Three people are dead in North Dakota, and tens of thousands are without power in northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin after powerful winds swept across the upper Midwest Friday and overnight Saturday.

While North Dakota sees an average of about 23 tornadoes a year, fatalities are rare, National Weather Service data indicates. The last tornado to claim three or more lives in the state was a July 4, 1978, storm that killed five people in Elgin. It was recorded as an F4.

Powerful winds — including a tornado — that swept across parts of the upper Midwest left three people dead and a regional airport heavily damaged, officials said Saturday.