Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 31, 2001

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 31, 2001
Start: 2001-07-31T02:57
End: 2001-07-31T05:10
Location: Minnesota

July 31, 2001 · NWS FGF · 21 events in 9 counties and zones

20 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: $718,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

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.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Jul 31, 1:40 AM CST, 1 hour 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 1:40 AM CST, 1 hour 17 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
240 AM CDT TUE JUL 31 2001

FCST CONCERNS TODAY...SVR POTENTIAL AND HVY RAIN THREAT.

.SHORT TERM...
CURRENT FRONT LOCATED ACROSS NW MN TO SE ND THEN TO WRN SD...NR A
KROX-KGFK-KJMS-KMBG LINE.  VERY HIGH DEW PTS ALONG AND AHD OF FRONT
WITH 80 DEW PTS POOLING FROM FARGO TO WADENA/STAPLES.  MCS MOVING
INTO ERN ND EARLY THIS AM SHOULD CONTINUE TO TRACK NORTHEAST.  RUC
ANALYSIS AND VAD WIND PROFILES SHOW LOW LEVEL JET OF 40KTS OVER ERN
SD INTO SE ND AND MN...WITH FAVORABLE LEFT QUAD OVER ERN ND WHICH
SHOULD AID IN KEEPING ELEVATED CONVECTION GOING EARLY THIS MORNING.
OBVIOUSLY...ATMOS VERY JUICED UP WITH HVY RAIN A GOOD BET WITH ANY
STORMS THAT FORM TODAY AND THIS EVENING.  PWATS FROM ETA/MESOETA 2
TO 2.5 INCHES.  THUS WILL MAINTAIN FFA FOR ERN ND TODAY...BUT WILL
ALTER TIMING FOR NW MN TO THIS AFTN/EVE AS BEST CONVECTION NOT
EXPECTED IN ERN CWFA TIL LATE TODAY AND EARLY TONIGHT.  COORD WITH
MPX/DLH.

SFC MAP SHOWS WK SFC LOWS OVER SE WYOMING AND OVER NCNTRL SD.  BUT
MODELS DO AGREE THAT STRONG SHORT WAVE MOVING THRU MT/ALBERTA WILL
MOVE ENE AND HELP DEEPEN THE SFC LOW AS IT MOVES NORTHEAST INTO ERN
ND THIS AFTN.  FOCUS OF HVY RAIN SHOULD BE ALONG AND JUST NORTH OF
FRONT THIS MORNING...BUT THEN FOCUS WILL SHIFT INTO MN THIS
AFTN/EVENING AS LOW MOVES NORTHEAST AND DRAGS FRONT INTO VERY JUICED
ENVIRONMENT.  SVR THREAT MOSTLY THIS MORNING FOR ND...THEN VALLEY
EAST INTO MN LATER THIS AFTN/EVENING AS COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH.
STRONG DRY PUNCH AT 70H MOVES INTO MN BY 06Z WHICH MAY ENHANCE
SQUALL LINE POTENTIAL.

AS FOR TEMPS/WIND...GUSTY SOUTH WINDS AHD OF DEEPENING LOW IN WCNTRL
MN A GOOD BET SO WILL GO 20-30 MPH AND GUSTY IN ZFP THIS AFTN.
TEMPS WILL APPROACH 90 IN THAT AREA AS WELL...AND WITH HIGH DEW PTS
THIS WILL APPROACH HEAT ADVISORY CONDITIONS.  ATTM WILL NOT HEADLINE
FOR HEAT OR WIND ADVISORIES IN WCNTRL MN AS WANT TO FOCUS ON HVY
RAIN THREAT THIS AFTN/EVE.

.LONGER TERM...
SYSTEM TO MOVE EAST TONIGHT WITH CONVECTION EXITING MN CWFA AFTER
06Z.  THEN RELIEF WILL COME IN LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AS LOWER
DEW PTS OVERSPREAD THE AREA.  WITH SRN END OF 50H TROUGH SWINGING
ALONG INTERNATIONAL BORDER COULD BE SOME INSTABILITY SHOWERS FAR NE
ND AND NW MN.  ATTM WILL KEEP IT DRY AND LET LATER SHIFTS EVAULATE
THIS.

