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2025 Enderlin tornado

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2025 Enderlin tornado
Clockwise from top: The tornado's mesocyclone, seen from a security camera, The tracks of the June 20th Enderlin tornadoes, the tornado at peak intensity near Enderlin at 11:08 PM CDT, as seen from the NEXRAD site in Fargo, North Dakota
Meteorological history
FormedJune 20, 2025, 11:02 p.m. CDT (UTC–05:00)
DissipatedJune 20, 2025, 11:21 p.m. CDT (UTC–05:00)
Duration19 minutes
EF5 tornado
on the Enhanced Fujita scale
Path length12.10 miles (19.47 km)
Highest winds
Overall effects
Fatalities3[2]
Injuries0
Areas affectedAreas near Enderlin, North Dakota
Part of the tornado outbreak and derecho of June 19–22, 2025 and tornado outbreaks of 2025

In the late-night hours of June 20, 2025, a large and extremely violent EF5 tornado moved through areas near Enderlin, North Dakota. 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] was the first to be rated EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale since the Moore, Oklahoma tornado on May 20, 2013, ending a historic 12-year-long drought of EF5 tornadoes. The tornado, the first of such intensity in North Dakota since the 1957 Fargo tornado, reached a peak width of 1.05 miles (1.69 km)[3] and remained on the ground for 19 minutes while tracking for an estimated 12.10 miles (19.47 km).

The tornado first touched down at 11:02 p.m. CDT approximately 3.8 miles (6.1 km) south of Enderlin in Ransom County. After intensifying to EF2 strength, destroying an outbuilding and snapping trees, the tornado became extremely violent southeast of Enderlin, derailing and tossing several train cars and empty tanker cars at EF5 intensity. The tornado continued northeast, destroying a substandard-construction farmhouse and causing intense tree damage. The tornado caused extreme forestry damage and destroyed a couple of homes along ND-46, killing one couple inside their home. For the remainder of the path; several trees were snapped, multiple metal truss towers were toppled, and another home was mostly leveled, resulting in another fatality. The tornado dissipated at 11:21 p.m. In total, three people were killed. The tornado's parent storm, or supercell, immediately produced another strong tornado just east of the track of the EF5 tornado.

The tornado was initially rated as high-end EF3, with the highest wind speeds estimated at 160 mph (260 km/h).[4] An extensive forensic reanalysis of the train damage in association with wind damage experts, including Tim Marshall and the Northern Tornadoes Project, led to the EF5 upgrade.

Meteorological synopsis

A seasonally strong midlevel trough was forecast to eject over the Northern Plains on June 20, featuring moderate upper-level divergence.[5] This trough brought high to extreme convective available potential energy (CAPE) to the Dakotas and Minnesota, on the order of 3000 to 4000 J/kg, as well as seasonally strong winds aloft, as demonstrated by the 00z Aberdeen sounding. With a strong nocturnal low-level jet forecast to emerge past dusk, low-level shear would also be more than sufficient for strong tornadoes. These combined factors resulted in significant tornado parameters past 10. However, before the event, the level of convection in the prime parameter space was dubious, as forcing for ascent was low and temperatures were forecast to be 14°C or higher, which would set up a warm nose and severely inhibit any nascent updrafts. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Day 2 outlook mentioned that "the nose of the low-level lapse rate plume should result in at least 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. Should storms form in this area around or after 00Z, very large hail and tornadoes appear likely."[6]

Tornado summary

EF4 Tree Damage

Formation and peak intensity

The tornado initially touched down at 11:02 p.m. CDT along 58th Street SE, 3.8 miles south of Enderlin. After snapping tree branches at EF0 intensity at its touchdown point, the tornado intensified and widened as it moved northeastward across County Road 55 through open fields. The tornado then impacted the ADM Edible Bean Specialties facility at the corner of 136th Avenue SE and County Road 136 at 11:05 p.m. at EF2 strength, snapping large trees and destroying an outbuilding.[7] The tornado then began a dramatic, rapid intensification and widening phase as it continued northeastward. It peaked in intensity at 11:06 p.m. as it crossed a CPKC rail line southeast of Enderlin, derailing numerous train cars on a stopped freight train south of ND 46.[7]

A map with several polygons and lines showing the tornado's strength at a given location
Track and intensity map of the tornado through areas southeast of Enderlin.
Key
  EF0 65–85 mph
  EF1 86–110 mph
  EF2 111–135 mph
  EF3 136–165 mph
  EF4 166–200 mph
  EF5 >200 mph

Initially, this damage was unrated. However, forensic evidence suggested that the tornado was extremely violent at this location. In all, 33 cars on the train derailed; 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 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 at University of Western Ontario's Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory, the National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North Dakota 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 the tank car 475.7 ft (145.0 m). Based on this, the damage rating for this location was upgraded to EF5, marking the end of the historic 12-year EF5 drought.[1] In addition, extreme radar measurements were observed around the time that EF5-rated damage was being inflicted.[8]

Continuation and dissipation

Continuing north, the tornado blew over a cell tower, damaged crop fields, and snapped large trees, debarking some of them. A farmhouse was also swept away at low-end EF3 intensity, and nearby outbuildings were destroyed. Crossing the highway, the tornado devastated two homes at 11:11 p.m., both at EF4 intensity. The first was completely destroyed, its foundation swept clean of debris, and two people were killed. The second house, located approximately 300 yd (270 m) to the west of the first, had all of its walls collapsed, and another person was killed there. Lack of anchoring prevented a higher rating for the homes.[7][4][9] The tornado then began to turn northwest, toppling several tall steel electrical transmission towers at 11:17 p.m. at EF3 intensity and snapping hardwood tree trunks at 11:20 p.m. at EF2 intensity before weakening and dissipating at 11:21 p.m. CDT, approximately five miles southwest of Alice.[4][10] A piece of mail was thrown over 40 mi (64 km) and landed in a woman's backyard.[11]

Aftermath

Casualties

The tornado killed three people, all in the vicinity of Enderlin. Two men, one 73 years old and another 89, and one woman, 73 years old, made up the death toll.[12][10] The three deaths occurred at two different locations along the tornado's path.[13] It was the deadliest tornado to strike the state since 1978,[2] when an F4 tornado killed five people in Elgin.[14][15]

List of fatalities attributed to the tornado[15]
Name Age
Michael Dalton Dehn 73
Katherine Ann Pfaff-Dehn 73
Marcario Machuca Lucio 89

Rating upgrade

An aerial photograph of a field, with a tipped-over train car being visible
EF5-rated damage to several full grain train cars and empty tank cars tossed and derailed near Enderlin.

