Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 12, 2004

Name: Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 12, 2004
Start: 2004-07-12T03:40
End: 2004-07-12T04:05
Location: Minnesota

July 12, 2004 · 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 11, 7:40 PM CST, 8 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 11, 7:40 PM CST, 8 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
840 PM CDT SUN JUL 11 2004

.DISCUSSION...
FORECAST CHALLENGE OVERNIGHT WILL BE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE MCS ALONG
WITH FLOODING. MAIN SFC BOUNDARY STILL OVER EASTERN MT/WESTERN ND AS
STRONG SHORTWAVE EJECTS INTO WESTERN MT. SHORTWAVE AND SFC BOUNDARY
WILL SHIFT QUICKLY EAST TONIGHT AS 50KT AT 500MB OVERSPREADS CENTRAL
ND AFTER 06Z. STRONG INSTABILITY WITH SHOWALTERS AROUND -9C ALONG
WITH CAPES AROUND 3000 J/KG WILL ALSO SPREADS INTO MOST OF EASTERN
ND AFTER MIDNIGHT. EXPECT LOW LEVEL JET TO ALSO INTENSIFY IN WARM
ADVECTION ZONE AHEAD OF SHORTWAVE WITH EXTREME UPPER LEVEL
DIVERGENCE ALSO DEVELOPING OVER CENTRAL ND AROUND 06Z THEN MOVING
INTO EASTERN ND TOWARDS 10Z. SUPERCELLS DEVELOPING THIS EVENING IN
EASTERN MT AND WESTERN ND ARE EXPECTED TO EVOLVE INTO A LINEAR MCS
OVERNIGHT. WITH STRENGTH OF DEEP LAYERED
SHEAR...SHORTWAVE...INSTABILITY AND DEEP MOISTURE...EXPECT
INCREASING LIKELIHOOD FOR A SEVERE MCS TO MOVE ACROSS EASTERN ND
INTO WESTERN MN BETWEEN 06-12Z TIMEFRAME. MCS SHOULD PROPAGATE
EASTWARD QUICKLY AROUND 40-50KT...BUT PRECIPITABLE WATERS WILL
INCREASE TO AROUND 2 INCHES ACROSS EASTERN ND LATE TONIGHT.
THEREFORE...FLOODING POTENTIAL IS POSSIBLE WITH 2 INCH/HR RAIN
AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. FLOOD WATCH CURRENTLY IN EFFECT FOR WHOLE AREA
STILL LOOKS GOOD AND WILL NOT ADJUST WITH TORRENTIAL RAIN POSSIBLE
ANYWHERE LATER TONIGHT.

ALSO LOOKED AT JOHNS/HIRT DERECHO CHECKLIST AND MOST PARAMETERS LINE
UP FOR POSSIBLE PROGRESSIVE DERECHO DEVELOPMENT TONIGHT. BEST CHANCE
APPEARS TO BE ACROSS SOUTH WHERE 70 DEWPOINTS WILL RESIDE...BUT
STRONGER FORCING TO NORTH COULD ALSO EFFECT EVOLUTION OF MCS. ETA
MODEL CONTINUES TO PORTRAY MESO-HIGH DEVELOPING ALONG WITH COLD POOL
WHICH WOULD PROMOTE MOMENTUM TRANSPORT OF STRONGER WINDS ALOFT. WILL
HAVE TO CLOSELY MONITOR MCS AS IT DEVELOPS TONIGHT ACROSS WESTERN
DAKOTAS AND TRACKS INTO OUR REGION AFTER MIDNIGHT.

OVERALL GRIDS ARE IN EXCELLENT SHAPE. MAY TWEAK TIMING OF THUNDER
SOME AND INCREASE QPF OVERNIGHT AS WELL.

.FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

ND...FLOOD WATCH LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING.
MN...FLOOD WATCH LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING.

&&

KELLENBENZ

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 11, 8:30 AM CST, 19 hours 10 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
930 AM CDT SUN JUL 11 2004

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-111500-
BARNES-BENSON-CASS-CAVALIER-CLAY-EAST BECKER-EAST MARSHALL-
EAST OTTER TAIL-EAST POLK-EASTERN WALSH COUNTY-EDDY-GRAND FORKS-
GRANT-GRIGGS-HUBBARD-KITTSON-LAKE OF THE WOODS-MAHNOMEN-NELSON-
NORMAN-NORTH BELTRAMI-NORTH CLEARWATER-PEMBINA-PENNINGTON-RAMSEY-
RANSOM-RED LAKE-RICHLAND-ROSEAU-SARGENT-SOUTH BELTRAMI-
SOUTH CLEARWATER-STEELE-TOWNER-TRAILL-WADENA-WEST BECKER-
WEST MARSHALL-WEST OTTER TAIL-WEST POLK-WESTERN WALSH COUNTY-WILKIN-
930 AM CDT SUN JUL 11 2004

...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING...

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 THE AREA LATE
TONIGHT. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS. MANY AREAS HAVE RECEIVED HEAVY RAINFALL THE PAST
SEVERAL DAYS AND ARE SATURATED...SO RUNOFF AND FLOODING COULD BECOME
A PROBLEM. THUS A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED FOR THE ENTIRE REGION
FOR LATE TONIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES FROM THESE STORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.
THE SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD LINGER INTO THE
FIRST PART OF MONDAY ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE VALLEY. ADDITIONAL
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION PROBABLY MAY BE NEEDED LATE TONIGHT INTO
MONDAY MORNING.

GODON

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 12, 12:54 AM CST, 2 hours 46 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
154 AM CDT MON JUL 12 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0142 AM     TSTM WND GST     KNOX                    48.34N 99.69W
07/12/2004  60 MPH           BENSON             ND   PUBLIC

&&

DTR

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 36 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:41 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Norman

When: July 12, 3:40 AM CST
Where: Norman County, 1 mi W of Shelly
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.467, -96.850

Several trees were blown down along the Red River.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When: July 12, 3:45 AM CST
Where: Clay County, 2 mi N of Georgetown
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 47.117, -96.817

Large tree limbs were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When: July 12, 4:05 AM CST
Where: Clay County, Hawley
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 46.883, -96.317

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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, July 2004

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: 5415614, 5415615, 5415616.