.EXTENDED...
NO CHANGES TO EXTENDED.  50H RIDGE RE-BUILDS IN MN THIS WEEEKEND
SETTING THE STAGE FOR A RETURN TO WARMER AND HUMID WEATHER THIS
WEEKEND.  POTENTIAL FOR SOME TSRA AS WELL ESPLY SUNDAY AS FRONT
TRIES TO ADVANCE EAST.

.FGF...FLASH FLOOD WATCH EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND THE RED RIVER
VALLEY TODAY AND NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.

RIDDLE

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 42 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Norman

When: July 31, 2:57 AM CST
Where: Norman County, Halstad
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.350, -96.833

A 67 mph wind gust was measured at a Minnesota DOT RWIS site.

Hail, Clay

When: July 31, 3:17 AM CST
Where: Clay County, Hawley
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 46.883, -96.317

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: July 31, 3:20 AM CST
Where: Polk County, Crookston Muni Arpt
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.833, -96.617

A 58 mph wind gust was measured at the Crookston Airport.

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: July 31, 3:25 AM CST
Where: Polk County, Crookston
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.783, -96.617

Tree branches were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Norman

When: July 31, 3:25 AM CST
Where: Norman County, 12 mi SE of Ada
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.183, -96.333

Large branches were blown down in Ada.

Thunderstorm Wind, Norman

When: July 31, 3:25 AM CST
Where: Norman County, Twin Vly
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.267, -96.267

Branches were blown down in Twin Valley.

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: July 31, 3:25 AM CST
Where: Polk County, Gentilly
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.800, -96.450

Branches were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Red Lake

When: July 31, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Red Lake County, 6 mi S of Red Lake Falls
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.800, -96.267

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When: July 31, 3:35 AM CST
Where: Marshall County, Gatzke
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 48.433, -95.783

Large trees and power poles were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: July 31, 3:35 AM CST
Where: Polk County, 2 mi S of Erskine
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.633, -96.017

Boats were overturned and trees uprooted at Lake Sarah.

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: July 31, 3:40 AM CST
Where: Polk County, Fosston
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.567, -95.733

A warehouse roof was blown off and parts of the roof severed the nearby powerlines. This cut power for parts of Fosston for several hours. A parked semi truck was also overturned nearby.

Thunderstorm Wind, Norman

When: July 31, 3:45 AM CST
Where: Norman County, Halstad
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.350, -96.833

Power poles were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: July 31, 3:55 AM CST
Where: Polk County, 1 mi E of Gully
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.767, -95.617

Trees were blown down along Highway 92.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clearwater

When: July 31, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Clearwater County, Gonvick
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.733, -95.500

Trees were blown down on cars and powerlines.

Thunderstorm Wind, Red Lake

When: July 31, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Red Lake County, 3 mi N of Oklee
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.883, -95.867

Thunderstorm Wind, Roseau

When: July 31, 4:15 AM CST
Where: Roseau County, 1 mi NE of Skime
Property damage: $500
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 48.567, -95.583

Large trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When: July 31, 4:15 AM CST
Where: Marshall County, 4 mi NW of Grygla
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 48.333, -95.683

Large trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Roseau

When: July 31, 4:40 AM CST
Where: Roseau County, Badger
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.783, -96.017

A 71 mph wind gust was measured at the Minnesota DOT RWIS site at Badger.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lake of the Woods

When: July 31, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Lake of the Woods County, 6 mi SE of Baudette
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 48.650, -94.500

Trees were blown down and a roof was torn off a mobile home.

Thunderstorm Wind, Beltrami

When: July 31, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Beltrami County, Waskish
Property damage: $500
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 48.167, -94.500

A large tree was blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lake of the Woods

When: July 31, 5:10 AM CST
Where: Lake of the Woods County, 1 mi SW of Carp
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 48.483, -94.667

Several roofs were heavily damaged and trees were blown down.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Minnesota in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, July 2001

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: 5260119, 5260120, 5260220, 5260221, 5260222, 5260223, 5260224, 5260225, 5260436, 5260437, 5260438, 5260439, 5260440, 5260441, 5260442, 5260443, 5260444, 5260445, 5260446, 5260447, 5260448.