EF-5 tornado drought over with Enderlin upgrading
For more than a decade, the United States had gone without an EF-5 tornado, the strongest category on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale. This scale classifies tornado strength based on the damage they cause and estimated wind speeds. The last tornado that the National Weather Service gave an EF-5 rating to was the May 20, 2013, Moore, Oklahoma, tornado. That tornado had wind speeds of 200–210 miles per hour (320–340 km/h). And it killed 24 people, injuring 212 others.
On October 6, 2025, after an extensive survey and analysis of wind damage, the National Weather Service (NWS) officially upgraded a tornado that hit Enderlin, North Dakota, to an EF-5 category. Thus ending the 12-year drought of EF-5 tornadoes. It found the tornado had wind speeds greater than 210 miles per hour. It based that conclusion on a train derailment south of the city of Enderlin. The survey also looked at tree damage that included debarking or sandpapering.
There were three deaths associated with the Enderlin tornado. The tornado largely struck a rural area, which helped keep the deaths and damages low. At one point, the tornado was more than a mile wide. Plus it was on the ground for more than 12 miles. It scoured the ground between Enderlin and Sheldon, North Dakota, a little after 11 p.m. local time.
Read the official NWS statement
The National Weather Service out of Grand Forks, North Dakota, shared the following public information statement on October 6:
The National Weather Service in Grand Forks conducted additional surveys and worked extensively with wind damage experts to further investigate the 20 June 2025 Enderlin, ND tornado #1. The estimated maximum wind speed of the Enderlin, ND tornado #1 is greater than 210 mph and occurred during the time of the train derailment south of Enderlin, ND. The analysis involved forensic damage wind speed estimates for tipping several fully-loaded grain hopper cars and lofting of tanker cars, including one empty tanker car that was tossed about 475.7 ft (145 m). The maximum wind speed also correlates to the maximum strength on WSR-88D Storm-Relative Velocity data from KMVX.
Additional high-end damage indicators that have been reanalyzed and adjusted to include damage to the trees near the Maple River east of Enderlin and damage to the farmstead #2 on Hwy 46. Further analysis of the trees surrounding the Maple River show extensive tree damage throughout the entire river valley with only stubs of large branches or large trunks remaining and debarking with a ‘sandpapering’ effect prevalent. Trees with attached root ball displacements were noted, including one where the original location could not be determined. Wind damage expert analyses helped determine the damage at farmstead #2 to be complete destruction with the foundation considered to be swept clean, and debris swept downwind and scattered. However, issues surrounding the lack of proper anchoring will limit the overall rating in this area. Trees around the farmstead were also debarked, and saw root ball displacements.
Video from the Enderlin tornado
Watch some videos from the night of the Enderlin tornado.
@foxweather TWISTER TERROR: Sirens blare as lightning illuminates nightmare-fuel tornado that left 3 dead in Enderlin, North Dakota over the weekend. Latest on the storm that lasted hundreds of miles. #tornado #northdakota #enderlin #twister
For a longer video of the Enderlin tornado, check out the 13-minute video below. Aaron Rigsby is a storm chaser who followed many of the storms that night. At the end of the video, Rigsby shares drone footage of the damage. The NWS viewed some of this footage to help make their decision to upgrade.
Bottom line: The 12-year-long drought of EF-5 tornadoes ended in 2025 after the NWS upgraded the Enderlin, North Dakota tornado from June 2025 to an EF-5 tornado.
The post EF-5 tornado drought ends as NWS upgrades Enderlin tornado first appeared on EarthSky.
from EarthSky https://ift.tt/h12GDLw
EF-5 tornado drought over with Enderlin upgrading
For more than a decade, the United States had gone without an EF-5 tornado, the strongest category on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale. This scale classifies tornado strength based on the damage they cause and estimated wind speeds. The last tornado that the National Weather Service gave an EF-5 rating to was the May 20, 2013, Moore, Oklahoma, tornado. That tornado had wind speeds of 200–210 miles per hour (320–340 km/h). And it killed 24 people, injuring 212 others.
On October 6, 2025, after an extensive survey and analysis of wind damage, the National Weather Service (NWS) officially upgraded a tornado that hit Enderlin, North Dakota, to an EF-5 category. Thus ending the 12-year drought of EF-5 tornadoes. It found the tornado had wind speeds greater than 210 miles per hour. It based that conclusion on a train derailment south of the city of Enderlin. The survey also looked at tree damage that included debarking or sandpapering.
There were three deaths associated with the Enderlin tornado. The tornado largely struck a rural area, which helped keep the deaths and damages low. At one point, the tornado was more than a mile wide. Plus it was on the ground for more than 12 miles. It scoured the ground between Enderlin and Sheldon, North Dakota, a little after 11 p.m. local time.
Read the official NWS statement
The National Weather Service out of Grand Forks, North Dakota, shared the following public information statement on October 6:
The National Weather Service in Grand Forks conducted additional surveys and worked extensively with wind damage experts to further investigate the 20 June 2025 Enderlin, ND tornado #1. The estimated maximum wind speed of the Enderlin, ND tornado #1 is greater than 210 mph and occurred during the time of the train derailment south of Enderlin, ND. The analysis involved forensic damage wind speed estimates for tipping several fully-loaded grain hopper cars and lofting of tanker cars, including one empty tanker car that was tossed about 475.7 ft (145 m). The maximum wind speed also correlates to the maximum strength on WSR-88D Storm-Relative Velocity data from KMVX.
Additional high-end damage indicators that have been reanalyzed and adjusted to include damage to the trees near the Maple River east of Enderlin and damage to the farmstead #2 on Hwy 46. Further analysis of the trees surrounding the Maple River show extensive tree damage throughout the entire river valley with only stubs of large branches or large trunks remaining and debarking with a ‘sandpapering’ effect prevalent. Trees with attached root ball displacements were noted, including one where the original location could not be determined. Wind damage expert analyses helped determine the damage at farmstead #2 to be complete destruction with the foundation considered to be swept clean, and debris swept downwind and scattered. However, issues surrounding the lack of proper anchoring will limit the overall rating in this area. Trees around the farmstead were also debarked, and saw root ball displacements.
Video from the Enderlin tornado
Watch some videos from the night of the Enderlin tornado.
@foxweather TWISTER TERROR: Sirens blare as lightning illuminates nightmare-fuel tornado that left 3 dead in Enderlin, North Dakota over the weekend. Latest on the storm that lasted hundreds of miles. #tornado #northdakota #enderlin #twister
For a longer video of the Enderlin tornado, check out the 13-minute video below. Aaron Rigsby is a storm chaser who followed many of the storms that night. At the end of the video, Rigsby shares drone footage of the damage. The NWS viewed some of this footage to help make their decision to upgrade.
Bottom line: The 12-year-long drought of EF-5 tornadoes ended in 2025 after the NWS upgraded the Enderlin, North Dakota tornado from June 2025 to an EF-5 tornado.
The post EF-5 tornado drought ends as NWS upgrades Enderlin tornado first appeared on EarthSky.
from EarthSky https://ift.tt/h12GDLw
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