North Dakota Tornado Upgraded to EF5—America’s First in Over a Decade
On June 20, 2025, a devastating tornado tore through Enderlin, North Dakota, leaving behind a trail of destruction and claiming three lives. Initially rated as an EF3, the storm has now been officially upgraded to an EF5, the highest classification on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. This marks the first EF5 tornado in the United States since 2013, ending a 12-year drought of the most extreme tornado category.
An EF5 tornado is defined by wind speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour (322 km/h). These storms are capable of:
Sweeping away well-built homes
Uprooting and debarking trees
Tossing vehicles and even train cars hundreds of feet
Causing catastrophic damage over wide areas
The Enderlin tornado met these criteria after extensive analysis by the National Weather Service (NWS), which found evidence of train cars being lofted nearly 500 feet and grain hoppers tipped over, confirming wind speeds above 210 mph.
Path and Impact
Location: Enderlin, North Dakota (60 miles southwest of Fargo)
Date: June 20, 2025
Fatalities: 3 confirmed deaths
Path length: Over 12 miles
Width: More than 1 mile at peak
Damage: Farmsteads swept off foundations, trees stripped and snapped, rail cars derailed
The tornado was part of a larger derecho system that brought widespread wind damage across North Dakota and into Minnesota.
Why the Upgrade Took Months
Although the tornado struck in June, the EF5 rating was only confirmed in October 2025. The delay occurred because:
Damage surveys require forensic analysis
Engineers and meteorologists reviewed structural failures
Wind speed estimates were based on physical damage indicators like train car displacement
Without these indicators, the tornado might have remained classified as EF3 or EF4.
The last EF5 tornado in the U.S. occurred in Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20, 2013, killing 24 people. Since then, no tornado had met the criteria for EF5—until Enderlin. This makes the June 2025 event historically significant for meteorologists and disaster researchers.
The North Dakota EF5 tornado is a stark reminder of nature’s power and unpredictability. As climate patterns shift and extreme weather events become more frequent, accurate classification and rapid response remain critical. For Enderlin and the surrounding communities, the scars of June 20 will not be forgotten—but the lessons learned may help save lives in the future.