In the early afternoon of Saturday, June 14th, Severe Thunderstorm Watch 529 was issued in anticipation of severe thunderstorms developing in the vicinity of low level convergence boundaries and an approaching vorticity maximum. In addition, strong diabatic heating and cold air aloft produced steep mid-level lapse rates which resulted in destabilization of the atmosphere.
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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 BIS wrote it up.
In the early afternoon of Saturday, June 14th, Severe Thunderstorm Watch 529 was issued in anticipation of severe thunderstorms developing in the vicinity of low level convergence boundaries and an approaching vorticity maximum. In addition, strong diabatic heating and cold air aloft produced steep mid-level lapse rates which resulted in destabilization of the atmosphere. Multiple severe thunderstorm warnings were issued. Several reports of large hail and severe thunderstorm wind gusts were received during the afternoon and early evening hours.
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 Bismarck, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 14, 12:24 PM CST, 1 hour 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 124 PM CDT SAT JUN 14 2008 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT MAIN FORECAST CONCERN IN THE SHORT TERM IS THE THREAT FOR ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF NORTH DAKOTA TODAY. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL LOW AND ITS SURFACE REFLECTION ARE CURRENTLY PUSHING EAST THROUGH SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN. A WEAK COLD FRONT/SURFACE TROUGH TRAILS TO THE SOUTHWEST INTO WESTERN AND CENTRAL MONTANA. RADAR RETURNS SHOW DEVELOPING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHEASTERN MONTANA. MODELS CONTINUE TO INDICATE THAT MODERATE INSTABILITY WILL BE IN PLACES AS THIS DISTURBANCE APPROACHES THE AREA. COLD AIR IS STILL IN PLACE ALOFT WITH 500MB TEMPERATURES NEAR -15C THIS MORNING AND THE BISMARCK SOUNDING INDICATED STEEP LAPSE RATES IN PLACE. MODERATE CAPE IN THE RANGE OF 1000 TO 2000 J/KG WILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA WITH LIFTED INDEX VALUES IN THE -2 TO -4 CELSIUS RANGE. DRYING IN THE LOW LEVELS WILL MODIFY THE SOUNDINGS ACROSS THE STATE INTO AN INVERTED V PROFILE. THUS WE EXPECT THAT THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT TODAY WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTHERN...CENTRAL AND INTO EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE. ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHWESTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE AS THE GLASGOW SOUNDING INDICATED NEAR 1000 J/KG OF CAPE AND NEGATIVE LIS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON. FOR THESE REASONS THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER PLACES CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE IN THE SLIGHT RISK CATEGORY FOR SEVERE WEATHER. AFTER THE TROUGH/COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH THE STATE...A SLIGHT COOL DOWN IS EXPECTED TOMORROW WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF GARDEN VARIETY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON AS A DISTURBANCE ROTATES AROUND THE EXITING UPPER LEVEL LOW. SUNDAY NIGHT RIDGING STARTS TO BUILD BACK INTO THE REGION AND 500MB HEIGHTS REBOUND QUICKLY BY MONDAY. AFTER SUNDAY EXPECT AVERAGE TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE HIGHS AND A DRY FORECAST THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. .LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY... THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE FORECAST OVER THE CENTRAL CONUS IS HELD IN CHECK THIS COMING WEEK AS CONTINUES SHORT WAVES BEING EJECTED FROM A PACIFIC NORTHWEST UPPER TROUGH/CLOSED LOW EFFECTIVELY FLATTEN SAID RIDGE. THESE SHORTWAVES WILL ALSO BRING SLIGHT CHANCES FOR THUNDER WED THROUGH SATURDAY TO OUR LOCAL AREA. THE RIDGE DOES HOWEVER INCREASE THICKNESS VALUES ENOUGH WHERE WE WILL SEE NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE SEASONAL TEMPERATURES ACROSS WEST/CENTRAL ND...RANGING FROM THE UPPER 70S TO LOW/MID 80S. LONG RANGE MODELS INDICATE THIS SCENARIO WILL CONTINUE INTO NEXT WEEKEND. && .AVIATION... AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE AND A DYNAMIC MID/UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL BRING GOOD CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS TO WEST AND CENTRAL ND THIS EARLY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. SOME STORMS WILL BE STRONG TO SEVERE WITH LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS AND MARGINAL SEVERE HAIL. CIGS AND VIS IN HEAVIER TSRA MAY FALL TO MVFR CONDITIONS...PERHAPS BRIEF IFR CONDITIONS AS WELL. SHRA AND TSRA WILL DIMINISH AROUND AND AFTER SUNSET (2-4Z). A COLD FRONT MOVING SOUTH FROM SOUTH CENTRAL CANADA AFTER MIDNIGHT WILL BRING AN AREA OF MVFR CIGS TO MAINLY PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL ND AROUND 5-11Z (MOT)...POSSIBLY PUSHING AS FAR SOUTH AS BIS AND JMS AROUND 10-12Z. LOW CIGS SHOULD QUICKLY LIFT/DISSIPATE BY MID MORNING SUNDAY. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && HW/NH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 455 AM CDT SAT JUN 14 2008 NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-151000- DIVIDE-BURKE-RENVILLE-BOTTINEAU-ROLETTE-WILLIAMS-MOUNTRAIL-WARD- MCHENRY-PIERCE-MCKENZIE-DUNN-MERCER-OLIVER-MCLEAN-SHERIDAN-WELLS- FOSTER-GOLDEN VALLEY-BILLINGS-STARK-MORTON-BURLEIGH-KIDDER- STUTSMAN-SLOPE-HETTINGER-GRANT-BOWMAN-ADAMS-SIOUX-EMMONS-LOGAN- LA MOURE-MCINTOSH-DICKEY- 455 AM CDT SAT JUN 14 2008 /355 AM MDT SAT JUN 14 2008/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THE GREATEST THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE ROUGHLY ALONG AND EAST OF A MINOT TO BISMARCK LINE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THERE IS A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BISMARCK. KJB
The Glasgow radar (KGGW), 215 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:43 UTC.
11 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
In addition to the severe thunderstorm winds, pea size hail was covering the ground.
Hail ranged from penny to quarter size.
Hail ranged from dime to quarter size.
Pea to dime size hail was also reported in addition to the strong winds.
Measured thunderstorm wind gust at the Remote Automated Weather Station labeled CHARLIE.
Strong thunderstorm winds were reported from KZZJ radio in Rugby.
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 historyWarnings in North Dakota, June 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: 103270, 103259, 103264, 103265, 103271, 103266, 103273, 103274, 103275, 103276, 103267, 103279, 103282, 103268, 103283, 103284, 103285.