NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Devils Lake, 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 Devils Lake, North Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 83 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 83
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Devils Lake
The highest rating among the 83 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 7 times; the most recent, on July 4, 2018, came within 20 miles. Of the 83, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 34 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 36. The most recent tornado was on September 18, 2024. Devils Lake has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 37 North Dakota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1966, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Devils Lake has more hail reports within 10 miles than 56% of the 37 North Dakota cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Devils Lake
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s13
- 2000s16
- 1990s14
- 1980s8
- 1970s18
- 1960s8
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 4, 2018 | EF2 | 20 mi | 3.12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 2016 | EF2 | 24 mi | 3.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 8, 2001 | F2 | 20 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1976 | F2 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1974 | F2 | 24 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1971 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 5, 1966 | F2 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 9, 2021 | EF1 | 23 mi | 4.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 2020 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 2018 | EF1 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2013 | EF1 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1999 | F1 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 83, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Devils Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of Devils Lake since 1966, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on August 5, 1966. The most recent report is from October 3, 2023. June has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Devils Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Devils Lake Kdlr, ND, 1 mile south of Devils Lake at 1,464 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 16°F and -2°F. June and July are the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 20.1 inches over 46 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 182 nights a year. That 20.1 inches is more than at 14 of the 31 North Dakota stations used on this site (45%).
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | -2 | 0.5 | 1 |
| Feb | 21 | 2 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Mar | 33 | 15 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Apr | 51 | 31 | 1.0 | 3 |
| May | 65 | 44 | 2.5 | 6 |
| Jun | 74 | 55 | 3.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 79 | 59 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Aug | 79 | 57 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Sep | 69 | 49 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Oct | 53 | 34 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Nov | 35 | 18 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Dec | 22 | 5 | 0.8 | 3 |
| Year | 50 | 31 | 20.1 | 46 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Devils Lake Kdlr, ND (1,464 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 Devils Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 61 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Devils Lake: 52 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 4 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $17.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on August 11, 2000. Of the 31 North Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 19 have had fewer than Devils Lake.
August 11, 2000: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Devils Lake — 2 injured, $10.0 million damage.
NWS: “Strong winds hit the city of Devils Lake, toppling power poles, trees, signs, and light signals. Debris from a roof struck and injured a pedestrian.”
August 11, 2000: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Devils Lake — $7.0 million damage.
NWS: “68 consecutive power poles were damaged by the high winds across the Devils Lake area. This amounted to about 8 miles of line.”
June 21, 2010: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Devils Lake — $125,000 damage.
NWS: “Basement flooding was reported and water was ponded all around the farm yard.”
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 Devils Lake's ZIP code 58301 have filed 870 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $33.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 123 claims (14% of all) and $4.7 million, then Late spring storms in 2011 with 29 and Severe flooding in 2001 with 20. 20% 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, 16 have fewer than Devils Lake.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 123 | $4.7 million |
| Late spring storms2011 | 29 | $600,000 |
| Severe flooding2001 | 20 | $406,000 |
Ramsey County, which includes Devils Lake, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 25 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 floods, 10 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm and Flooding, on July 13, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ramsey County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and hail; Very Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.6 million a year, the 17th highest of 53 North Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.7 million (19%), 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 Devils Lake
- Carrington, ND47 mi
- Harvey, ND51 mi
- Rugby, ND53 mi
- Langdon, ND54 mi
- Belcourt, ND64 mi
- Grafton, ND70 mi
- Cavalier, ND71 mi
- Dunseith, ND73 mi
- Jamestown, ND84 mi
- Grand Forks, ND85 mi
- Thompson, ND85 mi
- Mayville, ND85 mi
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