North Dakota Tornado: Deaths & Storm Damage
Devastating tornadoes ripped through the Midwest, leaving a path of destruction in their wake. Our report focuses on the tragic impact in North dakota, where a tornado outbreak claimed three lives in the rural town of Enderlin. The severe whether also triggered widespread power outages affecting tens of thousands across the region, including areas in Minnesota and Wisconsin. emergency responders are on the scene, assessing the damage and providing aid.The storms brought torrential rain and damaging winds. Find the latest updates on the impact of these severe storms, including details from News Directory 3. Discover what’s next …
Midwest Storms Kill 3, Leave Thousands Without Power
Updated June 21, 2025
Violent storms tore through the upper Midwest Friday and Saturday, leaving a trail of destruction.Three deaths were reported in North Dakota, and tens of thousands of residents in northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin are without power. The severe weather, fueled by a complex storm system, brought tornados, large hail and powerful wind gusts, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Hurley.
In Enderlin, N.D., about 57 miles southwest of Fargo, a tornado claimed the lives of two men and one woman at separate locations, Cass County Sheriff Jesse Jahner said at a Saturday press conference. Timothy Lynch, lead forecaster with the weather service’s Grand Forks office, confirmed the tornado and said crews are assessing its strength and wind speeds. The storm impacted Cass and Ransom counties, Lynch told The Associated Press, adding, “It was a pretty major event.” Approximately 20,000 customers in North Dakota are without power.
Just after midnight, a tornado warning was issued for Beltrami County, Minn. Torrential rains caused flash flooding in downtown Bemidji, and downed trees blocked numerous roads, according to county emergency manager Christopher Muller. He described the damage in the bemidji area,more than 200 miles northwest of Minneapolis,as “extensive,” noting scores of fallen power lines. The weather service’s Grand Forks branch recorded wind gusts up to 106 mph at Bemidji Regional Airport just before 1 a.m. Saturday.
“I cannot ever recall hearing a rushing wind like that!” Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince posted on Facebook early Saturday.He added that his neighborhood saw many downed trees and severe home damage. Muller reported roofs torn off buildings, vehicles flipped, windows blown in at the regional medical center, and thousands of trees down. He also noted about 25 gas leaks around Bemidji and apartment buildings with roofs torn off.
muller urged residents reporting property damage to wait until the emergency subsides so dispatchers can prioritize emergency calls. Displaced residents needing assistance were directed to the Sanford Convention Center. Many Bemidji-area businesses announced closures due to power outages.Muller warned residents to prepare for “long-term power outages” due to infrastructure damage. As of late saturday afternoon, more than 17,000 customers in northern Minnesota and about 23,000 in Wisconsin remained without power, according to poweroutage.us.
Itasca State Park, about 30 miles southwest of Bemidji, experienced a “traumatic wind event overnight” and is without power, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced Saturday. All park buildings and programming are closed, with only vault toilets available. All roadways are passable except Wilderness Drive, and its bike trail is also impassable.
What’s next
the storm clean-up effort occurs amid hazardous heat across the Midwest and Northern Plains, with heat indexes expected to reach the 100s in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Iowa. Almost 59 million Americans are under an extreme heat warning Saturday, and another 84 million are under a heat advisory.