June tornado in North Dakota upgraded to EF5; first in U.S. since 2013

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Grand Forks has upgraded the June 20 tornado near Enderlin, North Dakota, to an EF5, the highest rating on the Enhanced Fujita scale, afer additional surveys and forensic damage analysis.

In a statement released Monday, the NWS said the tornado produced estimated peak winds of more than 210 mph. It touched down at 11:02 p.m. CDT south of Enderlin, remained on the ground for about 19 minutes, traveled 12.1 miles, and reached a maximum width of 1.05 miles. Three people were killed.

The reassessment was based on extensive work with wind damage experts, who determined that the tornado’s strength was sufficient to tip fully loaded grain hopper cars and toss an empty tanker car nearly 475 feet. Radar data also confirmed extreme wind velocities consistent with the new EF5 rating.

Damage surveys found that trees near the Maple River were stripped bare, with many trunks debarked or snapped, leaving only stubs behind.

At one farmstead along Highway 46, nearly all structures were obliterated, and debris was scattered downwind. Although analysts noted issues with building anchoring that slightly limited the overall structural rating, the surrounding tree destruction confirmed EF5 intensity.

An EF5 rating indicates wind speeds greater than 200 mph and represents the most extreme category on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which measures tornado strength based on observed damage. The EF scale ranges from EF0, with winds of 65–85 mph, to EF5, where winds cause near-total destruction of well-built structures.

This is the first EF5 tornado recorded in the United States since the May 20, 2013, Moore, Oklahoma tornado, which killed 24 people and destroyed hundreds of homes and two schools. EF5 tornadoes are extremely rare, with only 59 officially documented since records began in 1950.