North Dakota, 1998

Tornado and Flash Flooding in North Dakota, June 18, 1998

June 18, 1998 · NWS FGF · 13 events in 6 counties and zones

6 funnel cloud, 4 flash flood, 2 hail, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$750,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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.

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 99 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:18 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 funnel cloud, 4 flash flood, 2 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Cass

When
June 18, 1:18 AM CST
Where
Cass County, 10 mi S of Fargo
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
46.720, -96.780

Hail, Cass

When
June 18, 1:45 AM CST
Where
Cass County, 10 mi S of Fargo
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
46.720, -96.780

Flash Flood, Cass

When
June 18, 4:12 PM CST to 8:10 PM CST
Where
Cass County, Fargo
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
46.933, -97.248 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

3 to 5 inches of rain fell in less than 3 hours across portions of Fargo. The Fargo airport reported 3.03 inches of rain. The western edge of the city was hit the hardest. The interchange between Interstates 29 and 94 was closed due to high water. Several garages in the basement levels of apartment buildings flooded. Major underpasses around the city also had to be closed.

Flash Flood, Cass

When
June 18, 4:12 PM CST to 8:10 PM CST
Where
Cass County, West Fargo
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
46.933, -97.248 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

3 to 5 inches of rain fell in less than three hours, resulting in rapid flooding problems across West Fargo. Several parking lots and low areas filled with water, covering some cars. Water also covered a few streets and filled several basements with 3 1/2 feet of water. Power went out for most of West Fargo, causing sewer and sump pump failure.

Funnel Cloud, Traill

When
June 18, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Traill County, Hillsboro
Coordinates
47.454, -97.162 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Funnel Cloud, Cass

When
June 18, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Cass County, Grandin
Coordinates
46.933, -97.248 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Funnel Cloud, Cass

When
June 18, 5:41 PM CST
Where
Cass County, Gardner
Coordinates
46.933, -97.248 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Traill

When
June 18, 6:08 PM CST
Where
Traill County, 2 mi S of Kelso
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
25 yd
Coordinates
47.280, -97.030

Flash Flood, Grand Forks

When
June 18, 6:30 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Grand Forks County, Emerado
Property damage
$100,000
Coordinates
47.922, -97.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

1 to 3 inches of rain fell in less than two hours, causing flooding problems around Emerado. Many fields were flooded.

Flash Flood, Grand Forks

When
June 18, 6:30 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Grand Forks County, Grand Forks
Property damage
$150,000
Coordinates
47.922, -97.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

1 to 3 inches of rain fell in less than two hours, quickly flooding low-lying areas around Grand Forks. Water was reported to be up to the bumpers of cars on some streets. Several streets and underpasses were closed due to high water. On the western edge of Grand Forks on US Highway 2, water flowed over the highway for about an hour.

Funnel Cloud, Sargent

When
June 18, 6:50 PM CST
Where
Sargent County, 8 mi NW of Havana
Coordinates
46.108, -97.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Funnel Cloud, Ransom

When
June 18, 6:52 PM CST
Where
Ransom County, 12 mi S of Lisbon
Coordinates
46.456, -97.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Funnel Cloud, Richland

When
June 18, 6:55 PM CST
Where
Richland County, Hankinson
Coordinates
46.265, -96.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Dakota in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for North Dakota, 1998Warnings in North Dakota, June 1998

Sources

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: 5650102, 5650103, 5650195, 5650196, 5650107, 5650108, 5650193, 5650194, 5649577, 5650197, 5650104, 5650106, 5650105.