Flash Flooding and Hail in Minnesota, June 23, 2003

Name: Flash Flooding and Hail in Minnesota, June 23, 2003
Start: 2003-06-23T12:00
End: 2003-06-23T14:30
Location: Minnesota

June 23, 2003 · NWS FGF · 7 events in 2 counties and zones

3 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: 1
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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 Jun 23, 8:50 AM CST, 3 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 23, 8:50 AM CST, 3 hours 10 minutes before

FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
950 AM CDT MON JUN 23 2003

BASES ARE COVERED WELL THIS MORNING...SO ONLY A FEW MINOR TWEAKS
EXPECTED. SLOW MOVING LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS (A FEW SEVERE) SET UP
RIGHT ALONG THE RED RIVER VALLEY. THE STRONGEST CELLS ACROSS THE
SOUTHEAST FA AND THIS AREA HAS BEEN HIT THE HARDEST WITH RAINFALL
DURING THE PAST SEVERAL EVENTS. PRIOR SHIFT ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD
WATCH FOR THE SOUTHERN FA AND WITH CURRENT HEAVIER RAIN AND MORE
EXPECTED...WILL CONTINUE. SPC SLIGHT RISK AREA COVERS SOUTH/EAST FA
SO WILL MAINTAIN POSSIBLE SEVERE WORDING IN THESE AREAS. LOTS OF
CLOUDS ALONG THE VALLEY AND EAST WHICH WILL INHIBIT A LOT OF TEMP
RISE THIS AFTERNOON. SHOULD SEE BETTER RISE TO THE WEST OF THE
VALLEY...BUT THIS AREA WAS COOLER THAN AREAS TO THE EAST. SO TEMPS
SHOULD BALANCE OUT TO WHAT IS EXPECTED IN THE GRIDS. WEAK SFC FLOW
AND SOUPY DEW POINTS LEADING TO PERSISTENT FOG SO WILL PROBABLY
INCLUDE A MENTION INTO EARLY AFTERNOON.

.FGF...FLASH FLOOD WATCH ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM KFAR-KPKD
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

GODON

Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 23, 6:31 AM CST, 5 hours 29 minutes before

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-231530-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
731 AM CDT MON JUN 23 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST NORTH
DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST
NORTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF
SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP OVER
SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA AFTER 2 PM CDT
LIFTING NORTHEAST INTO THE EVENING HOURS. THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. WITH RECENT HEAVY RAINS
OVER PARTS OF SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA
ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN MAY LEAD TO FLOODING PROBLEMS. AS A RESULT A
FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA AND
WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.
CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MAINLY SOUTHERN PARTS
OF THE REGION INTO WEDNESDAY. AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS THE STRONGEST
STORMS WILL BE SOUTH OF THE REGION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/FGF/INDEX.HTML (ALL LOWER CASE)

VOELKER

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 23, 7:18 AM CST, 4 hours 42 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
818 AM CDT MON JUN 23 2003

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

0720 AM    7 NW LITCHVILLE           ND   .75 INCH HAIL
06/23/03   BARNES                         REPORTED BY CO-OP
                                          OBSERVER.

DPORTER

Local storm report, Jun 23, 8:23 AM CST, 3 hours 37 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS, ND
923 AM CDT MON JUN 23 2003

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

0918 AM    3 NE HAVANA               ND   .75 INCH HAIL
06/23/03   SARGENT                        REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

GJG

The radar

The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 194 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:13 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Grant

When: June 23, 12:00 PM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Grant County, Ashby
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.934, -96.012 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Street flooding was reported.

Lightning, Grant

When: June 23, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Grant County, Barrett
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 45.934, -96.012 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A 7 year-old girl was injured after lightning struck her family's home. The lightning hit a television antenna, cracked the ceiling, and burned a wall behind the girl. The strike also started a fire in the dining room. The girl suffered minor burns on her back and right shoulder.

Thunderstorm Wind, Grant

When: June 23, 12:15 PM CST
Where: Grant County, Hoffman
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 45.833, -95.800

Several trees were uprooted and numerous branches were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Otter Tail

When: June 23, 12:25 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, 7 mi W of Urbank
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 46.133, -95.667

Several large tree branches were blown down.

Hail, Otter Tail

When: June 23, 1:15 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, 7 mi ENE of Parkers Prairie
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 46.200, -95.183

Flash Flood, Grant

When: June 23, 1:30 PM CST to 2:30 PM CST
Where: Grant County, 2 mi N of Elbow Lake
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.934, -96.012 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Water flowed across Highway 59.

Flash Flood, Otter Tail

When: June 23, 1:30 PM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: Otter Tail County, Parkers Prairie
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Street flooding was reported.

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, June 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: 5367974, 5367980, 5367975, 5367976, 5367977, 5367978, 5367979.