Minnesota, 2002

Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 21, 2002

July 21, 2002 · NWS DLH · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

3 thunderstorm wind, 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 Duluth, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 21, 3:00 AM CST, 4 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 21, 3:00 AM CST, 4 hours 35 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
400 AM CDT SUN JUL 21 2002

MAIN FOCUS TODAY IS PLACEMENT OF PCPN/HEAVY RAINFALL POTENTIAL.

THE MODELS ARE HAVING A HARD TIME DIAGNOSING QPF SO FAR THIS
MORNING...WITH THE 06Z MESOETA/RUC BEST INDICATING QPF AREAS
AND LOCATING PLACEMENT OF VORT MAXES. WILL FOLLOW THE MESOETA
FOR THE DETAILS...AS THE AVN APPEARS TO BE SUFFERING SOME
CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK PROBLEMS.

EARLIER HEAVY CONVECTION OVER OUR SOUTHERN CWA HAS SINCE
DIMINISHED...WITH THE EXCEPTION BEING OVER NW WI...WHERE HEAVY
RAINFALL CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM. WILL CANCEL THE FLOOD WATCH
AT 430 AM...ALTHOUGH IF THE SAME SITUATION SETS UP ACROSS THESE
ZONES...WE MAY NEED TO REVISIT THE FLOODING POTENTIAL THERE. WITH
850 THETA-E AXIS NOSING INTO OUR SOUTHERN ZONES TODAY...WILL NEED
TO KEEP MENTION OF HEAVY RAINFALL. THINK THE PCPN IN SD WILL LIFT
NE AND DIMINISH SOMEWHAT TODAY...BEFORE A NEW BATCH OF STORMS
FIRES UP AS A H7-H5 S/W SWINGS ACROSS THE AREA. OCNL WORDING
SEEMS APPROPRIATE IN THE FAR SOUTH...WITH JUST CHANCE POPS
IN THE NORTH. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AGAIN POSSIBLE THIS
EVENING. MESOETA OMEGA HITS THIS AREA HARD AGAIN LATER TODAY.

DRIER AIR WILL PUSH IN ACROSS THE NORTH BY TONIGHT...AND WILL
THEN PUSH ACROSS NW WI LATER TONIGHT/MONDAY. TEMPS AND HUMIDITY
WILL BE QUITE A BIT LOWER. TEMPS TODAY WILL BE WELL INTO THE
80S...ALONG WITH HIGH HUMIDITY.

THANKS TO MQT/GRB FOR COORDINATION.

.DLH...NONE.

DAP

The radar

The Duluth radar (KDLH), 135 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:34 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Crow Wing

When
July 21, 7:35 AM CST
Where
Crow Wing County, Deerwood
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
46.483, -93.900

Trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Aitkin

When
July 21, 10:45 PM CST
Where
Aitkin County, 4 mi W of Mc Grath
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates
46.250, -93.350

Fifty trees were blown down at a cabin.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pine

When
July 21, 11:05 PM CST
Where
Pine County, 2 mi E of Sandstone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
46.133, -92.833

A large tree was uprooted.

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, July 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: 5310559, 5310558, 5310557.