High Wind in North Dakota, February 11, 2002

Name: High Wind in North Dakota, February 11, 2002
Start: 2002-02-11T12:00
End: 2002-02-11T22:00
Location: North Dakota

February 11, 2002 · NWS FGF · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 18 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: 18

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.

A strong area of surface low pressure moved across southern Ontario, with a tight surface pressure gradient across eastern North Dakota. The day began with record warmth and was followed by the gusty wind. The highest wind speeds in the area were 58 mph at both the Fargo and Grand Forks airports.

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 Feb 11, 10:30 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 11, 10:30 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1030 AM CST MON FEB 11 2002

UPR LVL TROF OVR MT WITH A THERMAL TROF LAGGING ABT A QUARTER
WAVELENGTH. UPR AIR CHART SHOWS 200+ MTR HGT FALLS OVR MT THIS MORN
AS COLD AIR MOVS IN ALF. ETA MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATE GOOD COOLING
TO OCCUR TDY FM JUST OFF THE SFC TO 300 HPA WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE
COOLING TO TAKE PLACE ARND 800 HPA THIS MORN. THE COOLING AT LOW
LVLS WL PRODUCE A RELATIVELY ADIABATIC LYR IN THE W THIS AFTN AND IN
THE E LATER THIS AFTN. SFC WNDS INCRG IN WRN ND. SURPRISINGLY 88D
VAD WNDS ARE NOT VRY IMPRESSIVE AT KMBX AND KBIS BUT ARE 50+ KTS OFF
THE SFC AT KMVX AND KGGW. ETA FCSTG A BOMB WITH SFC PRES FALLING 10
MB TDY. WATER VAPOR LOOP SHOWS GOOD DRYING HAS MOVD INTO ALL OF ND
XCP THE SE. DRY BAND WAS MOVG E.  MESOSCALE ANLYS SHOW RISE-FALL
PRES COUPLET CNTRD OVR SRN SASK AND WRN ONT WITH A 3 HR PRES
DIFFERENCE OF 16 MB. PAT WAS SHFTG E. TEMPS ARE RISING FAST WL
UPDATE FOR NR OR RECORD HIGHS TDY.

.FGF...HIGH WIND WARNING THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOR EASTERN
NORTH DAKOTA AND EXTREME NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA.
NDZ006>008-014>016-024-026>030-038-039-049-052>054-MNZ001>004-007-008-
013>015-022-027-029-030-040.
WIND ADVISORY LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR REMAINDER OF NORTHWEST AND
WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA (ROSEAU-BEMIDJI-PARK RAPIDS). MNZ005-006-009-
016-017-023-024-028-031-032.

HOPPES

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Towner

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Towner forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.686, -99.246 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Cavalier

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Cavalier forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.772, -98.465 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Pembina

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Pembina forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.768, -97.552 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Benson

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Benson forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.069, -99.366 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Ramsey

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Ramsey forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.269, -98.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Western Walsh

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Western Walsh forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.370, -97.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Eastern Walsh

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Eastern Walsh forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.370, -97.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Eddy

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Eddy forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.718, -98.902 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Nelson

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Nelson forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.922, -98.192 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Grand Forks

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Grand Forks forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.922, -97.457 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Griggs

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Griggs forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.457, -98.237 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Steele

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Steele forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.456, -97.725 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Traill

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Traill forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.454, -97.162 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Barnes

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Barnes forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.936, -98.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Cass

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Cass forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.933, -97.248 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Ransom

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Ransom forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.456, -97.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Sargent

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Sargent forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.108, -97.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Richland

When: February 11, 12:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where: Richland forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.265, -96.948 (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 North Dakota in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in North Dakota, February 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: 5282983, 5282984, 5282985, 5282986, 5282987, 5282988, 5282989, 5282990, 5282991, 5282992, 5282993, 5282994, 5282995, 5282996, 5282997, 5282998, 5282999, 5283000.