Lightning struck a barn in rural Burleigh County in South Central North Dakota. The barn was completely destroyed.
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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.
Lightning struck a barn in rural Burleigh County in South Central North Dakota. The barn was completely destroyed.
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 Jul 26, 2:14 PM CST, 12 hours 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 314 PM CDT MON JUL 26 2010 .SYNOPSIS... NORTHERN STREAM VERTICALLY STACKED LOW PRESSURE OVER NORTHERN ALBERTA HAS AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT THAT EXTENDS FROM LAKE WINNIPEG SOUTHWESTWARD INTO EASTERN MONTANA. THE NORTHERN STREAM WESTERLIES ARE A BIT NORTH OF THE BORDER...SO THE FRONT IS SLOW MOVING. OVER THE U.S....HOWEVER...THE SOUTHERN STREAM WILL DIRECT A SERIES OF IMPULSES ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THIS WILL KEEP THE PATTERN ACTIVE EVEN AFTER THE COLD FRONT PASSES AND BECOMES STATIONARY JUST TO THE SOUTH. && .SHORT TERM...MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT... THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERN TODAY IS SEVERE WEATHER. CURRENTLY...LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE ADVECTION OVER SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA HAVE EDGED DEWPOINTS INTO THE UPPER 60S AND LOWER 70S...RESULTING IN OVER 4000 J/KG OF SURFACE-BASED CAPE. LARGE SCALE UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION SHOULD SPREAD INTO WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AS A MIDDLE LEVEL SHORTWAVE SLIDES EASTWARD ACROSS MONTANA OUT AHEAD OF THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT. CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO INITIATE BETWEEN 22 AND 00 UTC BASED ON THE LATEST HIGH RESOLUTION MODEL RUNS. THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...THOUGH AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT AS 0-6 KM BULK SHEAR IS 35 TO 50 KNOTS BASED ON LATEST RUC ANALYSIS. THERE WILL BE A CONTINUED THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER OVER SOUTH CENTRAL TOMORROW...WITH THE COLD FRONT FORECAST TO EXTEND FROM THE DEVILS LAKE BASIN INTO THE LINTON/WISHEK AREA. THEREAFTER...THE FRONT LOOKS TO BE MORE PROGRESSIVE THAN WITH PREVIOUS FORECASTS...ALTHOUGH OVERRUNNING PRECIPITATION WILL REMAIN A POSSIBILITY AS AFOREMENTIONED SHORTWAVES CONTINUE TO BOMBARD THE DAKOTAS. LOOK FOR TEMPERATURES TO MODERATE AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE AS A COOL SURFACE HIGH BUILDS DOWN INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. .LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY... AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN LOOKS TO PERSIST INTO THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD AS THE NORTHERN PLAINS REGION REMAINS NEAR OR UNDERNEATH THE UPPER LEVEL JET STREAM. THIS WILL RESULT IN CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY ALONG WITH NEAR AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. && .AVIATION... AN AREA OF SURFACE LOW PRESSURE COMBINED WITH AN INCOMING MID LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL RESULT IN INCREASING CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS LATE TODAY THROUGH TOMORROW MORNING FOR ALL TAF SITES. THUNDERSTORMS WILL GENERALLY BE FOCUSED ALONG A SLOW MOVING SFC/MID LEVEL COLD FRONT PUSHING SOUTH INTO NORTHERN ND LATE TODAY/EARLY THIS EVENING...WITH PRECIPITATION DEVELOPING SOUTH ALONG THE FRONT TONIGHT INTO TOMORROW MORNING. HEAVIER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL RESULT IN MVFR AND LOWER CIGS/VIS ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORM WINDS. CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL DECREASE AROUND AND AFTER 15Z TUES ACROSS THE NORTH...WITH CHANCES CONTINUING SOUTH THROUGH 18Z TUES AND INTO THE AFTERNOON. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS/SHORT TERM...SCHECK LONG TERM/AVIATION...NH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 250 PM CDT MON JUL 26 2010 NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-271000- 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- 250 PM CDT MON JUL 26 2010 /150 PM MDT MON JUL 26 2010/ 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...