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2025 Enderlin tornado
EF5 tornado in North Dakota, US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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On the night of June 20, 2025, a large and extremely violent EF5 tornado moved through rural North Dakota, passing near the community of Enderlin. Part of a larger outbreak and derecho sequence that occurred across the northern Great Plains between June 19–22, the tornado, internally referred to by the National Weather Service (NWS) as Enderlin Tornado #1,[1][3][b] was the first to be rated EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale since the 2013 Moore tornado on May 20, 2013, ending a 12-year-long period without tornadoes rated EF5. It killed three people, becoming the deadliest tornado to occur in North Dakota since the F4 tornado that struck Elgin in 1978.
The tornado was given a preliminary rating of EF3, with the highest wind speeds estimated at 160 mph (260 km/h).[4] However, this rating was upgraded to EF5 following additional surveys and forensic damage analysis for the tipping and lofting of several fully-loaded grain hopper cars and empty tanker cars conducted in association with wind damage experts and researchers at the Northern Tornadoes Project.[5] The tornado also destroyed multiple farmhouses and obliterated a forest along the Maple River. A statewide disaster was declared by the Governor of North Dakota following the tornado outbreak. In September, federal disaster relief was approved, but was stalled amid the 2025 United States federal government shutdown. Locals and other organizations volunteered to help with the recovery efforts.
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Meteorological synopsis
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On June 15, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) on its Day 6 outlook forecasted that a shortwave, mid-level ridge would move into the upper Mississippi River Valley and remain over the region throughout June 20. Beneath the ridge, a moist and unstable airmass was expected to be in place from the lower to mid-Missouri River Valley, northeastward into the western Great Lakes region. Instability and deep-layer wind shear were sufficient for a localized severe weather threat, though uncertainties remained on where the greatest potential for convection was.[6]
A seasonally strong mid-level trough was forecast to eject over the Northern Plains on June 20, which featured moderate upper-level divergence to promote lift and deep-layer shear.[6] The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Day 2 outlook mentioned that "a small area of uncapped and very unstable air mass, perhaps over northeast SD and southeast ND. Here, a conditional supercell and tornado risk will exist ... very large hail and tornadoes appear likely."[7]
At 8:15 p.m. on June 20, the SPC noted that storms developing over eastern North Dakota, while potentially elevated, were entering a favorable environment to become surface-based and pose a greater risk for hazards of severe weather. These storms followed to the southwest of a lone supercell already producing large hail. As these storms moved towards the Red River, favorable low-level wind conditions were forecast to support an increased threat of tornadoes, albeit in a smaller and localized region. At this time, forecasters noted that tornadoes could be strong, with the most likely peak wind speeds from any tornado being 120–150 mph (190–240 km/h)..[8] A few tornadoes touched down before the Enderlin tornado, including an EF3 tornado near Spiritwood and two EF2 tornadoes near Valley City and Fort Ransom, respectively; both moved in a southeasterly direction towards the Enderlin area.[9][10] The SPC released a mesoscale discussion concerning this with the potential for EF2/EF3–strength tornadoes to occur as a result.[9]
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Tornado summary
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Formation and peak intensity
The tornado initially touched down at 11:02 p.m. Central Daylight Time (UTC–5) along 58th Street SE, 3.8 miles (6.1 km) south of Enderlin in Ransom County. After snapping tree branches at EF0 intensity at its touchdown point, the tornado intensified and widened as it moved east-northeastward across County Road 55 through open fields.[4][11] The tornado then impacted the ADM Edible Bean Specialties grain elevator facility at the corner of 136th Avenue SE and County Road 136 at EF2 strength, snapping large trees and destroying an outbuilding.[11] The tornado then began a rapid intensification and widening phase as it turned northeastward. It reached EF5 intensity as it crossed CPKC's Elbow Lake Subdivision southeast of Enderlin, derailing numerous train cars on a stopped freight train. Five train cars were lofted, and 28 more were tipped over.[3][11][12][13] A home that was on the edge of the path sustained minor EF0 damage to its roof as well.[11]
