High Wind in Minnesota, October 26, 2008

Name: High Wind in Minnesota, October 26, 2008
Start: 2008-10-26T08:54
End: 2008-10-26T18:00
Location: Minnesota

October 26, 2008 · NWS ABR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 ABR wrote it up.

A fast moving cold front ushered in very strong and damaging northwest winds across west central Minnesota. Northwest winds of 30 to 50 mph with gusts to 60 mph began in the morning and continued into the early evening. The high winds downed some trees and branches, damaged some roofs, fences, and signs, along with bending over some unharvested corn.

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 Aberdeen, SD wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 26, 3:55 AM CST, 4 hours 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 26, 3:55 AM CST, 4 hours 59 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 26, 4:18 AM CST, 4 hours 36 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 26, 4:45 AM CST, 4 hours 9 minutes before

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Local storm report, Oct 26, 6:03 AM CST, 2 hours 51 minutes before

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Local storm report, Oct 26, 6:25 AM CST, 2 hours 29 minutes before

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Traverse

When: October 26, 8:54 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Traverse forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 45.772, -96.472 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Big Stone

When: October 26, 9:16 AM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Big Stone forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 45.426, -96.411 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Minnesota in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Minnesota, October 2008

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 137840, 137839.