WATFORD CITY, N.D. (AP) – A newborn baby was killed and more than two dozen people were injured when a tornado whipped through a North Dakota oil patch city overnight, overturning recreational vehicles and demolishing more than 100 structures, officials said Tuesday.
The storm moved through Watford City, in the northwestern part of the state, shortly after midnight, hitting an RV park the hardest, according to sheriff’s officials. About 20 of the reported 28 injured were staying at the Prairie View RV Park where high winds overturned some campers and damaged mobile homes.
McKenzie County Sheriff Gary Schwartzenberger told The Bismarck Tribune late Tuesday that a one-week-old boy died from injuries sustained when the family’s trailer home flipped in the storm. The child has not yet been identified.
National Weather Service meteorologist John Paul Martin classified the tornado as an EF2, which is defined by winds speeds between 111 and 135 mph. He said wind speeds reached 127 mph in Watford City.
Clifford Bowden, 37, was in his recreational vehicle when the storm struck.