Traill County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 178 | 0 | $2.1M | 96 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 150 | 0 | $200K | 2.75 | 1957–2023 |
| Tornado | 34 | 0 | $2.0M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 16 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 0 | $311K | 0 | 2000–2022 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $242K | 0 | 2006–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2022 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2000–2005 |
Decade by decade
Traill 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
34 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-06-17 | EF4 | 0 | 1 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-08-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-07-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-07-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-07-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-07-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-06-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-08-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Traill County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2010 | Tornado | PORTLAND JCT | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A Davis system measured a 110 mph wind gust with sustained winds at 100 mph. 2,400 trees were blown down along with 23 miles of powerline. 27 National Guard members were called in to help the community. Road and business signs were folded over by the wind and some windows in town were blown in. 25 percent of the 200 homes in town were damaged. The courthouse dome was damaged and the local government communications tower was blown over. A 12×40 foot warehouse was blown down with its contents scattered. Minor damage occurred to 2 motorhomes in the city's westside RV park and campground. Several semi trucks were flipped over along Interstate 29 on the west edge of town.
This multi-vortex tornado was wrapped in rain and hail for much of its path. It crossed Interstate 29 just north of the Taft elevators, then dove south-southeast to a point roughly 2.5 east-northeast of Hillsboro, where it curled to the northeast. The tornado snapped trees and destroyed several farm buildings along its path. Peak winds were estimated at 135 mph.
Streets, low spots, rivers, and basements were flooded by 4 to 9 inches of rain over a short duration of time. Cars that got stuck in the flood waters were abandoned where they stalled. Farm fields and access roads were also flooded.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,970
Population (ACS)
$201K
Median home value
36
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, TORNADOES, AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Feb 15, 2024 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Traill County, North Dakota?
407 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Traill County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 178 recorded events — 43.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Traill County?
34 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Traill County?
36 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Traill County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Traill County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Traill County as very low risk, placing it in the 11 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Traill 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
- Towner County 281
- Walsh County 513
- Stutsman County 577
- Ward County 585
- Steele County 360
- Wells County 232
Cite this page
“Traill County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/traill-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.