Minnesota, 2001

Hail and Damaging Wind in Minnesota, June 18, 2001

June 18, 2001 · NWS FGF · 8 events in 2 counties and zones

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

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
$5.5 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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 17, 7:20 PM CST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 17, 7:20 PM CST, 5 hours 30 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
820 PM CDT SUN JUN 17 2001

FORECAST CHALLENGE OVERNIGHT WILL BE CONVECTION

SFC LOW IS SLOWLY DEEPENING THIS EVENING OVER SOUTHWEST SD...WITH
SFC WARMFRONT EXTENDING EAST INTO SOUTHERN MN. TWO CONVECTIVE
CLUSTERS ARE DEVELOPING ACROSS ND AND SD ATTM...IN RESPONSE TO
STRENGTHENING LOW LEVEL JET AND 55KT 500 MB SPEED MAX. IMPRESSIVE
MOISTURE ADVECTION WILL COMMENCE ACROSS SOUTHEAST ND AFTER
03Z...WITH 30KT 925MB JET...AS DEWPOINTS AT 850MB INCREASE FROM
AROUND +2C AT 00Z TO +12C AT 06Z. SHOWALTERS ALSO INCREASE TO AROUND
-5C IN SOUTHEAST ND AROUND 06Z. FURTHER NORTH...MOISTURE ADVECTION
ALSO LOOKS FAIRLY IMPRESSIVE...WITH MORE DYNAMICS CLOSER TO 100KT
SPEED MAX AT 300MB AND ASSOCIATED UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE. IN
ADDITION...A COLD FRONT NOW ENTERING WESTERN ND WILL ADD SOME SFC
BASED CONVERGENCE AIDING THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT INTO THE RED RIVER
VALLEY AROUND 06Z. STORMS WILL DEVELOP LATE INTO THE NORTHEAST
FA...AS INSTABILITY HERE IS ALSO WEAKER THAN REST OF FA. WILL
THEREFORE GO SCATTERED STORMS HERE LATE...WITH LIKELY POPS
ELSEWHERE. SEVERE THREAT IS ALSO POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY ALONG A
VALLEY CITY TO FFM LINE NEAR BEST INSTABILITY AND MOISTURE. DON/T
FEEL THAT THIS WARRANTS A MENTION IN ZONES THOUGH...WITH BEST LOW
LEVEL JET FOCUSED INTO SOUTHERN MN/IOWA AFTER 06Z. A FEW SEVERE
HAIL/WIND REPORTS ARE POSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT AS STRONG MCS MOVES
ACROSS SOUTHEAST ND INTO WEST CENTRAL MN AFTER 04Z...BUT NOT ENOUGH
TO WARRANT A MENTION IN THE ZONES. REFER TO NEW SWODY1 FOR FURTHER
DISCUSSION.

.FGF...NONE.
KELLENBENZ

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Wilkin

When
June 18, 12:50 AM CST
Where
Wilkin County, 8 mi SE of Wolverton
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
46.317, -95.433

Thunderstorm Wind, Otter Tail

When
June 18, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Otter Tail County, Fergus Falls
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage
$5.0 million
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
46.500, -96.667

The strong wind knocked down trees and power lines. The city of Fergus Falls was without power for several hours. 30 to 40 homes sustained damage and many signs were knocked over.

Hail, Otter Tail

When
June 18, 1:45 AM CST
Where
Otter Tail County, Henning
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
46.283, -96.067

Hail, Otter Tail

When
June 18, 1:55 AM CST
Where
Otter Tail County, Henning
Measured
1.25 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning, Otter Tail

When
June 18, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Otter Tail County, Fergus Falls
Property damage
$500,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
46.250, -95.250

Lightning struck a downtown Fergus Falls business, igniting a fire that destroyed the 3 story business.

Hail, Otter Tail

When
June 18, 2:10 AM CST
Where
Otter Tail County, 4 mi SW of Wrightstown
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
46.317, -95.433

Hail, Otter Tail

When
June 18, 2:40 AM CST
Where
Otter Tail County, 6 mi N of Parkers Prairie
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
46.250, -95.250

Hail, Otter Tail

When
June 18, 2:45 AM CST
Where
Otter Tail County, 4 mi SW of Wrightstown
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
46.250, -95.317

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5251348, 5251349, 5251350, 5251514, 5251354, 5251351, 5251352, 5251353.