Tornado Reports
Sort by Time Sort by Rating Sort by State Sort by County| Time | Rating | Radar | State | County | Location | Narrative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01:34Z | EFU | KMVX | ND | Stutsman | Bloom | The tornado briefly touched down southwest of Spiritwood from the storm that eventually produced the damaging tornado that developed east of Spiritwood and tracked into Barnes County. This occurred in an open field and impacted no structures. There was no damage to evaluate. By National Weather Service policy the tornado is rated EF-U (Unknown). |
| 01:40Z | EFU | KBIS | ND | Morton | New Salem | The tornado touched down in an open field north of New Salem and impacted no structures. There was no damage to evaluate. By National Weather Service policy the tornado is rated EF-U (Unknown). |
| 01:48Z | EF2 | KBIS | ND | Morton | New Salem | 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. |
| 01:51Z | EFU | KMVX | ND | Stutsman | Spiritwood | This tornado formed in Stutsman County near Spiritwood, and then moved northeasterly about a mile before crossing into Barnes County where significant structure damage occurred. The tornado then moved back into Stutsman County while it was dissipating. Therefore, there will be three Storm Data entries for this tornado, two by National Weather Service-Bismarck for Stutsman County, and one by National Weather Service-Grand Forks for Barnes County. This is the first entry for when the tornado formed in Stutsman County and moved into Barnes County. Please refer to the National Weather Service-Grand Forks entry for Barnes County for exact details on the damage. While in Barnes County, the tornado was rated as EF3 with estimated winds of 155 mph, but in Stutsman County, it was rated as EFU given there was no damage within the County to evaluate as the tornado remained over open fields. During the first duration of the tornado in Stutsman County, maximum tornado width was estimated at 300 yards, while the maximum width in Barnes County was 800 yards. |
| 01:53Z | EF3 | KMVX | ND | Barnes | Urbana | This tornado initially developed in far eastern Stutsman County about 2 miles east-southeast of Spiritwood, and immediately tracked northeast into Barnes County. As it continued northeast it missed the community of Urbana in Barnes County to the northwest. As it continued this northeast track it caused EF-3 damage|to a metal building structure and homestead. Additional EF-2 damage occurred at that home, including the loss of an upper floor and garage. Several nearby Morton buildings were also destroyed next to the MBS. At least 3 vehicles and a trailer were lofted by the tornado from that home, along with the engine block of a dump truck. The vehicle remnants were thrown or deposited between 0.2 and 0.25 miles along an arc from the south to southeast. One vehicle was a 1980 Chevy pickup truck that had originally been located between a backhoe and dump truck by the house. The vehicles cannot currently be used as DI's under the current EF scale, however they could be reviewed in future expansions of the EF scale. The tornado continued on a north to northeast track and 1 mile from the first home caused EF-3 damage to another home along with EF-3 damage to nearby trees. The tornado then turned northwest causing visible ground scouring as it eventually turned west back into Stutsman county as it weakened and eventually dissipated in eastern Stutsman County. High resolution Worldview 2 satellite imagery reveals trackable ground scouring showing this turning track up to around 1.25 miles west of the Barnes County and Stutsman County border. |
| 02:05Z | EF1 | KABR | ND | La Moure | Adrian | Significant tree damage occurred near the point of touchdown. The tornado then moved on to a farmstead, where a pole barn collapsed onto machinery. A side delivery rake was tossed, two ice fishing houses were destroyed, and a grain cart that had about 120 bushels of corn in it was tossed end-over-end. The tornado then continued south-southeastward and damaged a tarp-building before it lifted. Based on the damage done this tornado was rated EF-1, and from that wind speeds were estimated to be around 100 mph. |
| 02:05Z | EF0 | KMVX | ND | Barnes | Eckelson | Video and photo evidence was used to confirm an anticyclonic tornado occurred in this area tracking generally southeast. Trained weather spotters observed no damage with this tornado as it harmlessly meandered across fields and potholes during its photogenic lifespan. |
| 02:16Z | EFU | KMVX | ND | Stutsman | Spiritwood | This tornado formed in Stutsman County near Spiritwood, and then moved northeasterly about a mile before crossing into Barnes County where significant structure damage occurred. The tornado then moved back into Stutsman County while it was dissipating. Therefore, there will be three Storm Data entries for this tornado, two by National Weather Service-Bismarck for Stutsman County, and one by National Weather Service-Grand Forks for Barnes County. This is the last entry for when the tornado returned from Barnes County into Stutsman County. Please refer to the National Weather Service-Grand Forks entry for Barnes County for exact details on the damage. While in Barnes County, the tornado was rated as EF3 with estimated winds of 155 mph, but in Stutsman County, it was rated as EFU given there was no damage within the County to evaluate as the tornado remained over open fields. During the last duration of the tornado in Stutsman County, maximum tornado width was estimated at 50 yards, while the maximum width in Barnes County was 800 yards. |
