What the record says
On 12 August 2010, a tornado touched down near Bowbells, North Dakota. The Storm Prediction Center records its path as 5 miles long and up to 400 yards wide, rated EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. It killed 1 person and injured 1.
- EF3Enhanced Fujita rating
- 1death
- 1injury
- 5 mipath length
- 400 ydmaximum width
It has its own page because it was rated 3 and killed at least one person.
This page gives the official record's figures. Numbers of deaths and injuries are sometimes revised after a survey, and they cannot convey what the day was like for the people who lived through it.
Counties it crossed
The start point was at 48.81, -102.19 and the end point at 48.80, -102.08 (latitude, longitude).
How to read this path
The Storm Prediction Center records most tornadoes as a straight line from the point where they touched down to the point where they lifted. The real path usually curved and was not the same width all the way along. The width given is the widest part. Older records are less precise, and the record starts in 1950.
Source: the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, public domain.
Other notable tornadoes in North Dakota
- Fargo, North Dakota tornado20 June 1957, F5, 10 deaths, 103 injuries, 52.4 miles long
- Elgin, North Dakota tornado4 July 1978, F4, 5 deaths, 35 injuries, 26 miles long
- Enderlin, North Dakota tornado20 June 2025, EF5, 3 deaths, 12.1 miles long
- Solen, North Dakota tornado29 May 1953, F5, 2 deaths, 20 injuries, 14.8 miles long
- Walcott, North Dakota tornado2 July 1955, F4, 2 deaths, 19 injuries, 9.1 miles long
- Venturia, North Dakota tornado31 July 1966, F3, 2 deaths, 4 injuries, 26.4 miles long
Other notable tornadoes of 2010
- Tallulah, Louisiana tornado24 April 2010, EF4, 10 deaths, 146 injuries, 149 miles long
- Perrysburg, Ohio tornado5 June 2010, EF4, 7 deaths, 28 injuries, 8.8 miles long
- Westville, Oklahoma tornado31 December 2010, EF3, 4 deaths, 10 injuries, 21.1 miles long
- Ashland, Mississippi tornado2 May 2010, EF3, 3 deaths, 9 injuries, 29.6 miles long
- Moore, Oklahoma tornado10 May 2010, EF4, 2 deaths, 49 injuries, 24 miles long
All tornadoes of 2010 · North Dakota tornado history · All notable tornadoes