A line of severe thunderstorms moved out of South Dakota and across Big Stone County bringing damaging winds mainly to southern Big Stone County. Many trees and branches were downed along with damage to some structures, grain bins, and crops.
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 ABR wrote it up.
A line of severe thunderstorms moved out of South Dakota and across Big Stone County bringing damaging winds mainly to southern Big Stone County. Many trees and branches were downed along with damage to some structures, grain bins, and crops.
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 Aberdeen, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 31, 3:54 AM CST, 26 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD 454 AM CDT THU JUL 31 2008 .SHORT AND LONG TERM...TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY VERY STRONG WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH MCS CONTINUES TO MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS NORTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND EXPECT SEVERE WINDS TO CONTINUE EASTWARD OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR SO. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF TREES DOWN IN ABERDEEN AND ACROSS MUCH OF BROWN COUNTY. WILL KEEP DISCUSSION BRIEF THIS MORNING AS SHORT TERM IS RATHER QUIET ASIDE FROM THIS MORNINGS ACTIVITY. WATCH CONTINUES FOR THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN PART OF THE CWA UNTIL 12Z. EXPECT ACTIVITY TO MOVE OUT OF THE AREA LATER THIS MORNING. STILL A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE EXTREME EASTERN CWA BUT MOST LOCATIONS SHOULD REMAIN DRY. HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES IN TONIGHT AND FRIDAY BRINGING DRY CONDITIONS. WILL SEE WARMING TEMPERATURES INTO SATURDAY AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGING BUILDS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS. HEADING INTO THE EXTENDED PERIOD IT APPEARS A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE HANGS OUT ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS WITH WARM TEMPERATURES CONTINUING. SLIGHT CHANCES FOR PRECIP WILL REMAIN IN THE FORECAST OFF AND ON DURING THE EXTENDED PERIOD. && .AVIATION... STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TO AFFECT KABR/KATY EARLY THIS MORNING WITH CONDITIONS DROPPING TO IFR AT TIMES WITHIN HEAVIER SHOWERS. AFTER THIS ACTIVITY MOVES EAST THIS MORNING EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS AT ALL TAF SITES THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. && .ABR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SD...NONE. MN...NONE. && SHORT TERM...TMT LONG TERM...TMT AVIATION...TMT WEATHER.GOV/ABERDEEN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD 309 PM CDT WED JUL 30 2008 MNZ039-046-SDZ003>011-015>023-033>037-045-048-051-312015- TRAVERSE-BIG STONE-CORSON-CAMPBELL-MCPHERSON-BROWN-MARSHALL- ROBERTS-WALWORTH-EDMUNDS-DAY-DEWEY-POTTER-FAULK-SPINK-CLARK- CODINGTON-GRANT-HAMLIN-DEUEL-STANLEY-SULLY-HUGHES-HYDE-HAND-JONES- LYMAN-BUFFALO- 309 PM CDT WED JUL 30 2008 /209 PM MDT WED JUL 30 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA...NORTH CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING ACROSS THE AREA. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BE STRONG TO SEVERE WITH HAIL/HIGH WINDS BEING THE MAIN THREAT...THOUGH AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. THERE WILL BE A BETTER CHANCE FOR STORMS ACROSS THE EASTERN FORECAST AREA LATE THIS EVENING AND INTO THE MORNING HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A FEW STORMS WILL PERSIST ACROSS EXTREME EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA AND WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA ON THURSDAY...A FEW OF WHICH COULD BECOME SEVERE. CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS RETURN TO THE FORECAST SATURDAY NIGHT...THEN AGAIN SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. SEVERE POTENTIAL IS UNCLEAR AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. CONNELLY
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
506 AM CDT THU JUL 31 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0353 AM TSTM WND DMG 1 NE WESTPORT 45.66N 98.48W
07/31/2008 BROWN SD PUBLIC
ROOF BLOWN OFF OF BARN AND GARAGE DOOR BLOWN COMPLETELY
INTO BARN
&&
TMTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
507 AM CDT THU JUL 31 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0405 AM TSTM WND DMG ABERDEEN 45.47N 98.48W
07/31/2008 BROWN SD NWS EMPLOYEE
LARGE TREE DOWN ON TOP OF CAR ON SOUTH MAIN STREET
&&
TMTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
511 AM CDT THU JUL 31 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0425 AM TSTM WND GST 4 SE PIERPONT 45.46N 97.77W
07/31/2008 M60 MPH DAY SD PUBLIC
ROOF BLOWN OFF BARN AND GRAIN BINS DOWN
&&
TMTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
516 AM CDT THU JUL 31 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0447 AM TSTM WND GST WEBSTER 45.34N 97.52W
07/31/2008 E70 MPH DAY SD TRAINED SPOTTER
ESTIMATED WINDS AT 70 MPH WITH MANY TREES DOWN INCLUDING
SEVERAL EVERGREENS
&&
TMTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
518 AM CDT THU JUL 31 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0505 AM TSTM WND GST 4 SE WEBSTER 45.29N 97.46W
07/31/2008 E70 MPH DAY SD TRAINED SPOTTER
ESTIMATED WIND SPEED OF 70 MPH WITH PEA SIZED HAIL
&&
TMTPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
520 AM CDT THU JUL 31 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0415 AM TSTM WND GST MELLETTE 45.15N 98.50W
07/31/2008 E70 MPH SPINK SD TRAINED SPOTTER
LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN IN ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS OF 70 MPH
&&
TMTThe Aberdeen radar (KABR), 155 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:20 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Eighty mph winds downed many trees in Ortonville.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Minnesota in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 127842, 127844.