In the preliminary National Weather Service survey taken after the event, the Enderlin tornado was assigned a rating of EF3 with winds of 160 mph (260 km/h).[16][17][18] On October 6, 2025, the National Weather Service in Grand Forks upgraded the Enderlin tornado to EF5 with winds of over 210 mph (340 km/h) based on the lofting of the train cars,[1] and with contributing tree damage along the Maple River.[19] Researchers at the Northern Tornadoes Project in Canada assisted the National Weather Service's Grand Forks office with calculating the estimated wind speed required to loft the train car based on procedures established in a 2024 paper.[20][21] The tornado also caused high-end damage in other areas, although construction limitations did not allow for the damage to be rated EF5. The strong winds correlated to the indicated winds on the WSR-88D Storm-Relative Velocity data from KMVX.[1] It was the first tornado to be given an EF5 rating in 12 years,[22][23][24] and the first in North Dakota since the Fargo tornado exactly 68 years prior.[25]

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”.[26]

The upgraded rating ended the EF5 drought that had begun after May 2013.[27][28][29]

See also

English Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Notes

  1. ^ While the Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT) lists 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]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "...Enderlin Tornado #1 Upgraded to EF-5..." Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Enderlin tornado that claimed 3 lives is North Dakota's deadliest since 1978". The Dakotan. June 24, 2025. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  3. ^ Raza, Sarah (October 6, 2025). "EF5 tornado that killed 3 in North Dakota was the nation's first in 12 years". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c National Weather Service in Grand Forks, North Dakota (June 23, 2025). NWS Damage Survey for 6/20/2025 Enderlin Tornadoes (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
  5. ^ "Mesoscale Analysis Archive". Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  6. ^ "Storm Prediction Center Jun 19, 2025 1730 UTC Day 2 Convective Outlook". Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT)". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  8. ^ "EF-5 tornado drought comes to an end after June North Dakota tornado gets an upgrade". WQAD. October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  9. ^ "At least 3 dead in North Dakota after severe weather swept across region". ABC News. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  10. ^ a b "The U.S.'s strongest tornado in 12 years hit North Dakota in June, National Weather Service says". CBS News. October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  11. ^ "Debris from Enderlin tornado victims lands in two Moorhead yards". WDAY-TV. July 11, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  12. ^ "Enderlin tornado that claimed 3 lives is North Dakota's deadliest since 1978". North Dakota Monitor. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  13. ^ "A tornado that swept through a rural town in North Dakota left at least 3 people dead". AP News. June 21, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  14. ^ Morse, Jacob (July 4, 2025). "Grant County resident describes destruction of 1978 July 4 F4 tornado". KFYR-TV. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  15. ^ a b Zatz, Sydney (June 22, 2025). "Cass County Sheriff's Office identifies victims in deadly Enderlin tornado". KVLY-TV. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  16. ^ "3 who died in Enderlin tornado named". Grand Forks Herald. June 22, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  17. ^ Nelson, T. J. (June 24, 2025). "Enderlin saw two tornadoes hit on Friday night, the first one was the strongest at a preliminary F3". KVRR. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  18. ^ Williams, Chris (June 23, 2025). "Watch: Doorbell camera captures glimpse of giant wall cloud". KMSP-TV. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  19. ^ Rice, Doyle (October 6, 2025). "USA's record tornado 'drought' ends with 210 mph monster in Dakotas". USA Today. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  20. ^ "Research assists with rating historic EF5 tornado in northern United States". Western News. October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  21. ^ Miller, Connell; Kopp, Gregory; Sills, David; Butt, Daniel (August 7, 2024). "Estimating Wind Speeds in Tornadoes Using Debris Trajectories of Large Compact Objects". Monthly Weather Review. 152 (8): 1859–1881. Bibcode:2024MWRv..152.1859M. doi:10.1175/MWR-D-23-0251.1 – via American Meteorological Society.
  22. ^ "A tornado in North Dakota was first with EF5 classification in a dozen years, weather service says". Associated Press. Sioux Falls. October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  23. ^ Bates, Sabrina (October 6, 2025). "North Dakota twister rated first EF-5 since 2013 Moore tornado". KOCO. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  24. ^ North Dakota Tornado Upgraded To EF5, First In 12 Years. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via The Weather Channel.
  25. ^ Gonzalez, Michael (October 6, 2025). "North Dakota twister becomes first United States EF5 in twelve years". KX News. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  26. ^ "North Dakota tornado was the first at EF5 strength in a dozen years". WLNS. October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  27. ^ "North Dakota Tornado Gets Upgraded, Ending EF5 Drought". The Weather Channel. October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  28. ^ Lagrange, Jobie (October 6, 2025). "NWS upgrades Enderlin Tornado to EF-5, ending U.S. "EF-5 Drought" since Moore 2013". KATC. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  29. ^ "The first EF5 tornado since 2013 has been confirmed in North Dakota". AccuWeather via Yahoo News. October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
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