NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dunseith, 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 Dunseith, North Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 31 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 31
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Dunseith
The highest rating among the 31 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 7, 2008, came within 5 miles. Of the 31, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on June 28, 2020. Of the 37 North Dakota cities on this site, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Dunseith. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 14 times since 1974, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 37 North Dakota cities, 97% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Dunseith.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Dunseith
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s3
- 2000s8(1 EF3+)
- 1990s4
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s4
- 1960s2
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7, 2008 | EF3 | 5 mi | 20.6 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 26, 1986 | F3 | 22 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 4, 1974 | F2 | 15 mi | 11.4 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 12, 1972 | F2 | 15 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 20, 1965 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 2020 | EF1 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2004 | F1 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1993 | F1 | 22 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1988 | F1 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1979 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 1978 | F1 | 17 mi | 13.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 2018 | EF0 | 20 mi | 0.39 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 31, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dunseith
The Storm Prediction Center has 14 hail reports within 10 miles of Dunseith since 1974, made on 13 separate days. Of these, 6 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 3, 2016, the most recent report. June and August have the most reports, 5 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dunseith
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bottineau, ND, 19 miles west of Dunseith at 1,619 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 15°F and -4°F. June is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 19.3 inches over 48 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 196 nights a year. Snowfall averages 49.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 19.3 inches is more than at 11 of the 31 North Dakota stations used on this site (35%). Belcourt, 12 miles east, has its own station (Rolla 1NE, ND): 19.6 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and a July average high of 75°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | -4 | 0.5 | 2 | 9.1 |
| Feb | 20 | 0 | 0.5 | 2 | 6.9 |
| Mar | 33 | 14 | 0.8 | 2 | 7.3 |
| Apr | 51 | 28 | 1.1 | 3 | 4.0 |
| May | 65 | 41 | 2.6 | 6 | 1.1 |
| Jun | 74 | 52 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 56 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 54 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 69 | 44 | 1.5 | 4 | 0.1 |
| Oct | 53 | 30 | 1.5 | 4 | 4.1 |
| Nov | 34 | 16 | 0.8 | 3 | 8.2 |
| Dec | 20 | 3 | 0.7 | 3 | 9.0 |
| Year | 49 | 28 | 19.3 | 48 | 49.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bottineau, ND (1,619 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 Dunseith
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 18 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dunseith: 13 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $802,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 20, 2023.
June 20, 2023: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Dunseith — 1 injured, $600,000 damage.
NWS: “Many large tree branches were down, with several trees uprooted. There was some damage to roofs, and power poles and lines were down.”
June 24, 2007: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Dunseith — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Significant damage at the International Peace Gardens. Extensive damage to flowers.”
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
Rolette County, which includes Dunseith, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 floods, 8 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 Rolette County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.7 million a year, the 16th highest of 53 North Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.6 million (15%), 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 Dunseith
- Belcourt, ND12 mi
- Bottineau, ND17 mi
- Rugby, ND40 mi
- Minot Afb, ND66 mi
- Minot, ND72 mi
- Devils Lake, ND73 mi
- Harvey, ND76 mi
- Langdon, ND79 mi
- Cavalier, ND106 mi
- Carrington, ND107 mi
- Garrison, ND108 mi
- Stanley, ND114 mi
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