54
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$585K
Property damage
Tornado in Walsh County, North Dakota: 54 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F2. That places the county #323 nationally and #8 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Walsh County, North Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Walsh County is the 2010s, when 19 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 Walsh County archive, tornado makes up 10.5% 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 Walsh County with 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-06-06 | EF2 | 3.1 mi | 80 yd | Touched down here |
| 1999-06-06 | EF2 | 3.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2022-06-24 | EF1 | 2.2 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-07-11 | EF1 | 1.5 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-07-11 | EF1 | 7.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-19 | EF1 | 1.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-19 | EF1 | 1.5 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-03 | EF1 | 25.3 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-17 | EF1 | 2.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2010-05-24 | EF1 | 3.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7, 1971 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7, 2025 | LANKIN | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 2025 | FAIRDALE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2022 | ADAMS | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2017 | FAIRDALE | EF1 | $4K |
| Jul 11, 2017 | VESELEYVILLE | EF1 | $2K |
| Jul 19, 2016 | NASH | EF1 | $0 |
| Jul 19, 2016 | HOOPLE | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2015 | FORDVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2015 | ADAMS | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2015 | PLEASANT VLY | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Walsh County
- Hail 234
- Thunderstorm Wind 166
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 54×108 foot building and a shed were destroyed by the tornado. One tractor inside was moved and the building doors were wrapped around the cab. Shingles from the barn were impaled in the swather. Some of the farm equipment was overturned and some boards were driven into the ground. Debris was picked up and tossed in a nearby slough.
The tornado lifted a barn from its foundation and destroyed it while uprooting numerous trees in the farmyard. Later the tornado broke down three power poles and snapped off numerous other trees along its route. Peak winds were estimated to 105 mph.
This rope tornado tracked for roughly seven miles to the east-southeast and eventually produced a substantial dust swirl. It was viewed and photographed from multiple locations. Though it remained over largely open country, it did snap a few hardwood tree trunks at a couple of locations. Peak winds were estimated at 105 mph.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Walsh County, North Dakota?
54 tornado events are recorded in Walsh County between 1960 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Walsh County?
The strongest tornado on record in Walsh County measured F2.
Where does the tornado data for Walsh 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 Walsh County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/walsh-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.