NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oakes, 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 Oakes, North Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 63 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 63
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Oakes
The strongest of the 63 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 23, 2002; its path came within 23 miles. Of the 63, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on July 7, 2023. Oakes has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 59% of the 37 North Dakota cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 44 times since 1977, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 37 North Dakota cities, 73% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Oakes.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Oakes
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s7(1 EF3+)
- 2000s22(1 EF3+)
- 1990s10
- 1980s3
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 2002 | F4 | 23 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 17, 2011 | EF3 | 21 mi | 16.18 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 1, 1973 | F3 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1965 | F3 | 17 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 2011 | EF2 | 8 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2010 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 1999 | F2 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 1982 | F2 | 23 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1975 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 1970 | F2 | 24 mi | 10.3 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jul 31, 1966 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1958 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 63, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Oakes
The Storm Prediction Center has 44 hail reports within 10 miles of Oakes since 1977, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on August 26, 1977. The most recent report is from July 20, 2022. July has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Oakes
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fullerton 1 ESE, ND, 14 miles west of Oakes at 1,435 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 22°F and 2°F. June is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 24.4 inches over 51 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 179 nights a year. Snowfall averages 36.9 inches a year, most of it in December. That 24.4 inches is more than at 28 of the 31 North Dakota stations used on this site (90%). Lisbon, 32 miles northeast, has its own station (Lisbon, ND): 22.4 inches a year, 2.0 less than here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | 2 | 0.6 | 3 | 7.2 |
| Feb | 28 | 6 | 0.7 | 2 | 6.0 |
| Mar | 40 | 19 | 1.2 | 3 | 6.9 |
| Apr | 55 | 31 | 1.8 | 4 | 3.7 |
| May | 68 | 44 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 55 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 56 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 48 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 56 | 34 | 2.1 | 4 | 1.6 |
| Nov | 39 | 21 | 0.8 | 2 | 4.2 |
| Dec | 26 | 8 | 0.9 | 2 | 7.3 |
| Year | 54 | 32 | 24.4 | 51 | 36.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fullerton 1 ESE, ND (1,435 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 Oakes
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 24 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oakes: 23 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flash flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $808,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 127 mph, on July 10, 2011.
June 11, 2021: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Oakes — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Several large tree branches around Oakes were snapped. Garaged doors were blown in, and a home TV tower was bent over.”
July 10, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Oakes — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Peak winds of 121 to 127 mph were measured at a temporary wind energy tower site. A total of six sensors arrayed from 130 to 200 feet above ground level registered the peak winds and rapid turning of winds from southeast, through west to northwest.”
July 8, 2018: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Oakes — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “A center-pivot irrigation system was blown completely over. Large trees were uprooted.”
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
Dickey County, which includes Oakes, has been named in 32 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 28 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 floods, 9 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds, on February 15, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dickey County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.1 million a year, the 26th highest of 53 North Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $918,000 (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 Oakes
- Lisbon, ND32 mi
- Groton, SD44 mi
- Aberdeen, SD47 mi
- Valley City, ND58 mi
- Sisseton, SD59 mi
- Webster, SD60 mi
- Ipswich, SD63 mi
- Jamestown, ND63 mi
- Wahpeton, ND70 mi
- Casselton, ND72 mi
- Horace, ND74 mi
- Breckenridge, MN76 mi
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