| 02:26Z | EFU | KBIS | ND | Mclean | Washburn | The tornado touched down in an open field east-southeast of Washburn and impacted no structures. There was no damage to evaluate. By National Weather Service policy the tornado is rated EF-U (Unknown). |
| 03:07Z | EF1 | KBIS | ND | Kidder | Tappen | This is the first event entry for one tornado that passed through two counties, Kidder and Stutsman. This Quasi-Linear Convective System (QLCS) tornado started northwest of Crystal Springs in Kidder County and moved to the east-southeast. The tornado then shifted towards the east-northeast near the Stutsman County line, and continued into Stutsman County before it lifted to the north-northwest of Medina. Near the point of touchdown, a machine shed was completely destroyed, with the roof laying in a pasture about 350 feet away. Approximately five miles to the south-southeast, two additional farmsteads in close proximity were struck. The first one had an older barn along with a pole barn completely destroyed. The second farmstead had an older barn collapse, and an empty 18 foot diameter grain bin lifted and moved approximately 400 feet. Along the grain bin's path it hit a building, two vehicles, and a camper before it came to rest in front of the collapsed barn. Shortly thereafter, the tornado turned north-northeast and then struck another farmstead approximately 3 miles away. At this farm, a quonset building was moved off its foundation, and boards from the inside were sucked out and laying a few feet away. Additional buildings were damaged, with debris from a children's play house blown a half mile away and a picnic table blown a quarter mile. Mature trees were snapped and fully de-leafed with numerous large branches broken off. The tornado then continued to the north-northeast and twisted multiple smaller metal high-voltage power towers. Further to the north-northeast before it lifted, the tornado struck another farmstead where a farm outbuilding was destroyed, the shingles, siding, and gutters were severely damaged on a house, and trees were snapped about half way up. Based on the damage done this tornado was rated EF-1, and from that wind speeds were estimated to be around 110 mph. |
| 03:10Z | EFU | KABR | ND | La Moure | Verona | The tornado touched down in an open field north of Verona and impacted no structures. There was no damage to evaluate. By National Weather Service policy the tornado is rated EF-U (Unknown). |
| 03:13Z | EF1 | KBIS | ND | Stutsman | Medina | This is the second event entry for one tornado that passed through two counties, Kidder and Stutsman. This Quasi-Linear Convective System (QLCS) tornado started northwest of Crystal Springs in Kidder County and moved to the east-southeast. The tornado then shifted towards the east-northeast near the Stutsman County line, and continued into Stutsman County before it lifted to the north-northwest of Medina. Near the point of touchdown, a machine shed was completely destroyed, with the roof laying in a pasture about 350 feet away. Approximately five miles to the south-southeast, two additional farmsteads in close proximity were struck. The first one had an older barn along with a pole barn completely destroyed. The second farmstead had an older barn collapse, and an empty 18 foot diameter grain bin lifted and moved approximately 400 feet. Along the grain bin's path it hit a building, two vehicles, and a camper before it came to rest in front of the collapsed barn. Shortly thereafter, the tornado turned north-northeast and then struck another farmstead approximately 3 miles away. At this farm, a quonset building was moved off its foundation, and boards from the inside were sucked out and laying a few feet away. Additional buildings were damaged, with debris from a children's play house blown a half mile away and a picnic table blown a quarter mile. Mature trees were snapped and fully de-leafed with numerous large branches broken off. The tornado then continued to the north-northeast and twisted multiple smaller metal high-voltage power towers. Further to the north-northeast before it lifted, the tornado struck another farmstead where a farm outbuilding was destroyed, the shingles, siding, and gutters were severely damaged on a house, and trees were snapped about half way up. Based on the damage done this tornado was rated EF-1, and from that wind speeds were estimated to be around 110 mph. |
| 03:20Z | EF2 | KABR | ND | Ransom | Ft Ransom | First visible indication of the tornado occurred at 1017pm. The tornado tracked NE for about 3.3 miles from its start doing mainly tree and power line damage. It did do some EF1 roof damage to one farmstead in this initial phase. The tornado tracked across 117th Ave and damaged 3 power poles. Lifted north tracking over open fields which showed some ground scouring via satellite imagery. Then the tornado struck a farmstead from the southeast and spread the debris to the north/Northwest. The tornado continued to the northwest crossing 117th and taking out a another power pole as it roped out. This tornado's path was about 5.2 miles long and 400 yards wide. |
