For the first time in more than 10 years, the United States has seen an official EF-5 tornado rating — the highest on the Enhanced Fujita Scale — following new analysis of a devastating June 20, 2025, tornado near Enderlin, North Dakota.
The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Grand Forks announced the upgrade on Monday after extensive damage assessments and collaboration with some of the country’s top wind and tornado experts. Their investigation concluded that the Enderlin tornado produced winds exceeding 210 mph, strong enough to tip fully-loaded grain hopper cars, loft tanker cars nearly 500 feet, and completely level farmsteads.
This is the first EF-5 tornado confirmed in the U.S. since 2013, when the catastrophic Moore, Oklahoma tornado claimed 24 lives.
A Tornado Unlike Anything Seen in Years
The June 20 tornado left behind an unmistakable trail of destruction. Trees along the Maple River were found de-barked and stripped bare, some with their root systems ripped completely from the ground. At one farmstead, the tornado swept the foundation clean, scattering debris far downwind — a hallmark of EF-5 strength.
Damage experts, including renowned meteorologists Tim Marshall, Jim LaDue, and researchers from the Northern Tornadoes Project in Canada, contributed to the forensic wind analysis that helped confirm the rare EF-5 classification.
A Reminder of Nature’s Power
While North Dakota may be far from Colorado, this upgrade serves as a powerful reminder of the kind of extreme weather that can strike across the central U.S. The Great Plains — including eastern Colorado — sit on the western edge of Tornado Alley, where strong spring and summer storms occasionally spawn destructive tornadoes.
Although Colorado’s tornadoes are often weaker (typically EF-0 to EF-2), the state has still seen its share of violent storms. The last EF/F4+ tornado to hit Colorado was the Thurman Tornado on August 10, 1924.
With the Enderlin tornado now officially reaching EF-5 intensity, meteorologists and researchers are using this case to better understand the upper limits of tornadic wind damage — and to improve forecasting and warning systems for the future.
Bottom line: The Enderlin, ND EF-5 reminds us that even in a decade defined by advanced radar and early warning systems, nature still has the final word. It’s a historic event — one that renews respect for the power of the atmosphere over the heartland and beyond.