High Wind in Minnesota, April 6, 2002

Name: High Wind in Minnesota, April 6, 2002
Start: 2002-04-06T08:45
End: 2002-04-06T17:13
Location: Minnesota

April 6, 2002 · NWS FGF · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

Strong south winds, many finely plowed bare dirt fields, and a dry late March and early April combined to produce areas of visibility around a quarter mile in blowing dust. The strongest wind speed was measured by a MNDOT RWIS site at Halstad.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 15 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 15

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 FGF wrote it up.

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 Apr 6, 4:08 AM CST, 4 hours 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 6, 4:08 AM CST, 4 hours 37 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
408 AM CST APR 6 2002

...FORECAST CHALLENGES ARE WINDS...PRECIPITATION AND TEMPERATURES TODAY...

.CURRENT OBSERVATIONS...
SPLIT AREA OF LOW PRESSURE TAKING SHAPE ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES
WITH THE AVN HAVING THE BEST HANDLE ON THE STRENGTH OF THE SURFACE
FEATURES. IR SATELLITE SHOWS CIRRUS OVER THE AREA ALONG WITH
BEGINNING OF WARM AIR ADVECTION AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM. SURFACE WINDS
ARE ALREADY PICKING UP AHEAD OF SURFACE TROUGH WITH SOME GUSTS ABOVE
30KTS BEING NOTED.

.SHORT TERM...
MAIN EVENT FOR TODAY WILL BE THE WINDS ACROSS THE CWFA. 850MB WINDS
APPROACH 60KTS THIS AFTERNOON. HOWEVER DUE TO STRONG 850MB WARM AIR
ADVECTION(WAA) AND VEERING PROFILE...WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MIX THESE WINDS TO
THE SURFACE. OF GREATER CONCERN ARE THE 45KT WINDS AT 925MB AS THIS
LAYER WILL BE SLOW TO WARM UP AND MAY BE ABLE TO MIX THESE WINDS
DOWN. TIGHT SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL BE IN PLACE MUCH OF THE
DAY BEFORE RELAXING BY THIS EVENING. FOR THESE REASONS...WILL ISSUE
WIND ADVISORY FOR VALLEY WEST TODAY AND EAST OF THE VALLEY FOR THIS
AFTERNOON.

WILL KEEP CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION IN FOR TODAY AS STRONG 850-700MB
WAA IS IN PLACE TODAY. FEEL THE AVN SATURATES THE COLUMN TOO MUCH.
EXPECT THE SYSTEM ACROSS THE SOUTH TO STEAL MUCH OF THE GULF
MOISTURE TODAY. ETA SOUNDINGS KEEP THE LOWER LAYERS MUCH
DRIER...MAKING IT TOUGH FOR ANY PRECIPITATION TO REACH THE
GROUND...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTH. ACROSS NORTHWEST MINNESOTA THE
PRECIPITATION WILL BE MIXED AS THIS AREA WILL BE LAST TO WARM UP.

.LONG TERM...
RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL SETTLE INTO THE CWFA OVERNIGHT AND BRING
MUCH CALMER WINDS BY SUNDAY. DESPITE COOLER LOW-MID LEVEL
TEMPERATURES...APRIL SUN SHOULD HELP RAISE TEMPERATURES TO NEAR
SATURDAYS HIGHS. COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND
BRING A TEMPORARY COOL DOWN FOR MONDAY.

THANKS FOR COORD BIS...ABR

.FGF...WIND ADVISORY RED RIVER VALLEY WEST TODAY...THIS AFTERNOON
VALLEY EAST.

DONAVON

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kittson

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: Kittson forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.777, -96.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Roseau

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: Roseau forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.775, -95.811 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, West Marshall

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: West Marshall forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, East Marshall

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: East Marshall forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, West Polk

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: West Polk forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Pennington

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: Pennington forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.066, -96.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Red Lake

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: Red Lake forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.872, -96.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, East Polk

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: East Polk forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Norman

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: Norman forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Mahnomen

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: Mahnomen forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.325, -95.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Clay

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, West Becker

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: West Becker forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Wilkin

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: Wilkin forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.357, -96.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, West Otter Tail

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: West Otter Tail forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Grant

When: April 6, 8:45 AM CST to 5:13 PM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.934, -96.012 (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

Every storm in Minnesota in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, April 2002

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: 5285468, 5285469, 5285470, 5285471, 5285472, 5285473, 5285474, 5285475, 5285476, 5285477, 5285478, 5285479, 5285480, 5285481, 5285482.