NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Williston, 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 Williston, North Dakota since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 18 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 18
- 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 Williston
The highest rating among the 18 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 27, 1982, came within 7 miles. Of the 18, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on September 12, 2025. Of the 37 North Dakota cities on this site, 95% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Williston. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 69 times since 1957, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Williston has more hail reports within 10 miles than 51% of the 37 North Dakota cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Williston
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2000s3
- 1990s3
- 1980s1
- 1970s4
- 1960s2
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 1982 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1953 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1999 | F1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1975 | F1 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 1962 | F1 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 10, 2007 | EF0 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 2003 | F0 | 13 mi | — | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 2001 | F0 | 4 mi | — | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 1995 | F0 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1993 | F0 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 1979 | F0 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 1979 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 18, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Williston
The Storm Prediction Center has 69 hail reports within 10 miles of Williston since 1957, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 47 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 18, 2022. The most recent report is from July 25, 2025. July has the most reports, 32.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Williston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Williston Sloulin International Airport, ND, 4 miles southeast of Williston at 1,902 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 22°F and 1°F. June is the wettest at 2.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 15.2 inches over 38 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 191 nights a year. Snowfall averages 48.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 15.2 inches is more than at 0 of the 31 North Dakota stations used on this site (0%). Watford City, 34 miles southeast, has its own station (Watford City, ND): 15.7 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | 1 | 0.6 | 2 | 11.2 |
| Feb | 27 | 6 | 0.5 | 1 | 6.7 |
| Mar | 40 | 18 | 0.6 | 2 | 6.4 |
| Apr | 56 | 29 | 1.1 | 3 | 3.7 |
| May | 67 | 40 | 2.1 | 5 | 0.9 |
| Jun | 77 | 50 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 56 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 54 | 1.6 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 44 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 56 | 30 | 0.9 | 3 | 2.6 |
| Nov | 38 | 17 | 0.7 | 2 | 6.3 |
| Dec | 26 | 6 | 0.6 | 2 | 10.4 |
| Year | 54 | 29 | 15.2 | 38 | 48.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Williston Sloulin International Airport, ND (1,902 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 Williston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 61 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Williston: 59 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flash flood and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 22, 1999.
September 3, 2014: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Williston — $1.5 million damage.
NWS: “Analysis of damage photos indicated that the peak wind was around 80 mph. The Williston Airport ASOS measured 71 mph at 8:33 PM CDT, but the worst damage was in other parts of Williston.”
June 10, 2021: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Williston — $800,000 damage.
NWS: “Up to five inches of rain fell in the Williston area as multiple rounds of thunderstorms passed through. This led to widespread street flooding, with water affecting many homes.”
July 23, 2007: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Williston — $450,000 damage.
NWS: “m. CDT Monday, July 23rd.”
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 Williston's ZIP code 58801 have filed 12 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $218,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. Of the 20 North Dakota cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 0 have fewer than Williston.
Williams County, which includes Williston, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 coastal storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Williams County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.9 million a year, the 6th highest of 53 North Dakota counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.6 million (30%), 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 Williston
- Watford City, ND34 mi
- Tioga, ND38 mi
- Sidney, MT43 mi
- New Town, ND56 mi
- Stanley, ND61 mi
- Poplar, MT67 mi
- Glendive, MT89 mi
- Wolf Point, MT90 mi
- Dickinson, ND101 mi
- Garrison, ND109 mi
- Minot Afb, ND111 mi
- Minot, ND111 mi
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