Nelson County, ND Environment & Hazard Risk

• HailRelatively Moderate$676K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.7 events a year
• Ice stormRelatively Moderate$283K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$116K/yr expected annual loss, about 22 events a year
• WildfireRelatively Low$106K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 877 years
• Cold waveRelatively Low$908K/yr expected annual loss, about 23 events a year
• LandslideVery Low$256/yr expected annual loss, about once every 10 years
• Strong windRelatively Low$203K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.1 events a year
• DroughtVery Low$12.3K/yr expected annual loss, about 10.0 events a year
• TornadoVery Low$193K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
• Heat waveVery Low$8,712/yr expected annual loss, about 1.0 events a year
• LightningVery Low$11.8K/yr expected annual loss, about 27 events a year
• EarthquakeVery Low$1,156/yr expected annual loss, about once every 11,364 years

Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, coastal flooding, hurricane, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes in high-risk flood zones

1

Flood claims since 1978

52

Claims paid since 1978

$1M

• Hail159
• Thunderstorm Wind118
• Blizzard69
• Extreme Cold/Wind Chill62
• Winter Storm48
• Flood44
• High Wind32
• Heavy Snow31
• Tornado31
• Cold/Wind Chill20

• Flash Flood06/13/2000

  Petersburg, Nelson County

  $14M damage

  What happened

  After 10 to 15 inches of rain fell across portions of east central Nelson county, flash flooding occurred. Part of the road shoulder washed out at the US Highway 2 overpass near Petersburg, reducing the traffic to one lane. Several farmsteads were surrounded by water. 45 percent of the cropland in Nelson county was destroyed.

• Hail2.75" hail06/28/1997

  Michigan, Nelson County

  $10M damage

  What happened

  Most of the 190 homes in Michigan suffered roof damage and broken windows. Many vehicles were also dented. The two implement dealers in Michigan suffered extensive damage to their inventories.

• Blizzard04/05/1997

  Nelson

  $6M damage

  What happened

  With falling temperatures on the back side of the low, the freezing rain turned to ice pellets and then to snow. A strong pressure gradient created winds up to 65 mph, dropping visibilities down to zero. The strong wind, on top of heavy ice accumulations, caused thousands of power poles to snap. This cut power to over 100,000 people in eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota and resulted in $30 million in damages just to the power infrastructure. A 2,060 foot television tower collapsed near Galesburg on April 5th. With power cut, many people had to seek shelters with generator power in order to keep warm. Some smaller communities were without power for more than a week. Most television and radio stations were knocked off the air, causing one Fargo radio station to become the only source of storm news for the area. In Grand Forks, 3 inches of ice pellets fell, and as the wind increased, one foot drifts of ice pellets were created. Snowfall totals on the 6th ranged around 7 inches. Interstates 29 and 94 were both closed in North Dakota, along with US Highway 2 from Lakota to Grand Forks. A 33 year-old Lankin man died from exposure, after walking away from his...

• Ice Storm04/04/1997

  Nelson

  $6M damage

  What happened

  An intense low pressure system, with center pressures around 28.8 inches, tracked from Fergus Falls to International Falls, Minnesota. The initial rain was accompanied by lightning and thunder in southern Grand Forks county, and then changed to freezing rain as the temperature dropped. One-half to 2 inches of ice built up on exposed surfaces. Hundreds of power poles and lines snapped due to the weight of the ice, cutting power to many homes and businesses, many of which were beginning to fight the spring flood. The wind reporting systems on the AWOS and ASOS sites across eastern North Dakota froze in place, remaining out for 7 days. The three inches of liquid equivalent from the storm fell on top of a record snowpack.

• Flash Flood09/21/2019

  Mc Ville, Nelson County

  $5.1M damage

  What happened

  Streets, low spots, rivers, and basements were flooded by 4 to 9 inches of rain over a short duration of time. Cars that got stuck in the flood waters were abandoned where they stalled. Farm fields and access roads were also flooded.

• Flash Flood09/21/2019

  Aneta, Nelson County

  $5.1M damage

  What happened

  Streets, low spots, rivers, and basements were flooded by 4 to 9 inches of rain over a short duration of time. Cars that got stuck in the flood waters were abandoned where they stalled. Farm fields and access roads were also flooded.

• Tri-County Water DistrictServes 2,501 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations
• Lakota City ofServes 672 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+4 monitoring or reporting
• Mcville City ofServes 349 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
• Michigan City ofServes 294 · Groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
• Aneta City ofServes 222 · Purchased groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations
• Tolna City ofServes 166 · Purchased groundwater · Local governmentNo health violations+10 monitoring or reporting