Thompson, North Dakota
13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1934 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Thompson City. It lies in ZIP code area 58278. The Survey maps it on the Thompson quadrangle. 1,101 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 873 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Thompson
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 1 record
Ost Valle Bridgelisted 1997
Population over time
2 figuresThompson grew from 986 to 1,101 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 986 | |
| 2020 | 1,101 | +115 (+12%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 13 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1934 USGS Grand Forks quadrangle1:48000
- 1934 USGS Grand Forks quadrangle1:62500
- 1938 USGS Grand Forks quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1952 USGS Grand Forks quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1956 USGS Grand Forks quadrangle1:250000
- 1966 USGS Grand Forks quadrangle1:250000
- 1971 USGS Thompson quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Grand Forks quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
17 since 2011Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 17 fires within 5 miles of Thompson between 2011 and 2016, burning about 18 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 14 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 August 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | MM132 & I29 |
| 29 July 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | North Dakota State Forest Service | GRASS FIRE |
| 30 June 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | CTY RD 7 NEAR MN STATE LINE |
| 27 June 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | 7802 69TH ST. N |
| 25 June 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | 1100 BLOCK 4TH AVE NE |
| 23 June 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | 6TH AVE. NE/10TH ST. NE DITCH |
| 22 June 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | North Dakota State Forest Service | GRASS FIRE |
| 5 May 2015 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | COULE AREA |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
3 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Thompson: 2 producers, 1 past producer. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Hogan Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Walter Rakoozy Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
59 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Thompson in 59 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 30 hail, 24 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, 2 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2002 | Flash Flood | Thompson | $500,000 | 6 to 8 inches of rain caused flooding problems over southeast Grand Forks county. Cole creek threatened a home southeast of Thompson. County roads 7 and 81 were closed due to high water levels. Many fields were flooded and roads were damaged. The county estimated $500,000 in damages. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | $30,000 | A semi was blown off Interstate 29 and into the median, one mile north of the Thompson exit. The driver was not injured. |
| September 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | $10,000 | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | $5,000 | Power lines were blown down in the strong wind. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | $500 | Trees were blown down. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | Top of large cottonwood trees snapped. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | Public report of a 92 mph wind gust 4ENE of Thompson. Measured on a Davis weather station. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | Measured wind gust. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | Tree and fence damage. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | Off duty NWS employee relayed report of large branches down from thunderstorm wind gusts south of Grand Forks. Time estimated based on gust frontal passage via radar around 05180118Z. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | Public reports approximately 6 inch diameter tree branch snapped south of Grand Forks. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | Numerous large trees were broken down in shelter belts across Allendale Township and within the community of Thompson. One hay shed located west of town had a sidewall blown out and the roof collapsed. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | Peak wind measured at a personal weather station. Small trees were blown down around a homestead. |
| August 2020 | Hail | Thompson | - | The hail fell on Interstate 29, just north of the Thompson exit. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Thompson | - | Mostly pea sized hail. |
| May 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | A small garden shed and several tree limbs were blown down. |
| August 2018 | Hail | Thompson | - | Large hail fell along Interstate 29. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | A 10 inch diameter poplar tree was snapped east of Interstate 29 near mile point 131. |
| July 2017 | Hail | Thompson | - | The hail fell in the vicinity of the Walle church. |
| August 2016 | Hail | Thompson | - | Dime to half dollar sized hail fell. |
| July 2016 | Funnel Cloud | Thompson | - | A funnel cloud was seen near the intersection of highway 15 and airport road. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | An apparent microburst occurred several minutes behind the passage of a southward moving thunderstorm gust front. Several trees were snapped at residences and farmsteads across central Walle Township. A north facing garage wall was pushed in at the roof line, and the wind proceeded to blow through the garage and blew out the south facing garage doors and part of the south garage roof. Peak winds were estimated at 90 to 100 mph. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | Two trees, one 25 inches in diameter and the other 30 inches in diameter, were snapped in a yard. Power lines were also knocked down in Thompson. |
| June 2012 | Hail | Thompson | - | Pea to penny sized hail fell along with very strong winds. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | Numerous eight inch diameter trees were blown down from central Allendale Township into central Walle Township north of Thompson. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | Strong winds broke down a few large 3 to 5 inch diameter tree branches at a farmstead. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | Several large 3 to 5 inch diameter tree branches were blown down. Large portions of small grain and corn crops were lodged by the winds across northeast Michigan and northern Americus townships. |
| July 2011 | Hail | Thompson | - | Very heavy rains and strong winds were accompanied by a few dime to nickel sized hail. |
| June 2010 | Tornado (EF0) | Thompson | - | The tornado produced intermittent touchdowns along a nearly 8 mile north-northeast track. The dissipating funnel was visible passing south of Grand Forks through 545 PM CDT. Large tree branches were broken down in field shelterbelts and near homes in Merrifield. Peak winds were estimated at 80 mph. |
| August 2007 | Hail | Thompson | - | The ground was white with hail. Some car damage was reported. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | A microburst produced damaging winds to about 65 mph beginning north-northwest of Thompson and spreading south-southeast through the community of Thompson. Several large cottonwood branches from a grove were torn off and blown up to 200 feet downwind (toward the south-southeast). Four boxelder trees up to 14 inches in diameter were snapped off near the ground while some large branches fell onto buildings. Some crops within one to two miles of Thompson were partly flattened. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | Several large trees were uprooted. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | A tree was blown down in Thompson. |
| June 2005 | Flash Flood | Thompson | - | 2.50 inches of rain fell in a short amount of time and flooded several homes. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | Trees were blown down near the Thompson exit on Interstate 29. |
| May 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Thompson | - | A brief touchdown was reported. |
| July 2004 | Hail | Thompson | - | Cars pulled off highway 15 because the hail reduced the visibility to near zero. |
| July 2017 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| August 1998 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
| September 1997 | Hail | Thompson | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merrifield | 5.0 miles | 13 | |
| Holmes | 10.7 miles | 8 | |
| Powell | 10.7 miles | 13 | |
| Calspur | 11.1 miles | 16 | |
| Grand Forks | 11.2 miles | 16 | |
| Ojata (historical) | 13.0 miles | 16 | |
| North Grand Forks | 14.2 miles | 16 | |
| Kelly | 16.0 miles | 13 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Thompson | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q528890 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1032471. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.







