The deaths came after a series of large and long-lasting storms moved through North Dakota and Minnesota Friday night.

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.

At least three people are dead in rural North Dakota after tornadoes left damage across eastern areas of the state, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office said in a release Saturday.