Bismarck, N.D. – A swarm of tornadoes tore across central North Dakota Sunday afternoon, prompting dozens of reports from storm chasers and residents. Roads, barns, and rural properties in Burleigh, Emmons, McLean, McHenry, and Sheridan counties saw the brunt of the damage.
According to the National Weather Service in Bismarck, 19 preliminary tornado reports were filed, including several large wedge and multi-vortex tornadoes. The agency stressed that some of these may be duplicate sightings of the same storm. Crews will conduct storm surveys in the coming days to confirm the actual number of tornadoes.
In Burleigh County, storm chasers tracked a large tornado near Baldwin and a multi-vortex system north of Arena. Farther south in Emmons County, a tornado near Cannon Ball reportedly damaged a barn. In McLean County, radar confirmed debris signatures from a wedge tornado near Krueger Lake, while McHenry County reported a rain-wrapped storm near Karlsruhe.
The tornado threat has ended for now, but thunderstorms with heavy rain will continue overnight. Residents are urged to report damage, hail, or rainfall totals to the National Weather Service to aid survey efforts.
