Flash Flood in North Dakota, August 23, 2004

Name: Flash Flood in North Dakota, August 23, 2004
Start: 2004-08-23T19:55
End: 2004-08-23T21:25
Location: North Dakota

August 23, 2004 · NWS BIS · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Streets and underpasses flooded causing several major arteries to be closed. Water flowed across yards and into several basements of homes.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 BIS wrote it up.

Streets and underpasses flooded causing several major arteries to be closed. Water flowed across yards and into several basements of homes.

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 Bismarck, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 23, 2:15 PM CST, 5 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 23, 2:15 PM CST, 5 hours 40 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
315 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

.SHORT TERM...
PROBLEM FOR THE DAY WILL BE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT TONIGHT.  BIS
VAD WINDS SHOW 30 KT SOUTH WINDS AT LOW LEVELS AND DEWPOINTS HAVE
BEEN GOING UP AS THE SURFACE LOW IN EASTERN MONTANA CONTINUES TO
MOVE SLOWLY EAST.  TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN SUPPRESSED BY CLOUDS
THROUGH THE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON...BUT CLEARING ACROSS THE
SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST SHOULD ALLOW TEMPS TO REACH THE 70S.  MODELS
CONTINUE TO SHOW GOOD CAPE AHEAD OF THE LOW. K INDEX WILL BE IN THE
MID 30S INDICATING POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN.  THUNDERSTORMS NOW IN
NORTH CENTRAL ND LACK SUPPORT AND ARE UNLIKELY TO GO SEVERE...BUT
WILL LIKELY SEE TSTMS DEVELOP IN THE CLEAR WARM AIR TO THE SOUTH AND
WEST AND ADVECT INTO THE AREA. THE MODELS ALL MOVE THE SURFACE LOW
EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA BY TUESDAY MORNING...WITH GOOD DRYING IN
WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS AND SUBSIDENCE ALOFT.  THE CU INDEX AND TQ
INDEX SHOW LITTLE SUPPORT OF CU/SHOWER DEVELOPMENT SO WILL NOT
MENTION PRECIP EXCEPT FOR SLIGHT CHANCE MORNING SHOWERS FAR
NORTHWEST.  WITH ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DIGGING INTO THE WEST BY
THURSDAY AFTERNOON...EXPECT ANOTHER CHANCE OF TSTMS THURSDAY AND
THURSDAY NIGHT.

WATCH TO BE ISSUED SOON BY SPC.

.LONG TERM...
FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE FRIDAY WITH LONGWAVE
TROUGH OVER THE ROCKIES AND SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER NORTH DAKOTA
WITH SERIES OF SHORTWAVE ENERGY IMPULSES MOVING THROUGH THE FLOW.
MODELS BRING ANOTHER SHORTWAVE BEHIND THIS MAIN IMPULSE ON
SUNDAY...BUT WILL KEEP FORECAST DRY FOR NOW AS MAIN FORCING HAS
MOVED EAST. BUILDING RIDGE FROM THE WEST ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY.

&&
.BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.

&&

TSW/JV

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 23, 3:04 AM CST, 16 hours 51 minutes before

NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-010000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
404 AM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-240903-
ADAMS-BILLINGS-BOTTINEAU-BOWMAN-BURKE-BURLEIGH-DICKEY-DIVIDE-DUNN-
EMMONS-FOSTER-GOLDEN VALLEY-GRANT-HETTINGER-KIDDER-LA MOURE-LOGAN-
MCHENRY-MCINTOSH-MCKENZIE-MCLEAN-MERCER-MORTON-MOUNTRAIL-OLIVER-
PIERCE-RENVILLE-ROLETTE-SHERIDAN-SIOUX-SLOPE-STARK-STUTSMAN-WARD-
WELLS-WILLIAMS-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WILLISTON...MINOT...JAMESTOWN...
DICKINSON...CROSBY...BOWMAN...BOTTINEAU...BISMARCK...MANDAN...
WATFORD CITY...WASHBURN...STANLEY...RUGBY...MOTT...MEDORA...LINTON...
HETTINGER...HARVEY...ELLENDALE...CARRINGTON...BEULAH...BELCOURT...
BEACH AND ASHLEY
404 AM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL
NORTH DAKOTA TODAY AND EVENING ALONG AND AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING
TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE. A FEW STORMS MAY BE SEVERE TODAY AND
EVENING WITH THE PRIMARY THREAT BEING HAIL AND LOCALLY DAMAGING
THUNDERSTORM WINDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

RGT

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 23, 5:07 PM CST, 2 hours 48 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
607 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

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

0600 PM     HAIL             4 E REGENT              46.42N 102.47W
08/23/2004  1.00 INCH        HETTINGER          ND   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

SW

Local storm report, Aug 23, 6:03 PM CST, 1 hour 52 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
703 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

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

0700 PM     HAIL             GLEN ULLIN              46.81N 101.83W
08/23/2004  0.75 INCH        MORTON             ND   PUBLIC

&&

SW

Local storm report, Aug 23, 7:02 PM CST, 53 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
802 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

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

0735 PM     TORNADO          7 W MANDAN              46.83N 101.04W
08/23/2004                   MORTON             ND   PUBLIC

            DEBRIS WAS SEEN.

0740 PM     TSTM WND GST     RIVERDALE               47.50N 101.37W
08/23/2004  70 MPH           MCLEAN             ND   PUBLIC

            PEA SIZE HAIL

0747 PM     TORNADO          10 W CENTER             47.11N 101.51W
08/23/2004                   OLIVER             ND   PUBLIC

            BRIEF TOUCHDOWN.

0750 PM     TSTM WND GST     HENSLER                 47.25N 101.08W
08/23/2004  60 MPH           OLIVER             ND   TRAINED SPOTTER

0600 PM     TSTM WND DMG     8 S REGENT              46.31N 102.56W
08/23/2004                   HETTINGER          ND   PUBLIC

            BARN ROOF BLOWN OFF. TRAILER SIDING HEAVILY DAMAGED.

&&

SW

Local storm report, Aug 23, 7:17 PM CST, 38 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
817 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

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

0815 PM     HAIL             MANDAN                  46.83N 100.89W
08/23/2004  1.75 INCH        MORTON             ND   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

SW

Local storm report, Aug 23, 7:33 PM CST, 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
833 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

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

0827 PM     TSTM WND GST     BISMARCK                46.81N 100.77W
08/23/2004  58 MPH           BURLEIGH           ND   OFFICIAL NWS OBS

&&

SW

Local storm report, Aug 23, 7:44 PM CST, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
844 PM CDT MON AUG 23 2004

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

0834 PM     HAIL             BISMARCK                46.81N 100.77W
08/23/2004  2.00 INCH        BURLEIGH           ND   TRAINED SPOTTER

            EAST PART OF TOWN

0835 PM     HAIL             BISMARCK                46.81N 100.77W
08/23/2004  1.25 INCH        BURLEIGH           ND   NWS EMPLOYEE

0838 PM     HAIL             BISMARCK                46.81N 100.77W
08/23/2004  1.75 INCH        BURLEIGH           ND   NWS EMPLOYEE

&&

SW

The radar

The Bismarck radar (KBIS), 32 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:56 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Burleigh

When: August 23, 7:55 PM CST to 9:25 PM CST
Where: Burleigh County, Bismarck
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 46.977, -100.469 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Dakota in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in North Dakota, August 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: 5418085.