NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bismarck, ND
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Bismarck, North Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 59 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 59
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Bismarck
The strongest of the 59 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 29, 1953; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 59, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on September 14, 2025. Bismarck has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 51% of the 37 North Dakota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 267 times since 1959, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Bismarck has more hail reports within 10 miles than any other of the 37 North Dakota cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Bismarck
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s4
- 2000s13
- 1990s10
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s5(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 1953 | F5 | 20 mi | 14.8 mi | 2 / 20 |
| Jul 1, 1952 | F4 | 20 mi | 48 mi | 1 / 26 |
| Jul 30, 1981 | F3 | 10 mi | 23.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 1978 | F3 | 6 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2025 | EF2 | 23 mi | 5.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 1956 | F2 | 12 mi | 37.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 14, 2025 | EF1 | 11 mi | 2.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 2025 | EF1 | 7 mi | 0.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 2010 | EF1 | 11 mi | 1.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 2005 | F1 | 6 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 2001 | F1 | 24 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 1, 2000 | F1 | 9 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 59, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bismarck
The Storm Prediction Center has 267 hail reports within 10 miles of Bismarck since 1959, made on 126 separate days. Of these, 174 were 1 inch across or larger, and 30 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 29, 2024. The most recent report is from July 22, 2025. July has the most reports, 111.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bismarck
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bismarck 2.4 NNW, ND, 1 mile northwest of Bismarck at 1,831 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 22°F and 4°F. June is the wettest at 3.3 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 20.2 inches over 43 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from July to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 182 nights a year. That 20.2 inches is more than at 15 of the 31 North Dakota stations used on this site (48%). Mandan, 7 miles west, has its own station (Mandan Exp Stn, ND): 18.3 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | 4 | 0.5 | 2 |
| Feb | 27 | 7 | 0.5 | 2 |
| Mar | 40 | 18 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Apr | 54 | 29 | 1.6 | 4 |
| May | 66 | 43 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Jun | 76 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Jul | 82 | 58 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Aug | 80 | 56 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Sep | 71 | 46 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Oct | 56 | 34 | 1.6 | 3 |
| Nov | 40 | 20 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Dec | 27 | 10 | 0.7 | 3 |
| Year | 53 | 31 | 20.2 | 43 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bismarck 2.4 NNW, ND (1,831 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Bismarck
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 191 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bismarck: 163 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods, 12 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $26.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on June 20, 2025. August has had the most flash floods, 6 of 15. Of the 31 North Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 26 have had fewer than Bismarck.
June 25, 1999: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Bismarck — 1 killed, $2.0 million damage.
June 20, 2025: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Bismarck — 1 injured, $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Straight line winds pushed through the Copper Ridge subdivision south of Lincoln, and caused extensive damage. Several home were severely damaged, with large sections of shingles blown off roofs, some roof sheathing blown off, blown in garage doors, extensive siding damage, and removed decking.”
April 13, 2010: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Bismarck — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Bismarck's 3 ZIP codes have filed 678 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $15.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring storms in 2011: 490 claims (72% of all) and $12.7 million, then Winter storm in 2009 with 33. 79% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 20 North Dakota cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 15 have fewer than Bismarck.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms2011 | 490 | $12.7 million |
| Winter storm2009 | 33 | $849,000 |
Burleigh County, which includes Bismarck, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 floods, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds, on September 11, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Burleigh County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $71.8 million a year, the 2nd highest of 53 North Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $22.5 million (31%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Bismarck
- Mandan, ND7 mi
- Hazen, ND51 mi
- Fort Yates, ND53 mi
- Beulah, ND54 mi
- Garrison, ND67 mi
- Harvey, ND78 mi
- Carrington, ND90 mi
- Mobridge, SD95 mi
- Dickinson, ND96 mi
- Jamestown, ND97 mi
- Minot, ND100 mi
- Rugby, ND106 mi
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