On the 22nd, an area of surface low pressure moved from near Aberdeen, SD (by mid morning), to near Jamestown, ND (around the noon hour), then northeast to near Larimore, ND (by late afternoon). A strong surface pressure gradient was located ahead of the low, helping to create gusty south southwest winds.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS FGF wrote it up.
On the 22nd, an area of surface low pressure moved from near Aberdeen, SD (by mid morning), to near Jamestown, ND (around the noon hour), then northeast to near Larimore, ND (by late afternoon). A strong surface pressure gradient was located ahead of the low, helping to create gusty south southwest winds.
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 May 22, 1:55 PM CST, 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND 255 PM CDT TUE MAY 22 2007 .SHORT TERM... CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL THIS EVENING AND WHERE IT OCCURS IS STILL THE MAIN CHALLENGE FOR THE SHORT TERM. NOT REALLY CONFIDENT IN ANY ONE MODEL SOLUTION...SO WILL GO MORE WITH A BLEND FOR NOW. TONIGHT...SFC LOW AT 19Z WAS LOCATED NEAR KJMS...WITH A FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDING NORTHWARD TO NEAR LANGDON. THE FRONT ALSO EXTENDED TO THE SOUTH...DOWN INTO CENTRAL SD/CENTRAL NE. STILL HAVE GOOD MOISTURE AVAILABLE...WITH SFC DEW POINTS IN THE LOW 60S ALONG AND EAST OF THIS BOUNDARY. RUC PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ALSO RANGE FROM 1.2 TO 1.4 INCHES AHEAD OF THE BOUNDARY. HAVE HAD SOMEWHAT LIMITED HEATING OVER OUR FA WITH THE EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER TODAY. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND REGIONAL 88D LOOP SHOW A VORTICITY MAXIMUM MOVING INTO EAST CENTRAL ND. THERE IS SUBSIDENCE IN THE WAKE OF THIS FEATURE...LEADING TO A LITTLE LESS CLOUD COVER OVER PORTIONS OF EASTERN SD. THIS HAS ALLOWED TEMPS TO RISE/MLCAPE VALUES TO RISE/AND MLCIN TO LOWER. 88D LOOP SHOWS CONVECTION TAKING OFF ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL SD...AND SPC IS MONITORING THIS AREA FOR A POSSIBLE WATCH. THE BEST SFC BASED INSTABILITY IS LOCATED NOW OVER SOUTH CENTRAL SD...BUT THERE IS SOME ALSO EXTENDING ALONG AND EAST OF THE FRONT/LOW IN OUR FA. WITH UPPER FLOW NEARLY PARALLEL TO THE SFC BOUNDARY...WOULD EXPECT ANY ACTIVITY THAT FIRES TO THE SOUTH OF US TO MOVE INTO OUR FA THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. MODELS DO NOT HAVE A GOOD HANDLE ON WHERE EXACTLY THIS QPF WILL FALL. CONTINUITY FROM SEVERAL PRIOR MODEL RUNS WOULD FAVOR ALONG/EAST OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY. 12Z OPERATIONAL GFS/CANADIAN/UKMET WOULD FAVOR A TRACK FURTHER WEST...MAINLY ALONG AND JUST A BIT WEST OF THE VALLEY. THIS SEEMS MORE LOGICAL...WITH THE UPPER FLOW/JET KICKING OUT INTO THIS AREA TONIGHT. KIND OF FORCED TO GO WITH BROAD PCPN CHANCES DUE TO THE UNCERTAINTY. A MORE WESTERLY TRACK WOULD NOT BE GOOD FOR SATURATED AREAS TO THE WEST OF KDVL...WHICH WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED TONIGHT. WED/WED NIGHT...PCPN SHOULD BEGIN TO TAPER OFF WED AND WED NIGHT AS DRY SLOT WORKS IN. SLOWLY TAPERED PCPN CHANCES (EXCEPT FOR THE NORTH) THRU THIS PERIOD...BUT MAYBE NOT ENOUGH. DID LEAVE SLIGHT CHANCES FOR NOW AND IF MODELS MAINTAIN THIS COURSE...FUTURE SHIFTS MAY BE ABLE TO GO COMPLETELY DRY. HOW FAST THE BOUNDARY MOVES THRU WILL HAVE A BIG EFFECT ON TEMPS. WED NIGHT LOOKS TO BE THE FIRST RELATIVELY COOL NIGHT. IF CLOUDS DO NOT HANG AROUND THERE COULD BE A FROST POTENTIAL IN THE NORTHWEST FA. THU/FRI...MODELS HAVE SOME DISAGREEMENT FOR THU...WITH 12Z GFS SHOWING SOME PCPN WORKING INTO THE EASTERN FA DURING THE DAY. THIS IS NOT FAR OFF FROM THE UKMET SOLUTION...SO DID ADD SOME LOW CHANCES FOR PCPN IN THE EASTERN FA. ANOTHER COOL NIGHT THU NIGHT WHERE THERE WILL BE ANOTHER FROST POTENTIAL...MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTH AGAIN. WARM FRONT BEGINS TO