Ward County, North Dakota severe weather history spans 585 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #628 nationally and #7 in North Dakota.
585
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$151.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Ward County, North Dakota severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ward County, North Dakota severe weather history averages 8.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 168 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 111 events fall before 1990 and 474 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ward County, North Dakota record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $101.8M 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 Ward County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 290 | 0 | $40.4M | 2.75 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 186 | 0 | $697K | 103 | 1959–2025 |
| Tornado | 55 | 1 | $2.0M | F2 | 1954–2010 |
| Funnel Cloud | 17 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $6.5M | 0 | 2005–2012 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $101.8M | 0 | 2009–2023 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $230K | 0 | 1997–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2013 |
Decade by decade
Ward 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
58 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 53 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-07-05 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 28.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-08-12 | EF3 | 1 | 1 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-06-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-08-02 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-06-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-06-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ward County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 2010 | Tornado | NIOBE | 1 | 1 | $500K |
| Aug 18, 1995 | Hail | Minot | 0 | 3 | $40.0M |
| Aug 3, 1960 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $30 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A severe thunderstorm moved through Ward County in the early morning hours. Hail the size of walnut to grapefruit did extensive damage to crops and property. A camper-bus convention was occuring at the time with extensive damage done to campers ranging in value up to 0.5M. Many wheat crops that were at or near maturity were completely destroyed with no hopes of any harvest.
Runoff from very heavy rain forced rapid dam releases along the Souris River which resulted in an overtopping of levees and eventual levee failure. Communities through Ward County along the Souris River were very severely impacted. A mandatory evacuation was ordered along the river. In the end the river flooding resulted in impacts to around 15,000 residents. This levee ovetopping flash flooded these areas. Dollar damage indicated here is not all inclusive from the flooding.
Flash flooding occurred in Minot and surrounding areas due to very heavy rain from thunderstorms. The total 24 hour precipitation total for Minot on June 17 was 3.75 inches, with much of this occurring during the mid afternoon hours. ||Water ran almost two feet deep over roads in many locations. Many homes reported water damage to their basements with water flowing into basement windows. Drainage systems also became overwhelmed, resulting in sewer backup in some residences. Multiple roads were washed out along with damage to storm sewers. One plugged storm sewer resulted in flooding and floor damage to the basement at the Minot Public High School. ||Damage amounts from this event were estimated based on newspaper articles and other storm reports.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
68,973
Population (ACS)
$267K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Aug 19, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 12, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 20, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Minot 131
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ward County, North Dakota?
585 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $151.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ward County?
Hail, with 290 recorded events — 49.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ward County?
58 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 53 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ward County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ward County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ward County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ward County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 65 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ward 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
- Walsh County 513
- Wells County 232
- Traill County 407
- Williams County 462
- Towner County 281
- Stutsman County 577
Cite this page
“Ward County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/ward-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.