Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Minnesota, June 13, 2001

Name: Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Minnesota, June 13, 2001
Start: 2001-06-13T16:35
End: 2001-06-13T20:00
Location: Minnesota

June 13, 2001 · NWS FGF · 14 events in 3 counties and zones

5 flash flood, 3 hail, 3 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: 3
Property damage: $5.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 14

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 Jun 13, 1:20 PM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 13, 1:20 PM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
220 PM CDT WED JUN 13 2001

FORECAST CHALLENGE WILL BE CONVECTIVE THREAT THROUGHOUT

.OVERVIEW...
LATEST ANALYSIS SHOWS MAIN SFC LOW OVER SOUTHEAST SD...WITH INVERTED
TROUGH STRETCHING NORTH/NORTHEAST INTO EASTERN FA. DEWPOINTS ARE
AROUND 60 ALONG TROUGH...AND HIGHER TO SOUTH AND EAST. MORE STABLE
AND DRIER AIR AT THE SFC IS IN PLACE TO THE WEST OF INVERTED TROUGH
WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE LOW AND MIDDLE 50S. MODELS ARE HAVING A TOUGH
TIME RESOLVING DETAILS WITH THIS COMPLEX UPPER LOW EJECTING OUT OF
ROCKIES. HAVE LEANED TOWARDS THE AVN SFC PLACEMENT OF SYSTEM...BUT
TRENDED TOWARDS ETA MOISTURE FIELDS.

.SHORT TERM...
WEAK NVA AND ASSOCIATED Q VECTOR DIVERGENCE WILL KEEP THE NORTHERN
2/3 OF THE FA MOSTLY DRY OVERNIGHT...WITH JUST SOME SCATTERED
SHOWERS. IN THE SOUTHERN 1/3 OF THE AREA...CLOSER TO THE INVERTED
TROUGH AND DEEPER MOISTURE...I EXPECT MORE IN THE WAY OF SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS. LI/S APPROACH -3C WITH CAPES NEAR 1000 J/KG HERE BY
00Z COUPLED WITH 55KT SPEED MAX AT 500MB. THIS COUPLED WITH MODEST
SFC CONVERGENCE SHOULD AID THUNDERSTORMS. WITH PRECIPITABLE WATERS
NEAR 1.50 INCHES...AND 850MB JET INCREASING TO NEAR 45KT BY
00Z...ANY THUNDERSTORMS WHICH DEVELOP SHOULD PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN.
WITH UPPER FLOW PARALLELING INVERTED TROUGH NEAR SOUTHERN FA...WILL
ISSUE FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR EXTREME SOUTHERN FA TONIGHT.

.LONG TERM...
ON THURSDAY...UPPER LOW BEGINS TO EJECT NORTHEAST...WITH SFC LOW
MOVING INTO SOUTHEAST SD BY 00Z FRI. AHEAD OF FEATURE 850MB MOISTURE
CONVERGENCE AND JET INCREASE. IN ADDITION...DEFORMATION NEAR 500MB
AND LARGE SCALE LIFT PER 850-500MB Q VECTOR CONVERGENCE INCREASE
AROUND 00Z. THIS SHOULD PROMOTE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT
DURING THE AFTERNOON. LI/S APPROACH -4C WITH 1500J/KG CAPES BY
AFTERNOON IN SOUTHEAST...SO MAY EVEN SEE A FEW SEVERE STORMS WITH
GOOD 0-6KM SHEAR. ON THURSDAY NIGHT...DEFORMATION RAIN SHOULD
DEVELOP...AND MAY EVEN BE HEAVY AT TIMES WITH QPF AMOUNTS NEAR 1
INCH. IN ADDITION...LEFT EXIT REGION OF 300MB 120KT COUPLED JET
STRUCTURE WILL ALSO AID LARGE SCALE LIFT...WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER/S
NEAR 1.50 INCHES. WILL ISSUE SPS TO HIGHTLIGHT THU AFTERNOON INTO
EARLY FRIDAY HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHERN
FA...AND DEFORMATION RAIN FURTHER NORTH. LOW SLOWLY LIFTS NORTHEAST
INTO ONTARIO FRIDAY...AND A DRIER AIR WILL FILTER IN ALONG WITH SOME
SUNNY BREAKS BY AFTERNOON. WILL BRING DECREASING CLOUDS INTO WEST ON
FRIDAY.

.EXTENDED...LONG RANGE MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT THRU THE PD WITH ALL
ADVERTISING CHANGE TO MORE ZONAL FLOW OVER THE REGION. ONE WEAK SHRT
WV PASSES THRU THE REGION LATE IN THE WEEK...BUT WITH ZONAL FLOW
THIS FEATURE SHOULD BE OUT OF THE AREA PRIOR TO START OF EXTENDED.
SYS DIVING INTO THE PAC NW ON MON TO SHIFT 5H FLOW A BIT MORE SW
WITH UNSETTLED WX RETURNING TO THE REGION AFTER A DRY WEEKEND WITH
BEST CHC FOR PCPN MON NIGHT/TUE MORNING. PAC NW SYS SHEARS OUT IN
ZONAL FLOW AND MOVES THRU ON WED BRINGING A CHC FOR SHOWERS THEN.
WARMEST READINGS EXPECTED ON MON WITH REMAINDER OF EXTENDED SEASONAL
OR SLIGHTLY BLO NORMAL.

