Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 31, 2002

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 31, 2002
Start: 2002-07-31T20:30
End: 2002-07-31T23:45
Location: Minnesota

July 31, 2002 · NWS FGF · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

4 hail, 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $6,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 Jul 31, 7:55 PM CST, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 7:55 PM CST, 35 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
855 PM CDT WED JUL 31 2002

FORECAST CHALLENGE FOR TONIGHT IS SEVERE WEATHER. KMVX HAS NUMEROUS
SEVERE STORMS MOVING THROUGH E ND INTO NW MN. WITH COLD FRONT
EXTENDING THROUGH ND ALONG A LANGDON TO BAKER TO BISMARCK LINE...
STILL HAVE A LONG TIME TO GO BEFORE EXPECT SEVERE TO BE OUT OF AREA.
WITH WATCH OVER DEVILS LAKE AREA EXPECTED TO EXPIRE AT 9 PM...AND
LINE OF SEVERE CLOSE TO EXIT THAT AREA...TIMING FOR WATCH EXPIRATION
LOOKS GOOD. REMAINDER OF AREA STILL UNDER SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
UNTIL 1 AM...WITH LOADED GUN SOUNDINGS...STRONG SURFACE BOUNDARY...
JET SUPPORT...DARKENING ON WATER VAPOR STARTING TO SHOW UP...ETC
...SO WATCH FOR REMAINDER OF AREA UNTIL 1 AM STILL LOOKS GOOD.
CONSEQUENTLY...CURRENT FORECAST WELL IN HAND. WILL ONLY NEED TO MAKE
MINOR CHANGES.

.FGF...NONE.

NG

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 31, 5:21 PM CST, 3 hours 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
621 PM CDT WED JUL 31 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0600 PM    3 S LEEDS                 ND   TORNADO
07/31/02   BENSON                         BRIEF TOUCHDOWN REPORTED 3
                                          MILES SOUTH OF LEEDS BY
                                          SPOTTER

0611 PM    LEEDS                     ND   2.00 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   BENSON

ME

Local storm report, Jul 31, 6:47 PM CST, 1 hour 43 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
747 PM CDT WED JUL 31 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0639 AM    CHURCHS FERRY             ND   .75 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   RAMSEY

0610 PM    5 N LEEDS                 ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   BENSON

0618 PM    LEEDS                     ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   BENSON

0618 PM    4 E LEEDS                 ND   2.00 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   BENSON

0627 PM    CHURCHS FERRY             ND   .75 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   RAMSEY

0720 PM    2 N DEVILS LAKE           ND   .75 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   RAMSEY                         WALL CLOUD

0720 PM    MADDOCK                   ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   BENSON                         GROUND COVERED TOTALLY
                                          WHITE

0730 PM    2 NW DEVILS LAKE          ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   RAMSEY

ME

Local storm report, Jul 31, 6:47 PM CST, 1 hour 43 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
747 PM CDT WED JUL 31 2002

...CORRECTED TIME OF FIRST REPORT...

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0639 PM    CHURCHS FERRY             ND   .75 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   RAMSEY

0610 PM    5 N LEEDS                 ND   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   BENSON

0618 PM    LEEDS                     ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   BENSON

0618 PM    4 E LEEDS                 ND   2.00 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   BENSON

0627 PM    CHURCHS FERRY             ND   .75 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   RAMSEY

0720 PM    2 N DEVILS LAKE           ND   .75 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   RAMSEY                         WALL CLOUD

0720 PM    MADDOCK                   ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   BENSON                         GROUND COVERED TOTALLY
                                          WHITE

0730 PM    2 NW DEVILS LAKE          ND   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/31/02   RAMSEY

ME

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 86 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:31 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall

When: July 31, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Marshall County, Warren
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 48.200, -96.767

Strong winds blew a tree onto a house.

Hail, Beltrami

When: July 31, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Beltrami County, Nebish
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.767, -94.850

Hail, Polk

When: July 31, 9:52 PM CST
Where: Polk County, 9 mi N of Mc Intosh
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.767, -95.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: July 31, 10:05 PM CST
Where: Polk County, Mc Intosh
Property damage: $500
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 47.633, -95.900

Tree damage was reported in the town of McIntosh.

Hail, Polk

When: July 31, 10:10 PM CST
Where: Polk County, 6 mi N of Mc Intosh
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.717, -95.900

Hail, Wadena

When: July 31, 11:45 PM CST
Where: Wadena County, 4 mi E of Menahga
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 46.750, -95.017

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

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, 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: 5308615, 5308616, 5308617, 5308620, 5308618, 5308619.