The tornado then turned north-northeastward, growing to its peak width of 1.05 miles (1.69 km). It blew over a cell tower that was anchored by four cables into the ground, completely scoured crop fields, and snapped large trees, debarking some of them. It also leveled an unoccupied farmhouse, shifted another house off its foundation, and damaged or destroyed outbuildings. Damage in this area was rated EF2 to EF3.[11] The tornado then inflicted violent EF4 damage to trees as it moved along the Maple River and approached ND 46. An entire forest of trees along the river was leveled, with only stubs of the trees left behind. Severe debarking of trees was also noted, with some of them being "sandpapered," and some trees were lofted with the root ball attached, including one whose original location could not be determined.[11]
The violent tornado then crossed ND 46 into Cass County, and devastated two homes, with two deaths occurring in this area. The first home, along with a well-built detached garage nearby, was obliterated and swept away with all the debris scattered downwind of both structures. It was acknowledged that the tornado may have been even stronger at this location, but insufficient anchoring prevented a rating higher than mid-range EF4.[11] The second house, located approximately 300 yd (270 m) to the west of the first along 140th Avenue SE, along with nearby outbuildings, was leveled.[11][14] The tornado then crossed over the Maple River, leveling another swath of trees.[11]
Dissipation
The tornado then turned due north and paralleled 140th Avenue SE, snapping trees and damaging crops at EF2 strength. It also caused EF1 damage as it crossed along 52nd Street SE, shattering the windows of a home and inflicting roof damage to a mobile home.[11] The tornado then turned north-northwestward, leveling another farmhouse at high-end EF3 strength, and snapping numerous trees; one person was killed in the house.[4][11][14] After snapping more trees at EF2 strength, the tornado turned northwestward and toppled four tall steel electrical transmission towers at low-end EF3 strength; it also snapped wooden power poles in this area as it crossed County Road 38.[11][4] The tornado then quickly narrowed and weakened as it sharply looped back to the south along the southern end of the Utke Waterfowl Production Area, crossing County Road 16 twice, and snapping some additional hardwood tree trunks at EF2 strength before dissipating just west of the 50th Street SE and 138th Avenue SE intersection at 11:21 p.m. Central Daylight Time (UTC–5), approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Alice.[11][4][15]
Overall, the tornado was on the ground for 19 minutes, had a path length of 12.10 miles (19.47 km), and reached a peak width of 1.05 miles (1.69 km).[16] According to the Enderlin–Sheldon Fire Department, 10 homes sustained some form of damage from the storm.[17][18] Shortly after the dissipation of the Enderlin tornado, a second large tornado formed just east of the first tornado's path at 11:22 p.m. CDT. Moving southeast, this second tornado caused EF2 damage to trees and outbuildings across a 6.82 miles (10.98 km) path before dissipating at 11:34 p.m. CDT.[11]
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Aftermath
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Casualties and recovery efforts
Governor of North Dakota Kelly Armstrong declared a statewide disaster following the tornado, activating the state's "Emergency Operations Plan".[17] On June 24, over 150 volunteers joined in a joint cleanup operation.[19][20] The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement sent disaster teams to Enderlin to aid in recovery efforts,[21] and volunteers from the Northern Plains UAS Test Site deployed an Unmanned Aerial System to help residents find personal items that had been lost as a result of the tornado.[22][23] North Bank set up a fund for victims of the tornado, and the Enderlin Fire Department assisted in initial clean-up efforts.[24][25]
The town of Enderlin itself was not affected by the tornado, although it lost power due to the storm.[26] Debris fallout from the tornado extended to Moorhead, Minnesota, 40 miles (64 km) from where they originated. Here, a photograph and a tax return form, both belonging to those killed in the tornado, were found after the storm carried them there.[27]
The 2025 United States federal government shutdown, which was ongoing at the time of the tornado's upgrade to an EF5 rating, made disaster assistance unavailable until the shutdown ends;[28][29] President Donald Trump had approved Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster relief to assist the month prior.[30]
The tornado killed three people, all in the vicinity of Enderlin.[31][15] The three deaths occurred at two different locations along the tornado's path.[32] It was the deadliest tornado to strike the state since 1978, when an F4 tornado killed five people in Elgin.[33][34][2]