.FGF...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT FOR
RANSOM...SARGENT...RICHLAND...WILKIN...GRANT...OTTERTAIL...HUBBARD
AND WADENA.

KELLENBENZ/TURNER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 13, 3:01 PM CST, 1 hour 34 minutes before

MNZ002-003-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ028>030-038-039-049-052-053-132255-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
401 PM CDT WED JUN 13 2001

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT OVER SOUTHEAST NORTH
DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

SYNOPSIS...LOW PRESSURE OVER NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA WITH ASSOCIATED
WARM FRONT RUNNING UP INTO WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA. THIS IS CAUSING
A WARM...MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS TO SURGE NORTHWARD INTO THE
REGION. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS
AND BECOME SEVERE.

AREA OF CONCERN...A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER IS FORECAST
SOUTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM FORMAN UP TO FARGO AND EAST TO PARK
RAPIDS. A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER IS FORECAST SOUTH OF A LINE
FROM MAYVILLE TO BEMIDJI.

TIME...430 PM TO 11 PM.

TYPE OF HAZARD...MAIN THREATS WILL BE TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL ALONG
AND NORTH OF THE WARM FRONT.

DONAVON

The radar

The Minneapolis radar (KMPX), 205 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:33 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flash flood, 3 hail, 3 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Grant

When: June 13, 4:35 PM CST
Where: Grant County, Herman
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 46.383, -95.017

Tornado, Grant

When: June 13, 4:40 PM CST to 4:43 PM CST
Where: Grant County, 8 mi SE of Barrett
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.934, -96.012 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Intermittent touchdowns were reported by the sheriff's office.

Tornado, Otter Tail

When: June 13, 5:53 PM CST to 6:15 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, 1 mi W of Parkers Prairie
Rating: F3
Path length: 11 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $5.0 million
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 45.800, -96.150

The tornado caused quite a bit of damage along its path across southeast Otter Tail county before it crossed into Todd county. At one farmstead, 9 people huddled inside a house with no basement as its roof was torn off. Nobody was injured, but another trailer home nearby was completely destroyed. Many irrigation systems were overturned, trees, power poles, and lines snapped, and grain bins destroyed by the strong wind. An estimated 100 poles were broken off leaving nearly 1,100 people without power. At another farm, a 40x80 foot pole barn was wrecked. About 6 miles northeast of Parkers Prairie, a man and his two kids rode out the storm in their minivan inside a quonset. Trees all around them and the quonset were crumpled by the wind, yet they survived. Another farmstead lost a house, trailer home, and two silos. A turkey barn containing 12,000 turkeys was also hit, with an estimated 60 percent of the turkeys perishing.

Tornado, Grant

When: June 13, 5:59 PM CST
Where: Grant County, 6 mi E of Norcross
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 25 yd
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 45.934, -96.012 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A brief touchdown was reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Otter Tail

When: June 13, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, 6 mi N of Parkers Prairie
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A 70 knot wind gust blew down several trees.

Thunderstorm Wind, Otter Tail

When: June 13, 6:09 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, Parkers Prairie
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Trees were blown down in Parkers Prairie.

Flash Flood, Otter Tail

When: June 13, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, 5 mi N of Parkers Prairie
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 45.833, -95.783

Water was reported over the road.

Hail, Otter Tail

When: June 13, 6:14 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, 12 mi NE of Parkers Prairie
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 46.167, -95.333

Hail, Wadena

When: June 13, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Wadena County, 1 mi SE of Verndale
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 45.867, -96.083

Thunderstorm Wind, Wadena

When: June 13, 6:24 PM CST
Where: Wadena County, 1 mi S of Verndale
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 46.250, -95.317

Several trees were uprooted.

Flash Flood, Grant

When: June 13, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Grant County, Wendell
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 46.167, -95.317

The railroad tracks were under water.

Flash Flood, Grant

When: June 13, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Grant County, 2 mi E of Elbow Lake
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 45.934, -96.012 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Highway 79 was under water from the heavy rain.

Flash Flood, Grant

When: June 13, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Grant County, Elbow Lake
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 46.283, -95.133

The railroad tracks in Elbow Lake were under water from the rain.

Flash Flood, Wadena

When: June 13, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Wadena County, Wadena
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 46.383, -95.000

Many roads were flooded on the south side of Wadena, with many vehicles stranded. Several businesses also took on water from the storm.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
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.
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.

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 The tornado archive for Minnesota, 2001 Warnings in Minnesota, June 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: 5251667, 5251668, 5251495, 5251669, 5251670, 5251671, 5251496, 5251497, 5251498, 5251499, 5251500, 5251501, 5251502, 5251503.