Most People Don’t Know About North Dakota’s Deadly Tornado Alley

When you ask the average person when – and where – they would normally expect tornadoes in the United States, what do you suppose they would say? More often than not, they’ll generally mention something along the lines of “springtime in Tornado Alley.” If you ask them to elaborate on that, it’s usually the states of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas that are offered up as the more-specific “wheres.”

Most wouldn’t realize a fascinating truth about where “Tornado Alley” really is if you encompass the entire season (tornadoes: they aren’t just for mid-spring anymore!): some might successfully argue that “Tornado Alley” extends as far west as parts of central and most of eastern Colorado, as far east as Ohio, as far south as Louisiana, and as far north as Minnesota and North Dakota. That’s right – North Dakota isn’t considered “safe” from tornadoes, and although we may not see nearly as many spin-ups as, say, Texas or Kansas, we DO see tornadoes every year, though at a time most wouldn’t think of: summertime. As it turns out, tornadoes in North Dakota do most certainly occur, and they tend to strike a little later than most people expect them to. Check out the stats:

J Swanstrom (Never enough time...)/Flickr

A significant majority of tornadoes in North Dakota over the years - since 1950, anyway - have been as weak as a tornado can be, rated F0s up until 2006 and EF0s from 2007 to the current day, after the implementation of the Enhanced Fujita Scale in February of '07.

informedmindstravel/Flickr

When it comes to storms and tornadoes that are as nasty as they come - namely, tornadoes of the F4 and F5 varieties - North Dakota has seen a small handful, some of which made history.

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.Hels./Flickr

It struck on June 20th, 1957, as part of a long-lived, cyclic supercell storm that bore five tornadoes and violently ripped through parts of North Dakota and Minnesota. The town of Fargo was particularly hard-hit, killing ten and injuring 103.

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GPA Photo Archive/Flickr

Since 1950, there have been just three monstrous tornadoes rated as F5s, and at this point, one might be wondering: when can one expect tornadoes in North Dakota?

Gabriel Carson/Flickr

Most tornadoes in North Dakota occur in June, July, and August, with a few occasional early birds in May and a straggler or two in September. Tornadoes outside of those months are surprisingly rare, though they do occur occasionally.

USFWS Mountain-Prairie/Flickr

Of those 14 counties, only three (Cass, Morton, and Emmons) have seen the dreaded F5, and even still, those were back in the 1950s (all of them).

We’re not sure about you, but we’re perfectly okay with F5s – and nowadays, EF5s – staying far from us, way back in the annals of history. Have you ever experienced a tornado in North Dakota? When – and where – was it? Tell us your stories in the comments!