Tornado Risk in North Dakota

All North Dakota counties ranked by FEMA National Risk Index tornado score

Tornado risk — violently rotating columns of air capable of catastrophic local damage — is rated for 53 of 53 North Dakota counties in FEMA's National Risk Index. Cass County carries the state's highest tornado score at 89.7, with $12M in expected annual tornado losses.

No North Dakota county reaches the High band for tornado, and expected annual losses from tornado total roughly $47M statewide. The full ranking below links to each county's complete 18-hazard risk profile.

County Rankings — Tornado

#CountyTornado ScoreRatingAnn. Freq.Ann. Loss
1 Cass County
89.7
Medium 1.24 / yr $12M
2 Burleigh County
83.0
Medium 0.53 / yr $6M
3 Ward County
66.1
Medium 0.60 / yr $3M
4 Grand Forks County
60.7
Low 1.02 / yr $2M
5 Morton County
57.3
Low 0.55 / yr $3M
6 Williams County
53.1
Low 0.30 / yr $2M
7 Richland County
49.6
Low 0.92 / yr $1M
8 Stark County
47.9
Low 0.28 / yr $1M
9 Stutsman County
47.1
Low 1.02 / yr $1M
10 McLean County
45.5
Low 0.74 / yr $1M
11 Barnes County
41.8
Low 0.91 / yr $799K
12 Emmons County
40.5
Low 0.45 / yr $747K
13 Walsh County
40.3
Low 0.84 / yr $1M
14 McKenzie County
33.1
Low 0.43 / yr $848K
15 Mountrail County
32.5
Low 0.46 / yr $579K
16 Rolette County
31.1
Low 0.23 / yr $335K
17 Traill County
30.0
Low 0.64 / yr $829K
18 Mercer County
28.5
Low 0.32 / yr $624K
19 McHenry County
27.6
Low 0.60 / yr $606K
20 Ramsey County
27.2
Low 0.70 / yr $529K
21 Bottineau County
26.0
Very Low 0.39 / yr $409K
22 McIntosh County
25.6
Very Low 0.37 / yr $263K
23 Hettinger County
25.4
Very Low 0.23 / yr $320K
24 Sioux County
25.0
Very Low 0.29 / yr $201K
25 Dickey County
24.8
Very Low 0.53 / yr $356K
26 Ransom County
24.1
Very Low 0.49 / yr $394K
27 Dunn County
24.0
Very Low 0.44 / yr $326K
28 Wells County
22.7
Very Low 0.52 / yr $295K
29 Sheridan County
22.4
Very Low 0.35 / yr $401K
30 Nelson County
21.5
Very Low 0.69 / yr $193K
31 Pembina County
21.3
Very Low 0.46 / yr $226K
32 Benson County
20.9
Very Low 0.62 / yr $157K
33 LaMoure County
20.0
Very Low 0.51 / yr $265K
34 Divide County
20.0
Very Low 0.15 / yr $190K
35 Foster County
18.3
Very Low 0.33 / yr $212K
36 Logan County
18.1
Very Low 0.34 / yr $160K
37 Grant County
17.4
Very Low 0.41 / yr $142K
38 Kidder County
17.0
Very Low 0.49 / yr $246K
39 Cavalier County
16.9
Very Low 0.58 / yr $156K
40 Sargent County
16.9
Very Low 0.51 / yr $254K
41 Steele County
16.8
Very Low 0.53 / yr $216K
42 Griggs County
16.3
Very Low 0.47 / yr $166K
43 Pierce County
15.6
Very Low 0.38 / yr $205K
44 Eddy County
14.2
Very Low 0.34 / yr $172K
45 Golden Valley County
13.2
Very Low 0.13 / yr $95K
46 Adams County
12.3
Very Low 0.16 / yr $73K
47 Oliver County
11.7
Very Low 0.23 / yr $134K
48 Bowman County
11.5
Very Low 0.16 / yr $111K
49 Renville County
10.5
Very Low 0.20 / yr $104K
50 Burke County
9.5
Very Low 0.20 / yr $82K
51 Billings County
8.5
Very Low 0.19 / yr $73K
52 Towner County
7.8
Very Low 0.34 / yr $56K
53 Slope County
5.5
Very Low 0.18 / yr $29K

53 North Dakota counties with measurable tornado risk. See the national tornado ranking or all North Dakota counties by overall risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which North Dakota county has the highest tornado risk?

Cass County has the highest FEMA tornado risk score in North Dakota at 89.7 (Medium), with $12M in expected annual losses and about 1.24 events per year.

How many North Dakota counties face significant tornado risk?

53 North Dakota counties record measurable tornado risk in FEMA's National Risk Index; 0 of them are rated High or Very High.

Other Hazards in North Dakota

Cold Wave Drought Earthquake Hail Heat Wave Ice Storm Riverine Flood Landslide Lightning Strong Wind Wildfire Winter Weather