Destabilization of the atmosphere and favorable shear profiles initiated development of an isolated thunderstorm over north central North Dakota during the late afternoon of Monday, June 23rd. This storm eventually became super-cellular.
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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.
Destabilization of the atmosphere and favorable shear profiles initiated development of an isolated thunderstorm over north central North Dakota during the late afternoon of Monday, June 23rd. This storm eventually became super-cellular. Several severe thunderstorm warnings were issued. Several reports of large hail were received during the evening.
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 23, 2:30 PM CST, 2 hours 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 330 PM CDT MON JUN 23 2008 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT FORECAST CONCERNS/HIGHLIGHTS IN THE SHORT TERM WILL CONTINUE TO BE CONVECTIVE CHANCES TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. OUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION WILL FOCUS ON THE STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL THIS AFTERNOON...INTO THE EVENING HOURS. WILL UTILIZE A MODEL BLEND...BUT LEANED A BIT MORE TOWARDS THE GFS/EC FOR DAYS 2 AND 3 (TUES AND WED). CURRENTLY...SURFACE TROUGH OVER WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA BASICALLY ALONG A LINE FROM STANLEY TO BOWMAN. SURFACE HEATING IN THE WEST HAS ALLOWED LOW AND MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES TO STEEPEN THIS AFTERNOON BUT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS SOMEWHAT LACKING TO THE WEST OF THE TROUGH. FARTHER EAST. MORNING SHOWERS OVER CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA SO A SLOW START TO THE WARMING. HOWEVER...SKIES ARE CLEARING AND WE SHOULD START TO DESTABILIZE MORE QUICKLY. AREA FROM BIS-MOT IS ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF BEST AVAILABLE MOISTURE. SHEAR IS NOT REAL IMPRESSIVE BUT SHOULD BE INCREASING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS NOTED BY THE INCREASING 0-6 KM BULK SHEAR OVER THE FAR WEST. SOME FAVORABLE DIRECTIONAL SHEAR OVER CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AHEAD OF THE SURFACE TROUGH AS WELL. WILL CONTINUE TO MENTION A CHANCE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THIS EVENING. THINK THE SEVERE THREAT WILL BE WANING BY MID EVENING. NSSL AND SPC 4KM WRF RUNS INDICATED CONVECTION HAVING A HARD TIME MAKING IT INTO EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA...ESPECIALLY THE SOUTHEAST. ENOUGH SUPPORT ACROSS THE NORTH WITH THE SHORTWAVE...TO MENTION SEVERE AS FAR EAST AS DVL BASIN. WE REMAIN IN AN ACTIVE PATTERN THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE SHORT TERM PERIOD. TUESDAY...SLIGHT UPPER RIDGING TO NEARLY ZONAL UPPER FLOW WITH SEVERAL WEAK IMPULSES TRAVERSING THE AREA. TIMING WILL BE TOUGH BUT IT LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER CHANCE OF CONVECTION FIRING OVER EASTERN MONTANA AND SPREADING INTO NORTH DAKOTA. FORECAST SHEAR PROFILES LOOK MORE IMPRESSIVE THAN TODAY SO WHENEVER AND WHEREVER CONVECTION DOES DEVELOP...THERE WILL BE A POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE CONVECTION. CONVECTION CHANCES LESSEN WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY EVENING...BUT STILL...CONSIDERING THE UPPER FLOW PATTERN WE CANNOT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM OR TWO. WILL CONTINUE WITH SLIGHT CHANCE POPS WEDNESDAY ACROSS THE AREA...THEN MAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT...12Z MODELS INDICATE A SIGNIFICANT UPPER TROUGH MOVING INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION TODAY ABOUT HOW THE LATEST MODEL RUNS SHOW MUCH MORE AMPLIFICATION THAN THE 00Z EURO ENSEMBLE AND THEREFORE MAY BE OVERDONE WITH THE STRENGTH OF THE UPPER TROUGH MOVING INTO THE REGION. WILL CONTINUE TO STICK CLOSE TO PREVIOUS FORECAST...WHICH DOES ADVERTISE INCREASING POPS THURSDAY NIGHT. WE SHOULD ALSO STILL BE NORMAL TO ABOVE WITH TEMPERATURES AS WE ARE AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING