Minnesota, 1998Flash Flooding and Flood in Minnesota, July 7, 1998
July 7, 1998 · NWS FGF · 4 events in 3 counties and zones
2 flash flood, 1 flood, 1 funnel cloud, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
Event by event
2 flash flood, 1 flood, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Becker
- When
- July 7, 3:00 AM CST to 4:30 AM CST
- Where
- Becker County, Detroit Lakes
- Property damage
- $25,000
- Coordinates
- 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
1.6 inches of rain in 90 minutes flooded low spots around Detroit Lakes, including US Highway 10 and the industrial park. Several cars stalled in the deep water.
Flash Flood, Otter Tail
- When
- July 7, 5:50 AM CST
- Where
- Otter Tail County, 5 mi E of Pelican Rapids
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Coordinates
- 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Rain falling across the same track produced a band of 3 to 5 inches of rain between Pelican Rapids and Dent. A section of the road bank along highway 108 east of Pelican Rapids washed out. Other mud slides occurred in the Lake Lida area on highway 108. The highway was closed for 2 days as the Minnesota DOT assessed the safety of the road. Resort lift stations failed, so vacationers could not use toilets and sinks.
Flash Flood, Otter Tail
- When
- July 7, 5:50 AM CST
- Where
- Otter Tail County, Pelican Rapids
- Property damage
- $75,000
- Coordinates
- 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Several basements in Pelican Rapids filled with up to 4 feet of water.
Funnel Cloud, Norman
- When
- July 7, 6:05 PM CST
- Where
- Norman County, 2 mi N of Shelly
- Coordinates
- 47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A funnel cloud formed from a towering cumulus cloud and was visible from over 30 miles away.
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
- Funnel Cloud
- A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Lightning Strike in Indiana, July 7, 19981 death · 1 event
- Flash Flood in New Mexico, July 7, 1998$300,000 · 1 event
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, July 7, 1998$70,000 · 72 kt wind · 17 events
- Flash Flood in Michigan, July 7 to 8, 1998$100,000 · 1 event
- Lightning Strike in Florida, July 7, 1998$80,000 · 1 event
- Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, July 7, 1998$50,000 · 56 kt wind · 3 events
- Lightning Strike in New York, July 7, 19983 injured · $10,000 · 1 event
- Lightning Strike in Alabama, July 7, 1998$30,000 · 1 event
- Damaging Wind in Idaho, July 7, 1998$25,000 · 50 kt wind · 1 event
- Damaging Wind in Iowa, July 7, 1998$20,000 · 52 kt wind · 1 event
- Flash Flood in Indiana, July 7, 1998$20,000 · 1 event
- Lightning Strike in Nebraska, July 7, 1998$20,000 · 1 event
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5663416, 5663312, 5663415, 5663414.