| 03:22Z | EFU | KMVX | ND | Ransom | Ft Ransom | This was likely caused by a satellite tornado associated with the EF-2 tornado to the west. High resolution satellite imagery reveals tornado scarring on open field. No evidence of damage seen on satellite imagery nor reports received that could correlated with current EF scale damage indicators. |
| 03:29Z | EF2 | KMVX | ND | Barnes | Berea | This tornado developed in central Barnes County 5 miles southwest of Valley City and tracked southeast, caused EF-0 and EF-1 damage to trees and several homes. It continued over a ridge crossing the Sheyenne River, then caused EF-1 and EF-2 damage to several homes eventually crossing 117th Ave SE before lifting 3 miles south of Valley City. This tornado was almost 6 miles long. |
| 03:36Z | EF0 | KMVX | ND | Cass | Hunter | Tornado confirmed by radar TDS signature. Satellite imagery shows scouring in field. |
| 03:38Z | EF0 | KMVX | ND | Cass | Hunter | Tornado was confirmed by radar TDS signature. Shelterbelt tree damage, and satellite imagery shows scouring in fields intermittent for roughly 6 miles. |
| 03:41Z | EF1 | KMVX | ND | Cass | Arthur Arpt | Satellite imagery and ground survey concluded that the tornado tracked intermittently for for approximately 12 miles. There was damage to bean fields and shelterbelts along with 1 farmstead which lost several grains bins, a hoop shed, machine shop and sustained roof damage to 2 story house. Satellite imagery suggests the tornado was a half mile at its widest. |
| 03:44Z | EF1 | KMVX | ND | Foster | Grace City | The tornado touched down to the southwest of Grace City, then tracked northeasterly approximately five and three-quarter miles before lifting. Near the point of touchdown, the tornado struck a farmstead causing significant damage. A barn which was built with brick about half-way up then built with wood and sheet metal had the top wooden and sheet metal portion torn off, while an adjacent silo had its top blown off. A pole barn had its roof blown off and another barn had its doors blown off. The tornado then progressed through open fields until it moved through a shelterbelt at a farmstead near the end of its path, where it broke many trees, and twisted off large branches. It also took one large branch and speared it into a camper. Across the road the tornado broke down power lines before it broke in the large door and tore a significant portion off one of the Foster County shop buildings housing a maintainer. Based on the damage done this tornado was rated EF-1, and from that wind speeds were estimated to be around 110 mph. |
| 04:04Z | EF5 | KMVX | ND | Ransom | Enderlin Arpt | This large and violent tornado began with minor damage to a few branches about 3 miles SSW Enderlin but within 2.5 miles of the track, the tornado gained intensity and |significantly widened. While south of Highway 46, between 56th and 57th Street SE, the tornado derailed 33 train cars including 19 fully-loaded grain hopper cars and 14 empty tanker cars, mainly tipped from the track. Included in the derailed cars were one filled grain car (286,000 lbs) and four empty tanker cars (72,000 lbs) that were pulled into a field away from the track. One of the 4 tanker cars was tossed 600-1000 ft (183-305 m) from the track and an estimated 475.7 ft (145 m) from the distance of the previous tanker car it was attached to before being pulled off of the track; wheel sets detached near the point from which the cars were derailed from the track. It was in this train derailment location that EF-5 damage intensity was noted with greater than 210 mph winds listed officially for this tornado.||Extensive collaboration with wind damage experts provided forensic analyses for the train damage that occurred with this tornado. These analyses estimate potential wind speeds of approximately 230 mph are needed to completely overturn a fully loaded grain hopper car. Collaboration with the Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University���s Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory estimated a potential wind speed of >119 m/s (>266 mph) to loft the empty tanker car 475.7 ft (145 m) using similar calculations performed in Estimating Wind Speeds in Tornadoes Using Debris Trajectories of Large Compact Objects (Miller et al. 2024). The study, published in the Monthly Weather Review, found that large compact objects lofted greater than 50 m indicate EF-5 intensity winds (greater than 200 mph). The Enderlin train cars were nearly 2�� farther than the EF-5 threshold distance and 4�� heavier than the heaviest object modeled in the study. The maximum wind speed also correlates to the timing of the maximum strength observed via the WSR-88D storm-relative velocity data from KMVX.||The tornado continued to widen as it tracked to the north and east. Just to the south of Highway 46, a free standing cell phone tower (FST DOD 2) collapsed, and it impacted several farmsteads with outbuildings destroyed. Extensive vegetation damage occurred with crops destroyed, bark stripped from trees with a ���sandpapering��� effect noted on numerous trees, and many large trees snapped or stubbed. Large tree root balls of 18-24��� diameter trunks were displaced, and in some cases, it was unknown where the uprooted trees originated from. EF-4 damage was noted with the trees. The tornado continued to track northward crossing Highway 46 into southwestern Cass County. The tornado statistics for the Ransom County portion include: a length of 5.4 miles, a maximum width of 1850 yards, a maximum wind of greater than 210 mph (EF-5), and 0 fatalities. Total track length between Ransom and Cass counties was 12.1 miles. Monetary damage estimates were not available. |