UPPER TROUGH. .LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY... FRIDAY THE GFS AND ECMWF INDICATE A SHARP...NEARLY CLOSED UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVING ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL CANADA AND THE DAKOTAS/MINNESOTA. WILL KEEP THE MENTION OF THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY...AND IN EASTERN COUNTIES FRIDAY NIGHT AS THE LOW MOVES EASTWARD. THE DISCREPANCY BEGINS AFTER FRIDAY...WHEN THE GFS CLOSES OFF THE LOW AND MOVES IT VERY SLOWLY EAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES ON SUNDAY...AND KEEPS IT LINGERING OVER THE GREAT LAKES ON MONDAY. THE ECMWF MOVES THE LOW TO THE GREAT LAKES A DAY EARLIER...ON SATURDAY...THEN KEEPS MOVING IT EAST TO NEW ENGLAND BY TUESDAY MORNING. THE GFS SOLUTION WOULD MEAN A CHANCE OF AFTERNOON SHOWERS OVER EASTERN COUNTIES ON SATURDAY AND PERHAPS SUNDAY...WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES THAN CURRENTLY FORECAST. THE ECMWF SOLUTION WOULD KEEP SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT DRY AND A QUICKER WARMUP. COMPROMISED AND WENT A TAD COOLER FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...HIGHS IN THE 70S TO LOWER 80S. THEN WENT WARMER FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY WITH HIGHS 85 TO 90. && .AVIATION... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE FROM DEVILS LAKE TO EAST AND SOUTH OF BISMARCK...ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE THAT IS PROGGED TO CONTINUE MOVING INTO THE RED RIVER VALLEY BY AROUND 00Z. KJMS MAY SEE THUNDER BY MID/LATE AFTERNOON FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS WITH THIS WAVE FROM 20-23Z. ATTENTION TURNS WESTWARD WITH SURFACE TROUGH LOCATED FROM NEAR KMOT TO KDIK AT 19Z THIS AFTERNOON. THIS FEATURE PROGGED TO MOVE EAST VERY SLOWLY...DISSIPATING AFTER 06Z. THE MAIN FEATURE TO WATCH FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS THE UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE NEAR THE NORTHEASTERN MONTANA/NORTHWESTERN NORTH DAKOTA BORDER THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WAVE IS FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA THIS EVENING AND REACH THE RED RIVER VALLEY AFTER 06Z. THE FOCUS OF DEVELOPMENT WILL BE OVER EASTERN MONTANA/WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA BY 20-21Z...MOVING EAST THROUGHOUT THE EVENING. THESE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BE STRONG TO SEVERE...WITH LARGE HAIL AND STRONG STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS THE BIGGEST THREAT. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && TWH/JV
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 409 AM CDT MON JUN 23 2008 NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-240915- 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- 409 AM CDT MON JUN 23 2008 /309 AM MDT MON JUN 23 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 CHANCES FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS WEST AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA TODAY AND TONIGHT. SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS..AND DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING THE MAIN THREATS. STAY TUNED FOR POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY CONTINUED THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ARE FORECAST TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. A MOIST AND UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WILL COMBINE WITH FAVORABLE LOW LEVEL AND UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS TO SUPPORT STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. NH
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Trained spotters reported 20 minutes of quarter size hail from ten miles northwest to seven miles northwest of Rugby.
Nickel to ping pong ball size hail was reported in the city of Rugby, and lasted for around 20 minutes. No report of damage was received from this event.
No report of damage was received from this event.
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: 103383, 103389, 103393, 103396, 103398, 103401, 103402, 103403.