EF1 tornado in Hettinger County, North Dakota

A tornado moved from southwest of Mott towards the east-northeast for just over three miles. Initial damage was to large cottonwood trees at a farmstead, along with light damage to the home. About half-way through the tornado path, another home was severely damaged. The entire attached three stall garage was destroyed and half the roof was torn from the home. Windows were broken and vehicles were damaged. Debris was strewn through nearby fields for one mile. No injuries or fatalities occurred, as the occupants of both homes took shelter.

A compact upper level low approached North Dakota while strong instability and very strong deep layer shear were present over a broad portion of the state. Storms initiated over eastern Montana into southwest North Dakota and moved across the area in the evening and overnight hours. Storms were slow to intensify at first, then around 730 pm CDT explosive growth occurred over western North Dakota. Strong supercells developed producing very large hail along with funnel clouds. There were two confirmed tornadoes. One caused damage to a home south of Mott in Hettinger County, while the other occurred over rural areas between Arnegard and Watford City in McKenzie County. Severe storms continued overnight with the threat switching to primarily strong winds over south central North Dakota where there were multiple reports of damage. The greatest damage was in Logan County where a high-voltage electrical transmission structure was toppled.