Alert archive / Minnesota / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 178, NWS Grand Forks, ND
NWS Grand Forks, ND issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 3, 2026, 3:14 PM CDT for 6 counties in Minnesota. It was in force for 61 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Sep 3, 2026, 3:14 PM CDT (20:14 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 3, 2026, 4:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 61 min
- Issued by
- NWS Grand Forks, ND
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Hail
- 1.0 in
- Wind
- 60.0 mph
Counties Becker County, MN, Clay County, MN, Clearwater County, MN, Mahnomen County, MN, Norman County, MN, Polk County, MN
The radar
The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:16 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.
Open the radar archive at this moment
The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3, 12:12 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 11 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
International Fa, MN (KINL), launched 12:00Z, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 248 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 813 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 20 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -11 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 55 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Sep 3, 2:41 PM CDT, 33 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Level 2 out of 5 risk for severe storms continues through early evening.
- Additional chances for strong to severe thunderstorms exist Saturday and Sunday.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 3, 2:41 PM CDT, 33 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Grand Forks ND 241 PM CDT Thu Sep 3 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Level 2 out of 5 risk for severe storms continues through early evening. - Additional chances for strong to severe thunderstorms exist Saturday and Sunday. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 241 PM CDT Thu Sep 3 2026 ...Synopsis... Southwesterly flow aloft with a lead shortwave lifting from near the MT border through the Northern Plains. Storms have been ongoing in northeastern ND into far northwestern MN, and will continue to push eastward along the warm front/theta-e gradient that is between the Highway 2 and Highway 200 corridors. The shortwave will move northeast overnight, and upper ridging will begin to amplify over the Plains tomorrow. Upper ridging continues to build over the region into the weekend, with several weak embedded shortwaves possible. By early next week, the upper ridge starts to flatten and move east, with continued active weather under southwesterly flow aloft. A trough moving through Manitoba and Ontario on Wednesday will push east Thursday and leave the region in northwesterly flow. ...Convective trends and severe threat this evening... Complex of thunderstorms in northeastern ND is currently crossing into northwestern MN. Most of the instability seems to be elevated, with SPC mesoanalysis still showing a good amount of CIN on surface based and mixed layer CAPE, but there has been enough mixing to get a few 60 and even 70 mph reports to the surface. The shear at 0-3km is favorable for brief tornado spin ups along some kinks in the line, but would need to get some better low level CAPE developing before that could happen. Think that this will be the case eventually with sunshine over the southern forecast area. Even if we don't get a fully mixed boundary layer, with continued lift, good deep layer shear around 50 kts, and dew points in the upper 60s to near 70 feeding into the complex, expect some re-intensification of storms and a continued threat of large hail and winds up to 70 mph. ...Storm chances Saturday and Sunday... After a break tomorrow, additional weak embedded shortwaves under the building ridge will bring some rounds of showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures will be well above average for early September and there should be good instability to work with. The deep layer shear is not as strong this weekend as today, but at 30 kts could still be adequate for strong to severe storms. Machine learning has some low probabilities for severe impacts for the weekend time period, mainly in the 5 to 15 percent range. Still some uncertainty, but will have to watch for some active convective days this holiday weekend. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 1247 PM CDT Thu Sep 3 2026 Thunderstorms moving through the KDVL and KGFK areas, with the strongest convection currently between those two airports. These storms will continue to push east through the afternoon, affecting KTVF in the next few hours. A little more uncertainty at KBJI and KFAR, so kept mention of thunderstorms as prob30 for now. Most of the convective activity should move east of our TAF sites by late evening. MVFR to IFR ceilings will move in behind the convection, starting just before 06Z at KDVL and pushing eastward to KGFK and the MN airports later in the early morning hours. Kept KFAR at VFR for now, but will keep an eye on how far south the stratus goes. Winds will be all over the place due to thunderstorms, with mostly east to southeast at 10 to 20 kts outside of that activity. Winds will eventually become more northeasterly or light and variable towards tomorrow morning as the surface low moves through. && .FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ND...None. MN...None. && DISCUSSION...JR AVIATION...JR
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 3, 5:45 AM CDT, 9 hours 29 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Grand Forks ND 545 AM CDT Thu Sep 3 2026 MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052>054-041045- West Polk-Norman-Clay-Kittson-Roseau-Lake Of The Woods- West Marshall-East Marshall-North Beltrami-Pennington-Red Lake- East Polk-North Clearwater-South Beltrami-Mahnomen- South Clearwater-Hubbard-West Becker-East Becker-Wilkin- West Otter Tail-East Otter Tail-Wadena-Grant-Towner-Cavalier- Pembina-Benson-Ramsey-Eastern Walsh-Eddy-Nelson-Grand Forks- Griggs-Steele-Traill-Barnes-Cass-Ransom-Sargent-Richland- Western Walsh- 545 AM CDT Thu Sep 3 2026 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of eastern North Dakota, west central and northwest Minnesota. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight There is a level 2 out of 5 risk for severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening for much of eastern North Dakota and northwest and west central Minnesota. The main hazards will be large hail to golf balls, 60 mph wind gusts. There is a chance for a isolated tornado. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be required today.
In the hours before
Local storm report, Sep 3, 1:55 PM CDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, Sep 3, 3:11 PM CDT, 3 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Grand Forks ND
311 PM CDT Thu Sep 3 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0302 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 4 WSW Felton 47.05N 96.58W
09/03/2026 M59 MPH Clay MN Public
Personal weather station.
&&
JKThe office that day
Everything else NWS Grand Forks, ND issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3, 12:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Norman, Polk | 67 min |
| Sep 3, 1:49 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake | 56 min |
| Sep 3, 2:26 PM CDT | Areal Flood Advisory | FGF | Polk | 3 hr |
| Sep 3, 2:39 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake | 66 min |
| Sep 3, 3:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Clay, Norman | 44 min |
| Sep 3, 3:23 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Beltrami, Clearwater, Marshall, Pennington, Roseau | 67 min |
| Sep 3, 3:53 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Beltrami, Lake of the Woods, Roseau | 67 min |
| Sep 3, 4:01 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Becker, Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Otter Tail and 2 more | 59 min |
| Sep 3, 4:06 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Beltrami, Clearwater | 54 min |
| Sep 3, 4:50 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Becker, Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard | 55 min |
| Sep 3, 6:35 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Otter Tail, Wilkin | 55 min |
| Sep 3, 11:06 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Benson, Eddy, Ramsey | 54 min |
| Sep 3, 11:31 AM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Benson, Eddy, Nelson, Ramsey, Walsh | 59 min |
| Sep 3, 12:13 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Grand Forks, Griggs, Nelson, Steele, Traill | 62 min |
| Sep 3, 12:55 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Griggs, Steele | 65 min |
| Sep 3, 2:08 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Cass, Steele, Traill | 53 min |
| Sep 3, 6:22 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FGF | Grand Forks, Walsh | 35 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Minnesota, 2026Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.