Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 13, 2003

Name: Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 13, 2003
Start: 2003-07-13T21:30
End: 2003-07-13T21:35
Location: Minnesota

July 13, 2003 · NWS FGF · 3 events in 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 13, 7:20 PM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 13, 7:20 PM CST, 2 hours 10 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
820 PM CDT SUN JUL 13 2003

...ABBREVIATED DISCUSSION DUE TO ONGOING SEVERE WEATHER...

NEAR TERM/ANALYSIS...A SEVERE/TORNADIC CONVECTIVE CLUSTER IN CENTRAL
ND IS MOVING STEADILY EWD AT AROUND 45KTS...WITH ADDN SEVERE LINE
EXTENDING NEWD INTO SWRN BENSON CNTY. EXPECT SVR TSTMS INTO THE
GRAND FORKS AREA BY 10 PM...WITH LIKELY DEVELOPMENT SOUTHWARD ALG
THE LINE...AND INTO THE FARGO-MOORHEAD AREA BY 11PM. A SFC COLD
FRONT IS SWEEPING SEWD THROUGH WCNTL ND AND IS EXPECTED TO PUSH
ACROSS THE NRN RRV SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. MUCAPE VALUES ACROSS
EASTERN ND ARE APPROACHING 3500-400J/KG...AS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE
POOLS AHEAD OF THIS FRONT. THE 21Z RUC SHOWS THESE HIGH
INSTABILITIES SHIFTING INTO WRN MN THROUGH THE LATE EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT HOURS. COORD WITH SPC INDICATES THAT SEVERE TSTM WATCH
WILL LIKLEY BE ISSUED INTO THE RRV AND NORTHWEST-WEST CENTRAL MN
FROM 10PM INTO OVERNIGHT HOURS.

MONDAY...EXPECT A SECOND ROUND OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO
DEVELOP ACROSS ERN MT TONIGHT...AND MOVE ACROSS ND DURING THE
OVERNIGHT AND EARLY MORNING HOURS. THUS ADDN TSTMS ACTIVITY IS
EXPECTED THROUGH THE MONDAY FORENOON HOURS. MUCH DEPENDS ON HOW AND
IF SFC LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS INTO SCNTRL ND AROUND 12Z AS NOSE OF
500-300MB JET NOSES INTO WRN ND. UPR DIVERGENCE HAS BEEN PROGGED
CONSISTENTLY HIGH WITH THIS FEATURE AND SHOULD ADD IN DEVELOPMENT OF
WIDESPREAD AND PERSISTENT CONVECTION INTO THE FGF CWFA FOR EARLY
MONDAY. THREAT FOR TRAINING ECHOES AND/OR REPEATED TSTMS WITH HEAVY
RAIN EXISTS THROUGH MONDAY MORNING...MAINLY ACROSS THE SRN PORTIONS
OF THE FGF CWFA.

.FGF...SEVERE TSTM WATCH FOR EASTERN ND TIL 10PM. EXTENSION EXPECTED
INTO NORTHWEST MN AFTER 10PM.

GUST

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 13, 5:32 AM CST, 15 hours 58 minutes before

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-131430-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
632 AM CDT SUN JUL 13 2003

...SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP LATE TODAY AND
TONIGHT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA...WEST
CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AFTER 4 PM
THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE DEVILS LAKE REGION AND THE FAR NORTHERN
PORTION OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY.  THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE IS EXPECTED
TO INCREASE AND SPREAD OVER THE REST OF THE REGION AFTER 7 PM.  THE
THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL THEN CONTINUE INTO MUCH OF THE NIGHT.
DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE THE MAIN THREATS.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL FORM IN A VERY WARM AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS
TODAY AHEAD OF A WEAK COLD FRONT THAT WILL EXTEND FROM NEAR WINNIPEG
TO MINOT TO DICKINSON LATE THIS AFTERNOON.  THE FRONT WILL MOVE EAST
ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY
A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO MONDAY...BUT NO SEVERE
WEATHER IS EXPECTED.  THE NEXT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL COME
THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED AFTER 4 PM TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT.

RIDDLE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 13, 7:48 PM CST, 1 hour 42 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
848 PM CDT SUN JUL 13 2003

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

0846 PM    8 S HAMAR                 ND   E60 MPH WIND GUST
07/13/03   EDDY                           LARGE BRANCHES BROKE AND
                                          SMALLER TREES BENT
                                          SEVERELY. REPORTED BY
                                          TRAINED SPOTTER.

GJG

Local storm report, Jul 13, 8:18 PM CST, 1 hour 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
918 PM CDT SUN JUL 13 2003

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

0906 PM    7 SW MCVILLE              ND   E65 MPH WIND GUST
07/13/03   NELSON

0906 PM    8 NNE BINFORD             ND   E65 MPH WIND GUST
07/13/03   GRIGGS

GJG

Local storm report, Jul 13, 9:01 PM CST, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
1001 PM CDT SUN JUL 13 2003

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

0945 PM    4 E GOLDEN LAKE           ND   E70 MPH WIND GUST
07/13/   STEELE                         LARGE TREE SNAPPED OFF
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

GJG

Local storm report, Jul 13, 9:01 PM CST, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT ...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
1001 PM CDT SUN JUL 13 2003

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

0945 PM    4 E GOLDEN LAKE           ND   E70 MPH WIND GUST
07/13/03   STEELE                         LARGE TREE SNAPPED OFF
                                          REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

GJG

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 36 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:27 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Norman

When: July 13, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Norman County, 1 mi NW of Shelly
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.483, -96.850

A large tree was blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: July 13, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Polk County, 2 mi S of Nielsville
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.517, -96.817

6 inch diameter tree branches were blown off.

Thunderstorm Wind, Norman

When: July 13, 9:35 PM CST
Where: Norman County, Hendrum
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.267, -96.817

6 inch diameter tree limbs were broken off by the strong wind.

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

Every storm in Minnesota in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, July 2003

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: 5369362, 5369363, 5369364.