NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Minot, 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 Minot, North Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 51 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 51
- 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 Minot
The highest rating among the 51 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 4 times; the most recent, on June 6, 2004, came within 22 miles. Of the 51, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on September 14, 2025. Of the 37 North Dakota cities on this site, 51% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Minot. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 91 times since 1963, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Minot has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 37 North Dakota cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Minot
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 2000s7
- 1990s17
- 1980s11
- 1970s6
- 1960s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 6, 2004 | F2 | 22 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1982 | F2 | 10 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1974 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 2, 1960 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 23, 2002 | F1 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1999 | F1 | 1 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1999 | F1 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1990 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1980 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 2013 | EF0 | 20 mi | 4.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 2013 | EF0 | 24 mi | 1.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 2007 | EF0 | 15 mi | 4.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 51, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Minot
The Storm Prediction Center has 91 hail reports within 10 miles of Minot since 1963, made on 58 separate days. Of these, 66 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on August 18, 1995. The most recent report is from July 26, 2025. July has the most reports, 35.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Minot
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Minot International Airport, ND, 2 miles northeast of Minot at 1,665 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 23°F and 4°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 177 nights a year. Snowfall averages 45.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 16.8 inches is more than at 3 of the 31 North Dakota stations used on this site (10%).
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | 4 | 0.3 | 1 | 9.8 |
| Feb | 27 | 8 | 0.3 | 1 | 5.4 |
| Mar | 40 | 19 | 0.5 | 1 | 6.1 |
| Apr | 56 | 31 | 1.0 | 3 | 4.5 |
| May | 69 | 43 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Jun | 78 | 54 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 59 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 56 | 2.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 47 | 1.6 | 3 | 0.1 |
| Oct | 57 | 34 | 1.2 | 3 | 1.2 |
| Nov | 40 | 21 | 0.6 | 2 | 9.2 |
| Dec | 27 | 9 | 0.3 | 1 | 8.1 |
| Year | 55 | 32 | 16.8 | 37 | 45.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Minot International Airport, ND (1,665 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 Minot
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 52 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Minot: 40 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $6.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 9, 2012. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 10. Of the 31 North Dakota cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 23 have had fewer than Minot.
June 22, 2011: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Minot — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Runoff from very heavy rain forced rapid dam releases along the Souris River which resulted in an overtopping of levees and eventual levee failure. Communities through Ward County along the Souris River were very severely impacted.”
June 17, 2010: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Minot — $800,000 damage.
NWS: “Flash flooding occurred in Minot and surrounding areas due to very heavy rain from thunderstorms. 75 inches, with much of this occurring during the mid afternoon hours.”
June 1, 2005: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Minot — $200,000 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 Minot's 3 ZIP codes have filed 918 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $65.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring storms in 2011: 540 claims (59% of all) and $60.7 million, then Not a named storm in 1979 with 84. 69% 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, 17 have fewer than Minot.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring storms2011 | 540 | $60.7 million |
| Not a named storm1979 | 84 | $455,000 |
Ward County, which includes Minot, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 floods, 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm and Flooding, on July 13, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ward County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.8 million a year, the 3rd highest of 53 North Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.9 million (21%), 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 Minot
- Minot Afb, ND13 mi
- Garrison, ND42 mi
- Stanley, ND53 mi
- Rugby, ND59 mi
- Bottineau, ND60 mi
- New Town, ND60 mi
- Hazen, ND67 mi
- Dunseith, ND72 mi
- Beulah, ND72 mi
- Harvey, ND75 mi
- Tioga, ND76 mi
- Belcourt, ND82 mi
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