Skip to content
Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hillsboro, 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 Hillsboro, North Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 85 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
0

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
85

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
3

2 deaths in all

What the records show for Hillsboro

The strongest of the 85 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on June 17, 2010; its path came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on August 31, 1975, killed 2 people. Of the 85, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 49 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on August 8, 2025. Hillsboro has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 72% of the 37 North Dakota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 37 North Dakota cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hillsboro.

Compare Hillsboro's storm record with another city →

ShareXFacebookWhatsAppEmail

Tornadoes within 25 miles of Hillsboro

By decade

  • 2020s14
  • 2010s20(2 EF3+)
  • 2000s15
  • 1990s8
  • 1980s6
  • 1970s12(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s4
  • 1950s6
Strongest tornadoes near Hillsboro, North Dakota
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jun 17, 2010EF416 mi17 mi0 / 1
Aug 27, 2016EF33 mi3 mi0 / 0
Jun 16, 1973F32 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Jul 11, 2017EF24 mi11.64 mi0 / 0
Jul 11, 2017EF24 mi22 mi0 / 0
Jun 27, 2015EF225 mi3 mi0 / 0
Jul 21, 2014EF223 mi37.92 mi0 / 0
Aug 10, 2010EF223 mi0.9 mi0 / 0
Jun 17, 2010EF224 mi3 mi0 / 0
Aug 26, 2007EF223 mi5 mi0 / 0
Jul 13, 1977F221 mi2.3 mi0 / 0
Jul 20, 1974F215 mi0.1 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 85, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Hillsboro

The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Hillsboro since 1969, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 21, 1987. The most recent report is from July 15, 2022. June has the most reports, 13.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Hillsboro

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hillsboro 3 N, ND, 4 miles north of Hillsboro at 910 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 18°F and 1°F. June is the wettest at 3.7 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 22.5 inches over 48 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 174 nights a year. That 22.5 inches is more than at 23 of the 31 North Dakota stations used on this site (74%). Mayville, 13 miles northwest, has its own station (Mayville, ND): 24.0 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 81°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Hillsboro 3 N, ND
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan1810.62
Feb2340.62
Mar36201.23
Apr53341.43
May68462.86
Jun77573.77
Jul81613.46
Aug80582.65
Sep71502.24
Oct55372.24
Nov38220.92
Dec2490.92
Year523322.548

Averages for 1991–2020 at Hillsboro 3 N, ND (910 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 Hillsboro

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 62 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hillsboro: 51 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 3 floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $11.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on August 8, 2001. Of the 31 North Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 21 have had fewer than Hillsboro.

  • September 21, 2019: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Hillsboro — $10.3 million damage.

  • August 8, 2001: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Hillsboro — $1.0 million damage.

    NWS: “A Davis system measured a 110 mph wind gust with sustained winds at 100 mph. 2,400 trees were blown down along with 23 miles of powerline.”

  • August 8, 2001: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Hillsboro — $150,000 damage.

    NWS: “S. Highway 81.”

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 Hillsboro's ZIP code 58045 have filed 64 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $719,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 24 claims (38% of all) and $358,000. 52% 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, 5 have fewer than Hillsboro.

Flood insurance claims in Hillsboro by named event
EventClaimsPaid
Flooding199724$358,000

Traill County, which includes Hillsboro, has been named in 36 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 31 of them major disasters (by incident: 21 floods, 11 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 Traill County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes and strong wind; Very Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.2 million a year, the 18th highest of 53 North Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.5 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 Hillsboro

All North Dakota cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Hillsboro with another place →

ShareXFacebookWhatsAppEmail