North Dakota, 2001

High Wind in North Dakota, May 1, 2001

May 1, 2001 · NWS BIS · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A strong cold front entered western North Dakota during the early morning hours on the 1st of May. Winds of 40 to 55 mphdeveloped with the passage of the cold front.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS BIS wrote it up.

A strong cold front entered western North Dakota during the early morning hours on the 1st of May. Winds of 40 to 55 mphdeveloped with the passage of the cold front. The winds subsided to below the warning criteria during the afternoon,but remainded gusting between 25 to 40 mph into the early evening on the 1st.

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 Bismarck, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 1, 1:30 AM CST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 1, 1:30 AM CST, 2 hours 35 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
230 AM CDT TUE MAY 1 2001

WINDS ARE MAIN PROBLEM TONIGHT. MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH MID
LEVEL FEATURES. BROAD CYCLONIC FLOW FROM PACIFIC NORTHWEST TO GREAT
LAKES WITH EMBEDDED S/WS IN FAST FLOW. 120-130KT 30H JET SAGS INTO
SOUTH DAKOTA...FARTHER SOUTH ON TONIGHTS MODELS THAN YTDYS. S/W
PROGGED BY ALL MODELS TO NORTHEAST MONTANA BY 12Z AND NW NORTH
DAKOTA BY 18Z...SLIGHTLY FASTER ON ETA. SURFACE LOW AND INTENSIFYING
COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO CENTRAL ND THIS AM. PROGD MODEL SOUNDINGS
INDICATE MIXING TO NEAR 70H WITH 35 TO 40 KTS ON ALL MODELS...AVN
SLIGHTLY STRONGER SW AND ETA SLIGHTLY STRONGER NORTH CENTRAL.
MISSING IS GOOD NVA THROUGH DEEP LAYER TO HELP MIX WINDS DOWN WITH
BEST DVV CONFINED TO ONLY 80H. WILL LET WIND ADVISORY RIDE FOR MOST
OF CWA BUT WILL ISSUE HWW FOR SOUTHWEST COUNTIES WITH HIER ELEVATION
AND WHERE AVN HAS BEST CHC FLOW REACHING SURFACE. IN SHORTER RANGE
CONVECTION IN EASTERN MONTANA SCREAMING EAST BUT WEAKENING...ONLY A
LITTLE LIGHTNING LEFT BUT GUST FRONT STILL CAUSING PROBLEMS. WILL
MONITOR AS IT APPROACHES XTRM SW BORDER. NO CHANGES TO EXTENDED.
COORD WITH ABOUT EVERYBODY.

.BIS...HWW SW TODAY.
       WIND ADVISORY TDY...NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL
       WIND ADVISORY THIS AFTERNOON...EAST CENTRAL.

HW

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Adams

When
May 1, 4:05 AM CST to 1:13 PM CST
Where
Adams forecast zone
Measured
47 kt (54 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
46.097, -102.528 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Bowman

When
May 1, 4:05 AM CST to 1:13 PM CST
Where
Bowman forecast zone
Measured
44 kt (51 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
46.113, -103.521 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sioux

When
May 1, 4:05 AM CST to 1:13 PM CST
Where
Sioux forecast zone
Measured
34 kt (39 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Stark

When
May 1, 4:05 AM CST to 1:13 PM CST
Where
Stark forecast zone
Measured
39 kt (45 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
46.811, -102.655 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Dakota in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, May 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: 5243160, 5243161, 5243162, 5243163.