Tornado Warning Issued for Central McKenzie County, ND
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NWS Bismarck has issued a Tornado Warning for central McKenzie County until 8:00 PM CDT on September 6 after a confirmed tornado was observed near Watford City.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Tornado Warning
- Affected area
- Northwestern North Dakota
- Issued
- September 7, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Bismarck ND
Tornado warnings are short-window notices for the named area. The issuing office is the authority on whether the warning remains active or has been replaced.
Record status: publication date is recent, but current status is not stored on this page. Check the issuing agency's live warning service before acting because warnings can be updated, narrowed, or cancelled.
Alert Details
A Tornado Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service in Bismarck ND. The alert is effective from 7:20 PM CDT to 8:00 PM CDT on September 6, 2026. The warning carries an Extreme severity rating with Immediate urgency and Observed certainty.
Affected Areas
The warning covers Central McKenzie County in northwestern North Dakota. Locations impacted include Watford City. The confirmed tornado was located 7 miles south of Arnegard or 9 miles southwest of Watford City.
What You Should Do
Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a well-built building away from windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.
Expected Conditions
A confirmed tornado is moving east at 15 mph. Hazard includes a damaging tornado with flying debris that will be dangerous to those without shelter. Mobile homes may be damaged or destroyed, with damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles likely. Tree damage is expected.
Timeline
The alert is in effect from 7:20 PM CDT until 8:00 PM CDT on September 6, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
Related Weather Alerts
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Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this NWS weather alert: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.
Similar body length
Nearest notices by article body length (1,134 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (high) notices issued closest in time to September 7, 2026.
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