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, 1:30 PM CST, 4 hours 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND 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. .AVIATION...EXPECT MAINLY VFR CIGS THROUGH THE PERIOD. THUNDER/SHOWER CHANCES WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERN...ESPECIALLY THIS EVENING. BEST CHANCES APPEAR SOUTH...NEAR KFAR. SHOWER/THUNDER THREAT SHOULD END FOR NORTHERN TAF SITES BY LATE AFTERNOON. LOWER CIGS POSSIBLE TOWARD MORNING...MVFR POSSIBLE BUT NOT LIKELY. && .FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ND...NONE. MN...NONE. && VOELKER/GRAFENAUER
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
The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 162 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:16 UTC.
6 hail, 3 funnel cloud, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A persistent wall cloud and funnel tracked to around 4 miles southeast of Leroy. A brief touchdown was noted southeast of Leroy in an open field.
A brief touchdown was noted in an open field.
Extensive crop damage occurred across northern Advance Township and southern St. Joseph Township.
Hail up to tennis ball size was reported midway between Neche and Cavalier. Extensive crop damage occurred across northern Cavalier Township and southern Felson Township.
A persistent wall cloud with funnel was observed.
A funnel cloud was viewed by observers. A damage survey found evidence of a brief touchdown with several trees snapped off in a shelterbelt. Peak winds were estimated at 95 mph.
A rain wrapped funnel was viewed briefly.
This tornado tracked for about 3 miles, from about 6 miles north-northwest of Drayton to about 4 miles north-northeast of Drayton, before crossing the Red River into Kittson County (MN) by 839 pm CDT. The tornado continued into Kittson County for about 1 more mile before lifting about 9 miles west-northwest of Donaldson by 841 pm CDT. The tornado broke down several large tree branches, bent a road sign, and produced minor crops swirls. Peak winds were estimated at 90 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Dakota in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for North Dakota, 2008Warnings in North Dakota, 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: 126846, 126847, 126848, 126849, 126851, 126853, 126865, 126855, 126856, 126858, 126862, 126863.