Rating upgrade
The National Weather Service office in Grand Forks, North Dakota, originally gave the tornado an EF3 rating.[35] Peak winds were estimated to be around 160 miles per hour (260 km/h).[36]
On October 6, 2025, the NWS Grand Forks, with assistance from several engineers including Timothy P. Marshall,[37] released a revised survey of the Enderlin tornado. Its final rating was upgraded to EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, with maximum winds estimated to be over 210 miles per hour (340 km/h; 94 m/s).[3][12] The tornado also caused high-end damage in other areas, although the construction at these areas limited said damage points to being upgraded from high-end EF3 to mid-range EF4. The strong winds correlated to the indicated winds on the WSR-88D Storm-Relative Velocity data from the Grand Forks radar site.[3]
The method by which the intensity of the tornado, and thus the upgrade to an EF5 rating, was calculated from the train cars was by using the distance of large, compact objects lofted and thrown by a tornado. This new method was outlined in a study authored by a team of scientists and engineers of the Northern Tornadoes Project, and published in the peer-reviewed journal Monthly Weather Review in 2024.[38] In this study, researchers with the Northern Tornadoes Project attempted to find a way to translate the distance large and compact objects, such as farm equipment and vehicles, into damage indicators that indicate the intensity of a tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The study used tornadoes throughout Canada as examples, and found that these tornadoes, which occurred near Alonsa, Manitoba on August 3, 2018, Scarth, Manitoba, on August 7, 2020, and Didsbury, Alberta, on July 1, 2023, were all most likely of EF5 intensity, based on Monte Carlo simulations on cumulative distribution functions showing the likelihood of lofting at each wind speed based on the weight and distance of objects lofted.[39]
In all, it was determined that 33 cars on the train derailed;[13] 19 of them were fully loaded grain hopper cars weighing up to 286,000 lb (130,000 kg) that were all tipped over, with one of them being pulled off the tracks and thrown into an adjacent field. The other 14 cars were empty tanker cars weighing up to 72,000 lb (33,000 kg). Four of the cars were thrown out into the field, including one that was tossed 600–1,000 ft (180–300 m), landing 475.7 ft (145.0 m) away from the previous tank car it was attached to. Wheel sets from the derailed cars detached at the locations where the cars came off the rails. Collaborating with wind damage experts and the Northern Tornadoes Project, the NWS determined that winds of 230 mph (370 km/h) were needed to tip over a fully loaded grain car and winds of over 266 mph (428 km/h) to throw a tank car 475.7 ft (145.0 m).[40] In addition, extreme radar measurements were observed around the time that EF5-rated damage was being inflicted. It was also determined that the train cars were lofted twice as far as the EF5 threshold distance and four times heavier than the heaviest object model in the reanalysis. Prior to the reanalysis, the damage to the train cars had been left unrated since train cars are not standard damage indicators.[41][11]
Melinda Beerends, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service office in Grand Forks, stated that "In the last kind of 12 years, there's been several strong tornadoes that have come close, but there haven't been known damage indicators at that time to support the EF5 rating ... it's hard sometimes to get tornadoes to hit something."[42] The upgraded rating ended the EF5 drought that had begun following the May 2013 Moore, Oklahoma, tornado.[43] The tornado was additionally the first to be rated F5 or EF5 in the month of June since the 1992 Chandler–Lake Wilson tornado in the United States.[44][45]
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See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2025 Enderlin tornado.
- List of F5, EF5, and IF5 tornadoes
- Greensburg tornado – another nighttime EF5 tornado in 2007 with a pronounced leftward turn at the end of its lifespan
- Fargo tornado - another F5 tornado that hit North Dakota exactly 68 years before
Notes
- While the Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT) and the official NWS statement announcing the upgrade list the damage indicator as >210 mph, commentary by the National Weather Service in collaboration with the Northern Tornadoes Project at the University of Western Ontario's Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory mentioned that winds of >266 mph (428 km/h) were needed to loft the empty tanker car 475.7 ft (145 m).[1]
- The National Weather Service identified a second tornado, rated EF2, in the Enderlin area.
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References
External links
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