North Dakota, 2002

Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in North Dakota, July 21, 2002

July 21, 2002 · NWS FGF · 3 events in 1 county or zone

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
$3,000
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 Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 21, 1:05 AM CST, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 21, 1:05 AM CST, 3 hours 55 minutes before
FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
205 AM CDT SUN JUL 21 2002

FORECAST CHALLENGE IS PRECIP THREAT TODAY...THEN TEMPS

.OVERVIEW...
MAIN SFC COLD FRONT STILL SLOWLY PUSHING INTO NORTHEAST ND THIS
AM...WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE/INSTABILITY FROM GFK AND POINTS SOUTH
AND EAST. ONE AREA OF ELEVATED CONVECTION IN CENTRAL MN JUST EAST OF
AREA IN STRONG 850MB WARM AIR ADVECTION...ANOTHER PUSHING INTO NORTH
CENTRAL SD IN LEFT EXIT REGION OF 40KT 850MB JET AHEAD OF 500MB
SHORTWAVE MOVING INTO WESTERN DAKOTAS. MODELS STILL HAVING HARD TIME
WITH CURRENT SET UP...BUT ETA DID BEST WITH MOISTURE/INSTABILITY SO
WILL UTILIZE.

.SHORT TERM...
WILL MENTION PATCHY FOG IN ALL BUT NORTHERN ZONES THIS
MORNING...WITH ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND WEAK SFC FLOW.
MAIN 850MB FRONT AND UPPER SUPPORT MOVES THROUGH REGION
TODAY...EXPECT A ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN 2/3 OF FA
SOUTH OF A GFK TO BJI LINE. CAPES STILL AROUND 2000J/KG FROM 12-18Z
IN FAR SOUTH...SO WOULDN/T RULE OUT AN ISOLATED SEVERE EVENT HERE
WITH NEW SLIGHT RISK AREA IN SWODY1 NEAR SOUTHEAST REGION. BEST
850MB COOLING WORKS INTO REGION THIS AFTERNOON...SO ONLY THING THAT
WILL LIMIT INSOLATION IS CLOUD COVER. EXPECT TEMPS TO BE ABOUT 5
DEGREES COOLER THAN YESTERDAY...AS DRIER AIR FILTERS INTO REGION BY
AFTERNOON.

.LONG TERM...
850MB TEMPS COOL TO AROUND +8C BY MONDAY AFTERNOON...AS DRY HIGH
PRESSURE SETTLES OVER REGION BY TUESDAY. THIS WILL MEAN TEMPS BELOW
NORMAL FOR MONDAY TUESDAY...WITH LOWS TUESDAY MORNING INTO THE UPPER
40S NORTH TO AROUND 50 SOUTH...ALMOST 20 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.

.EXTENDED...
NO CHANGES PLANNED AT THIS TIME.

.FGF...NONE.

KELLENBENZ

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Richland

When
July 21, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Richland County, 4 mi E of Fairmount
Property damage
$500
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
46.050, -96.517

Several small trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Richland

When
July 21, 5:06 AM CST to 5:30 AM CST
Where
Richland County, Fairmount
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
46.050, -96.600

Numerous large trees were blown down and uprooted.

Lightning, Richland

When
July 21, 5:30 AM CST
Where
Richland County, Dwight
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
46.265, -96.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A lightning strike caused a house fire.

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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Dakota in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, 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: 5303664, 5308370, 5308371.