LIFT NORTH ON FRI...SO ALSO ADDED MORE CLOUDS AND A SMALL CHANCE OF PCPN TO OUR WESTERN FA. .LONG TERM (SAT-TUE)... TIMING OF EXITING UPPER LOW AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE BOUNDARY MAIN ISSUE INITIALLY WITH ECMWF MOST PROGRESSIVE AND GFS/CANADIAN A LITTLE SLOWER. EVEN SLOWER SOLUTION BRIEFLY ENDS PCPN FROM S TO N THURSDAY EVENING. UNFORTUNATELY BROAD MID LEVEL TROUGH REMAINS OVER REGION WITH SHORTWAVE SWINGING THROUGH DURING BEGINNING OF HOLIDAY WEEKEND. GFS/CANADIAN CONSISTENT SO WILL ENTER LOW POPS FOR LATE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE TO FOLLOW FOR DRYING REMAINDER OF WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES TO REMAIN BLO AVERAGE THROUGH PERIOD. && .AVIATION... WILL MAINTAIN MAINLY MVFR CIGS THROUGH REMAINDER OF DAY ALTHOUGH MAY SEE SOME THINNING. ONLY VFR SPOT WILL BE FAR NE VCNTY LAKE OF THE WOODS. SPOTTY SHOWERS WILL MOVE INTO VALLEY REGION LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING WITH BEST CHANCES FOR FAR NW FA LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT WITH T POSSIBLE. && .FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ND...NONE. MN...NONE. && GODON/VOELKER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND 645 AM CDT TUE MAY 22 2007 MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052>054-231145- WEST POLK-NORMAN-CLAY-KITTSON-ROSEAU-LAKE OF THE WOODS- WEST MARSHALL-EAST MARSHALL-NORTH BELTRAMI-PENNINGTON-RED LAKE- EAST POLK-NORTH CLEARWATER-SOUTH BELTRAMI-MAHNOMEN- SOUTH CLEARWATER-HUBBARD-WEST BECKER-EAST BECKER-WILKIN- WEST OTTER TAIL-EAST OTTER TAIL-WADENA-GRANT-TOWNER-CAVALIER- PEMBINA-BENSON-RAMSEY-EASTERN WALSH COUNTY-EDDY-NELSON- GRAND FORKS-GRIGGS-STEELE-TRAILL-BARNES-CASS-RANSOM-SARGENT- RICHLAND-WESTERN WALSH COUNTY- 645 AM CDT TUE MAY 22 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA...WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY REDEVELOP TODAY ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION WHILE ISOLATED STORMS MAY BE SEVERE. THE SEVERE STORMS WOULD MOST LIKELY BE OVER THE SOUTHERN RED RIVER VALLEY AND EAST OF THE RED RIVER BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL STALL ITS EASTWARD PROGRESS OVER THE RED RIVER THIS AFTERNOON WHICH WILL PLACE THE MOST UNSTABLE AIR OVER THE MINNESOTA SIDE...MAKING THAT THE HIGHER RISK AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED. GV
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
913 AM CDT TUE MAY 22 2007
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1130 PM FLASH FLOOD YORK 48.31N 99.57W
05/21/2007 BENSON ND TRAINED SPOTTER
SEVERAL ROADS REPORTED UNDER WATER.
&&
WBARRETTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
915 AM CDT TUE MAY 22 2007
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1200 AM FLASH FLOOD 2 W YORK 48.31N 99.62W
05/22/2007 BENSON ND FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
NUMEROUS ROADS WERE FLOODED BETWEEN YORK AND KNOX. ONE
FARMER HAD HIS ROAD FLOODED IN 4 PLACES. 5.00 INCHES OF
RAIN FELL IN ABOUT 3 HOURS.
&&
VGODONPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
1241 PM CDT TUE MAY 22 2007
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1010 PM HAIL 2 N DRAYTON 48.59N 97.18W
05/21/2007 E0.75 INCH PEMBINA ND PUBLIC
&&
PATRIAYDPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS
206 PM CDT TUE MAY 22 2007
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1030 PM HAIL 1 SW CLYDE 48.76N 98.91W
05/21/2007 E0.75 INCH CAVALIER ND PUBLIC
&&
WBARRETTThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Downed trees or tree branches knocked out power for some Moorhead residents.
A MNDOT RWIS sensor about 6 miles north of Erskine measured the wind gust.
Strong winds snapped a tree in half in Fertile. The tree fell on a car parked nearby.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, May 2007
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: 35287, 35286, 35292, 35291.