NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Grafton, 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 Grafton, North Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 82 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 82
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Grafton
The strongest of the 82 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 6, 1999; its path came within 21 miles. Of the 82, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 50 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Grafton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 37 North Dakota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 69 times since 1973, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Grafton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 51% of the 37 North Dakota cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Grafton
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s28
- 2000s20
- 1990s16(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s5
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 6, 1999 | F4 | 21 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1999 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1999 | F2 | 24 mi | 3.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1955 | F2 | 24 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2022 | EF1 | 24 mi | 2.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2017 | EF1 | 10 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 2016 | EF1 | 6 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 2016 | EF1 | 11 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 2015 | EF1 | 21 mi | 5.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 2012 | EF1 | 20 mi | 3.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 2011 | EF1 | 16 mi | 25.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 2010 | EF1 | in town | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 82, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Grafton
The Storm Prediction Center has 69 hail reports within 10 miles of Grafton since 1973, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on July 19, 2016. The most recent report is from July 19, 2022. June has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Grafton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 63 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Grafton: 54 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods, 3 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 26, 2010.
April 16, 2023: flood 10 miles from the centre of Grafton — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Minto gage, on the Forest River. NOTE: Damages dollar amount is for the entire county.”
June 9, 2017: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Grafton — $600,000 damage.
NWS: “Extensive tree damage extended from eastern Farmington into Martin township. Numerous large poplar, ash, and cottonwoods were snapped in field and farm shelterbelts.”
August 12, 2000: thunderstorm wind in Grafton — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Two potato warehouse roofs were blown off in Grafton.”
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 Grafton's ZIP code 58237 have filed 387 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Not a named storm in 1979: 216 claims (56% of all) and $586,000, then Flooding in 1997 with 51 and Late spring storms in 2013 with 19. 76% 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, 13 have fewer than Grafton.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Not a named storm1979 | 216 | $586,000 |
| Flooding1997 | 51 | $222,000 |
| Late spring storms2013 | 19 | $81,000 |
Walsh County, which includes Grafton, has been named in 41 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 36 of them major disasters (by incident: 25 floods, 13 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Flooding, on July 5, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Walsh County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.1 million a year, the 13th highest of 53 North Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.3 million (44%), 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 Grafton
- Cavalier, ND29 mi
- Warren, MN34 mi
- East Grand Forks, MN37 mi
- Grand Forks, ND38 mi
- Thompson, ND47 mi
- Langdon, ND49 mi
- Crookston, MN59 mi
- Thief River Falls, MN60 mi
- Red Lake Falls, MN63 mi
- Mayville, ND64 mi
- Devils Lake, ND70 mi
- Hillsboro, ND73 mi
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