States › North Dakota › Nelson County
Nelson County, North Dakota
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 725 storm events in Nelson County, North Dakota, led by hail.
That is 73.8 events per 100 square miles, above the North Dakota figure of 48.3, and 2,373.9 per 10,000 residents against 430.4 statewide.
8 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 0 deaths and 1 injury to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $34M and crop damage at $22M.
FEMA has designated the county in 33 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes (major disaster, 22 Oct 2025).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 52 claims since 1978, of which 39 were paid, totalling $1.0M (about $26K per paid claim).
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Very Low" and its expected annual loss as "Very Low" ($3.0M a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with North Dakota and the United States
| Measure | Nelson County | North Dakota | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 725 | 33,350 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 73.8 | 48.3 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 2,373.9 | 430.4 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 8 | 1,019 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 0 | 100 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $34M | $5.6B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 17.0 | 17.2 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $26K | $24K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | — | 4.5 | 16.1 |
County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.
Events by decade
Trend: 416 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 279 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.
Events by type
Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.
Largest recorded events
| Date | Event type | Group | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Jun 2000 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $2.0M | $12M | — | — | County |
| 20 Dec 1996 | Blizzard | Winter | — | — | — | — | 1 | Forecast zone |
| 27 Jun 1997 | Hail | Hail | 2.75 in | $10M | — | — | — | County |
| 5 Apr 1997 | Blizzard | Winter | — | $6.0M | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 4 Apr 1997 | Ice Storm | Winter | — | $6.0M | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 21 Sep 2019 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $125K | $5.0M | — | — | County |
| 20 Sep 2019 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $125K | $5.0M | — | — | County |
| 1 Aug 2001 | Flood | Flood | — | $5.0M | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 1 Jun 2009 | Flood | Flood | — | $2.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Jul 2009 | Flood | Flood | — | $2.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Jul 1987 | Tornado | Tornado | F0 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Jul 2001 | Tornado | Tornado | F3 | $200K | — | — | — | County |
| 27 Jun 2009 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $20K | $100K | — | — | County |
| 1 Nov 1999 | High Wind | Wind | 76 mph | $100K | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 6 Jun 1999 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $100K | — | — | — | County |
Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.
Federal disaster declarations
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct 2025 | DR-4895 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes | Public assistance |
| 5 Jul 2023 | DR-4717 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Public assistance |
| 5 Feb 2023 | DR-4686 | Major disaster | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, And Straight-Line Winds | Public assistance |
| 13 Jul 2022 | DR-4660 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 2 Oct 2020 | DR-4565 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 9 Jul 2020 | DR-4553 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Public assistance |
| 1 Apr 2020 | DR-4509 | Major disaster | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2020 | EM-3477 | Emergency | Biological | Covid-19 | Public assistance |
| 21 Jan 2020 | DR-4475 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Public assistance |
| 12 Jul 2013 | DR-4128 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 10 May 2011 | DR-1981 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Public assistance |
| 7 Apr 2011 | EM-3318 | Emergency | Flood | Flooding | Public assistance |
| 30 Apr 2010 | DR-1907 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Public assistance |
| 14 Mar 2010 | EM-3309 | Emergency | Flood | Flooding | Public assistance |
| 24 Mar 2009 | DR-1829 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Sep 2005 | EM-3247 | Emergency | Coastal Storm | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 22 Jul 2005 | DR-1597 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, And Ground Saturation | Public assistance |
| 5 May 2004 | DR-1515 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, And Ground Saturation | Public assistance |
| 28 May 2001 | DR-1376 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, & Ground Saturation | Public assistance |
| 27 Jun 2000 | DR-1334 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding And Ground Saturation | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 8 Jun 1999 | DR-1279 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Snow, Ice, Ground Saturation, Lanslides, Mudslides, And Tor | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 15 Jun 1998 | DR-1220 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding, Ground Saturation,Severe Storms | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 7 Apr 1997 | DR-1174 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Flooding,Severe Winter Storms, Snowmelt, Spring Rains | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 12 Jan 1997 | DR-1157 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms And Blizzard Conditions | Public assistance |
| 5 Jun 1996 | DR-1118 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms,Flooding, & Ice Jams | Public assistance |
| 16 May 1995 | DR-1050 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, And Ground Saturation | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 1 Jul 1994 | DR-1032 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding | Public assistance |
| 26 Jul 1993 | DR-1001 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 26 Apr 1979 | DR-581 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, Snowmelt & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 14 May 1974 | DR-434 | Major disaster | Flood | Heavy Rains, Snowmelt & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 18 Apr 1969 | DR-256 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 23 Mar 1966 | DR-216 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 10 May 1965 | DR-195 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.
Flood insurance claims
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | $9,240 | $9,240 |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2011 | 3 | 3 | $93,000 | $31,000 |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | $41,400 | $41,400 |
| 2007 | 2 | 2 | $25,654 | $12,827 |
| 2006 | 15 | 15 | $482,034 | $32,136 |
| 2005 | 11 | 9 | $209,930 | $23,326 |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2001 | 1 | 1 | $54,500 | $54,500 |
| 2000 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1999 | 4 | 2 | $3,050 | $1,525 |
| 1998 | 6 | 2 | $37,500 | $18,750 |
| 1997 | 4 | 3 | $61,172 | $20,391 |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).
National Risk Index
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Cold wave | $908,182 | |
| Hail | $675,588 | |
| Inland flooding | $459,711 | |
| Ice storm | $282,518 | |
| Strong wind | $202,613 | |
| Tornado | $192,521 | |
| Winter weather | $115,873 | |
| Wildfire | $106,475 | |
| Drought | $12,332 | |
| Lightning | $11,824 | |
| Heat wave | $8,712 | |
| Earthquake | $1,156 | |
| Landslide | $256 |
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.
Hurricane and tropical storm passes
No HURDAT2 track at tropical-storm strength passes within 100 miles of the county's centre point (through the 2025 season).
ZIP codes with flood claims
ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.
Questions and answers
How often does it hail in Nelson County, ND?
NCEI records 187 hail events in Nelson County since 1950, in 44 different years; that is about 2.4 recorded events a year. 39 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Nelson County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 41 tornadoes in Nelson County since 1950, 2 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Nelson County?
22 Oct 2025: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes, a major disaster declaration for severe storm. The county appears in 33 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Nelson County, and how much was paid?
52 NFIP claims since 1978, 39 of them paid, for $1.0M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Nelson County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Very Low" for overall risk, "Very Low" for expected annual loss, "Very High" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Moderate" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Nelson County compare with the rest of North Dakota?
73.8 recorded events per 100 square miles against 48.3 statewide, and 17.0 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 17.2. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.
Provenance
Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.