A somewhat vertically stacked low pressure system set up along the Canadian border in northeast North Dakota. Weak surface troughs also extended east and west from this low.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
A somewhat vertically stacked low pressure system set up along the Canadian border in northeast North Dakota. Weak surface troughs also extended east and west from this low. These boundaries and the low pressure system were the focus for more severe weather.
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 16, 7:16 PM CST, 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND 816 PM CDT WED JUL 16 2008 .DISCUSSION... I WILL BE BRIEF WITH ONGOING SEVERE WEATHER. A COUPLE OF SUPERCELLS HAVE CROSSED INTO NORTHEAST ND THIS EVENING...WITH NO CIN AND CAPES TO AROUND 2000 J/KG AND AMPLE SHEAR HERE. THE SOUTHERN FORECAST AREA WILL ALSO SEE THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAIN AS A SHORTWAVE MOVING INTO THE REGION INTERACTS WITH A SFC BOUNDARY AND PWATS IN EXCESS OF 1.5 INCHES. WILL TWEAK GRIDS TO MENTION HEAVY RAIN IN THE SOUTH AND SEVERE POTENTIAL ACROSS ALL AREAS THROUGH AROUND 06Z AHEAD OF THE TROUGH WHERE ENOUGH INSTABILITY/SHEAR IS PRESENT. && .AVIATION... EXPECT MVFR CIGS/VSBY NEAR ANY THUNDERSTORMS AND GUSTY WINDS POSSIBLE NEAR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS THROUGH 06Z. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 230 PM CDT WED JUL 16 2008/ DISCUSSION... FORECAST CHALLENGE CONCERNS CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL/LOCATION AND TEMPERATURES. IN THE NEAR TERM FEEL MODELS INITIALIZED TOO FAR NORTH WITH SURFACE WIND FIELD AND RESULTING BOUNDARY LOCATION. BY 00Z HOWEVER FEEL THAT SLIGHTLY FARTHER SOUTH GFS BOUNDARY POSITION AND RESULTING QPF LOOKS PRETTY GOOD. REMAINDER OF SHORT TERM MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT. MAIN TSRA ACTION TONIGHT BASED ON SURFACE BOUNDARY LOCATION/FAVORED CONVECTIVE PARAMETERS AND WARM FRONTAL BOUNDARY/MOISTURE INTERACTION CONCEPTUAL MODEL PUTS FAR SOUTHERN FA ON FRINGE OF MAIN SEVERE POTENTIAL. SOME CONCERNS REMAIN AS TO CONVECTIVE INITIATION LOCATION. BOUNDARY REMAINS SOUTH OF CURRENT MODEL DEPICTION DUE TO EARLIER CONVECTIVE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY. ALSO QUITE A BIT OF CIN TO OVERCOME HOWEVER THIS DIMINISHES LATER IN THE EVENING. LOW LEVEL JET CONVERGENCE WOULD ALSO POINT TO STRONGEST CONVECTION A LITTLE FARTHER SOUTH INTO NE SE EASTWARD INTO MN. AS A RESULT WILL CONFINE SEVERE MENTION TO FAR SOUTHERN TIER COUNTIES. FARTHER NORTH WHILE SHEAR FAVORABLE AIRMASS QUICKLY STABILIZES SO SEVERE POTENTIAL LOOKS TOO LIMITED TO MENTION. BOUNDARIES SHIFT WELL SOUTH OF FA ON THURSDAY HOWEVER WITH SHORT WAVE PASSAGE EXPECTED FIRST HALF OF DAY AND ENTRANCE REGION OF JET MAXIMA COULD SEE SOME RESIDUAL CONVECTION ALONG SINKING 850MB THETA-E GRADIENT ACROSS SOUTHERN FA. FAVORED INSTABILITY AND CAPE JUST CLIPS FAR SOUTHERN FA WITH MORE STABLE AIRMASS IN PLACE FARTHER NORTH. WILL SEE COOLER TEMPERATURES IN COLD ADVECTION AND POTENTIAL BKN CU DEVELOPMENT IN THE AFTERNOON. SHORT WAVE AND SURFACE RIDGING PUSHES IN AND REMAINS THROUGH SATURDAY FOR DRY FORECAST. TEMPERATURES LOOK TO BE MAYBE A TAD UNDER SEASONAL AVERAGES. LONG TERM (SUN-WED)...MODEL CONSENSUS SHOWS UPPER FLOW BECOMING NW...BRIEF RIDGING...THEN ZONAL/SW. WILL CONTINUE TO THROW OUT OPERATIONAL GFS AND FOLLOW ECMWF/GFS ENSEMBLE/UKMET/CANADIAN. EXPECTED UPPER FLOW PATTERN WOULD GIVE THUNDER CHANCES SUN/SUN NIGHT...DRY MON INTO TUE...THUNDER CHANCES END OF PERIOD. TEMPERATURES NEAR NORMAL. && .FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ND...NONE. MN...NONE. && DK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND 242 PM CDT WED JUL 16 2008 MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052>054-171945- 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- 242 PM CDT WED JUL 16 2008 ...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE REGION TONIGHT... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA...WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA INTO EXTREME SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA INTO WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA. THE FAVORED LOCATION FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL BE SOUTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM LISBON NORTH DAKOTA TO PARK RAPIDS MINNESOTA...PRIMARILY AFTER 7 PM CDT. IN ADDITION TO LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED. VOELKER
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
744 PM CDT WED JUL 16 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0744 PM HAIL BACKOO 48.84N 97.71W
07/16/2008 M0.88 INCH PEMBINA ND TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
HOPKINSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
752 PM CDT WED JUL 16 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0751 PM HAIL BACKOO 48.84N 97.71W
07/16/2008 E1.75 INCH PEMBINA ND TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
HOPKINSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
757 PM CDT WED JUL 16 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0735 PM HAIL 5 W HANNAH 48.97N 98.80W
07/16/2008 E0.88 INCH CAVALIER ND PUBLIC
&&
G2PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
758 PM CDT WED JUL 16 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0751 PM HAIL 5 N CAVALIER 48.87N 97.62W
07/16/2008 E1.75 INCH PEMBINA ND TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
HOPKINSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
836 PM CDT WED JUL 16 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0835 PM HAIL 8 N DRAYTON 48.68N 97.18W
07/16/2008 E1.75 INCH PEMBINA ND LAW ENFORCEMENT
&&
HOPKINSThe Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 124 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:39 UTC.
2 tornado, 2 funnel cloud, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
This tornado originated in Pembina County (ND) at 832 pm CDT. It continued for about 1 mile to 9 miles west-northwest of Donaldson. The tornado broke down several large tree branches. Peak winds were estimated at 90 mph.
The tornado tracked for nearly a mile to about 3 miles north-northwest of Stephen. Branches were broken off in shelterbelts and minor crop swirls were noted. Peak winds were estimated at 80 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Minnesota, 2008Warnings in Minnesota, July 2008
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: 126876, 126867, 126868, 126870, 126871, 126872.