| 04:11Z | EF4 | KMVX | ND | Cass | Elizabeth | This large and violent tornado initially began in Ransom county 3 miles SSW Enderlin. It crossed into Cass county approximately 3 miles east of Enderlin. EF-4 damage occurred just north of Highway 46 at two farmsteads where devastating damage occurred to both houses and seven outbuildings were destroyed. On the eastern farmstead, one farmhouse was leveled with the debris swept from its foundation and scattered downwind, leading to two fatalities. A lack of structural anchoring was noted at this location. Trees around the farmstead were also debarked, and a few root balls were displaced. The farmstead to the west was leveled for all portions above ground as well. The home had been built into the side of the surrounding hill with some of the debris still piled up around the location. It was built with manufactured steel trusses above the garage, suggesting slightly higher grade construction than a typical residential house. Additionally, a large propane tank was moved across the north end of the property at this location. The tornado continued north, causing additional tree damage and eventually leveling another farm house, leading to one fatality at a farmstead near 51st St east of 139th Ave SE. As the tornado moved to the northwest, it bent over tall steel electrical transmission towers before making a curl to the south as it passed over the southern end of the Utke waterfowl production area. It then weakened and dissipated a mile to the southwest of the northernmost point in the tornado���s track. The tornado statistics for the Cass County portion of the track include: a length of 6.7 miles, a maximum width of 1000 yards, a maximum wind of 180 mph (EF-4), and a total of 3 fatalities. The tornado statistics for the Ransom County portion of the track include: a length of 5.4 miles, a maximum width of 1850 yards, a maximum wind of greater than 210 mph (EF-5), and 0 fatalities. Total track length between Ransom and Cass counties was 12.1 miles. Monetary damage estimates were not available. |
| 04:22Z | EF2 | KMVX | ND | Cass | Alice | A second tornado developed, in Cass County, from the same supercell thunderstorm about 4 miles northeast of Enderlin and tracked to the southeast, crossed Highway 46 into Ransom County, then weakened and dissipated. This tornado was on the ground for almost 7 miles, at its widest was about 1351 yards wide in Cass county. Damage indicators along the path of this tornado correlates to EF-2 damage, with peak winds estimated to be around 120 mph. Along the path of this tornado was extensive tree damage, including trees snapped and uprooted. Several roofs were partially blown apart as well as crop damage visible from high resolution satellite data. |
| 04:30Z | EF0 | KMVX | ND | Ransom | Anselm | This tornado developed in Cass County before crossing Highway 46 into Ransom County, then weakened and dissipated. This tornado was on the ground for around 7 miles, at its widest was about 1351 in Cass county. In Ransom County its widest was 519 yards as it crossed into the county. Damage indicators along the path of this tornado correlates to EF-2 damage in Cass, with peak winds estimated to be around 120 mph in that county. Along the path of this tornado was extensive tree damage, including trees snapped and uprooted. Ground scouring and crop damage was visible from high resolution satellite data correlating with at least EF-0 damage at 85 mph. This ground scouring extended into Ransom county about 0.65 miles. |
| 04:35Z | EF0 | KMVX | ND | Ransom | Sheldon | Tornado scar evident via high resolution satellite through farm fields. |
| 04:44Z | EF1 | KMVX | ND | Cass | Coburn | A tornado Tracked SE across rural southeast Cass county starting 8 miles northwest of Kindred and lifting 1 mile west of Kindred. It was on the ground about 7 minutes and tracked for almost 7 miles mainly doing tree damage to shelter belts and fields. |
| 04:45Z | EF0 | KMVX | ND | Cass | Woods | Tornado scar evident via high resolution satellite. |
| 04:46Z | EF0 | KMVX | ND | Cass | Woods | Tornado scar evident via high resolution satellite. |
| 04:50Z | EF0 | KMVX | ND | Cass | Kindred | Tornado scar evident via high resolution satellite. |
| 05:17Z | EF1 | KMVX | ND | Barnes | Oriska | Ground survey and satellite imagery confirm a tornado tracked intermittently for approximately 5 miles. 2 farmsteads sustained damage to buildings both suggesting winds around 100mph in the first couple miles of the tornado there after satellite imagery shows scouring in fields for another 3 miles or so where at one point it reached 800 yards wide. |
Storm reports are derived from "The Storm Events Database" (National Centers for Environmental Information) and/or "Past Storm Reports" (Storm Prediction Center).