Eyes on East Coast low following Dakota tornado outbreak

Weather lovers might be thinking “wake me up when September ends,” as it’s still relatively slim pickings out there. That said — on Sunday a surprisingly large tornado outbreak happened in North Dakota.

Weather watch

East Coast low. A storm system spinning up on an old frontal zone is expected to push northwest through Tuesday, eventually forecast to make landfall in eastern North Carolina or southeast Virginia. It won’t be super strong, but high pressure to the north will also help cause large swells and coastal flooding risks near the landfall area. Several inches of rain are likely to fall in the region, with some as far north as the D.C. area.

Lightning links

Homes destroyed as tornadoes hit Utah (The Weather Channel)

Bumper apple harvest has UK cider makers drooling. (Ben Rich, BBC)

North Dakota tornadoes

The northern Plains has been a hotspot in 2025 for memorable twisters. A significant outbreak — a rarity in September — hit the area Sunday.

Tornadoes of all shapes and sizes were spotted. Some were quite large.

The Storm Prediction Center has logged about two dozen tornado reports thus far, with actual tornado numbers perhaps around 20 per storm chasers and other observers in the area.

While September is often thought of as the start of “second season” — a mini severe weather peak in fall compared to the big one in spring — this swarm was unusually far north for this late in the year.

According to The Weather Channel, only 27 tornadoes in September were in the database for North Dakota, since 1950, prior to Sunday’s event.

The region is very rural overall, but damage was reported to at least one farm and several other buildings near Bismarck. Some flash flooding also occurred.

About

Weekday morning newsletter by a journalist/forecaster. Connecting weather and climate change dots while occasionally stirring the pot.

Find this interesting? Forward it on and tell a friend!