Tornado kills 3 in North Dakota, 106 mph gust slams northern Minnesota
The ferocious storms that pounded North Dakota and Minnesota Friday night into Saturday morning left three people dead and a path of destruction.
While the derecho that stretched across North Dakota, northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin impacted the most locations, two monster supercells that formed ahead of the line in eastern North Dakota produced multiple large, violent tornadoes.
One of the tornadoes killed at least three people about three miles east of Enderlin.
According to the Cass County Sheriff's Office, deputies were dispatched to a home at approximately 11:40 p.m. Once there, deputies were informed by the Enderlin Fire Department that storm chasers had found two people dead at the scene.
"Shortly after learning of this, the Enderlin Fire Department was dispatched to another location, and a third deceased person was found as a result of the tornado. Deputies found extensive damage to the area and began conducting well-being checks on people with several partner agencies," the sheriff's office said Saturday morning.
"Law enforcement, the Enderlin Fire Department, and other first responders continue searching the area and checking on residents now."
Meteorologist Andy Hill said the Enderlin tornado is "one of the strongest tornadoes" he has covered, and the radar data make it the strongest tornado ever recorded in North Dakota. The official intensity, however, has not yet been verified by the NWS.
The supercells that produced the monster tornadoes were eventually swallowed by the fast-moving complex of storms that produced 70-110 mph wind gusts across North Dakota and northern Minnesota.
The highest known wind gust from the line in Minnesota was 106 mph at the Bemidji Airport at 12:45 a.m. The National Weather Service reported that emergency managers were alerting authorities to "extensive damage from falling and uprooted trees on roofs, cars, people trapped."
Jorge Prince, the mayor of Bemidji, wrote on Facebook that he "cannot ever recall hearing a rushing wind like that!"
Beltrami County officials said Saturday morning that there are "thousands of trees blocking roadways," but no injuries have been reported.
"There are widespread power outages and numerous roadways remain impassable due to debris. Residents should plan for long-term power outages as significant infrastructure damage has occurred," the county said.
The American Red Cross will be assisting in the Bemidji area with temporary housing.
We'll add more information as damage reports filter in throughout the morning.
This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
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