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS...SOME LIKELY SEVERE WITH HEAVY RAIN...CAN BE EXPECTED LATER TODAY AND THROUGH TONIGHT AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE PUSHES EAST ACROSS MONTANA...AND AS A STRONG UPPER LOW MOVES SOUTHEAST INTO SOUTH CENTRAL CANADA. BOTH OF THESE FEATURES WILL RESULT IN A SURFACE COLD FRONT TO ADVANCE SOUTH AND EAST ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT WILL BE VERY LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS. ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL BE A POSSIBILITY AS WELL WITH SOME OF THE MORE INTENSE STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP OR WILL BE ONGOING TUESDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON AS A SURFACE COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO PUSH SOUTH AND EAST ACROSS THE STATE. THE FOCUS FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL BE OVER SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL GREATLY DIMINISH BY TUESDAY EVENING. THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY AS THE NORTHERN PLAINS REMAINS IN AN ACTIVE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY AND TONIGHT. SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY ALSO BE NEEDED TUESDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON...SPECIFICALLY ACROSS THE SOUTH CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL. NH
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 1118 PM CDT MON JUL 26 2010 NDZ018-032-033-270500- BILLINGS ND-DUNN ND-STARK ND- 1018 PM MDT MON JUL 26 2010 ...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR SOUTHWESTERN DUNN...NORTHEASTERN STARK AND EASTERN BILLINGS COUNTIES UNTIL 1100 PM MDT... AT 1013 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES WEST OF NEW HRADEC...OR 14 MILES NORTHWEST OF DICKINSON...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE... DICKINSON... NEW HRADEC... GLADSTONE... TAYLOR... RICHARDTON... THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...AND A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS AREA. BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED ROADWAY. VINING/HAMILTON
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 1221 AM CDT TUE JUL 27 2010 NDZ019-020-034-270600- MERCER ND-MORTON ND-OLIVER ND- 1221 AM CDT TUE JUL 27 2010 ...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR NORTHWESTERN MORTON...EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN OLIVER AND EXTREME SOUTHERN MERCER COUNTIES UNTIL 100 AM CDT/MIDNIGHT MDT/... AT 1219 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 8 MILES NORTHEAST OF HEBRON TO 8 MILES SOUTH OF HEBRON...AND MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE... GLEN ULLIN... ALMONT... NEW SALEM... JUDSON... SWEET BRIAR LAKE... IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED ROADWAY. BIRK
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 1221 AM CDT TUE JUL 27 2010 NDZ021>023-035-036-270600- BURLEIGH ND-KIDDER ND-MCLEAN ND-SHERIDAN ND-WELLS ND- 1221 AM CDT TUE JUL 27 2010 ...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR NORTHEASTERN BURLEIGH...NORTHWESTERN KIDDER...SOUTHWESTERN WELLS...SOUTHERN SHERIDAN AND SOUTHEASTERN MCLEAN COUNTIES UNTIL 100 AM CDT... AT 1219 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES SOUTH OF DENHOFF...OR 45 MILES NORTHEAST OF BISMARCK...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE... HURDSFIELD... CHASELEY... BOWDON... ANOTHER STRONG STORM WAS SOUTH OF MERCER IN SOUTHEASTERN MCLEAN COUNTY...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. THIS STORM WILL AFFECT NEW JOHNS LAKE. THESE STORMS MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS... FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED ROADWAY. VINING
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 112 AM CDT TUE JUL 27 2010 NDZ020>022-034-035-270700- BURLEIGH ND-MCLEAN ND-MORTON ND-OLIVER ND-SHERIDAN ND- 112 AM CDT TUE JUL 27 2010 ...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR CENTRAL MORTON...EASTERN OLIVER... BURLEIGH...SOUTHWESTERN SHERIDAN AND SOUTHEASTERN MCLEAN COUNTIES UNTIL 200 AM CDT... AT 110 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM WASHBURN TO 6 MILES SOUTH OF PRICE TO 7 MILES SOUTH OF JUDSON...AND MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE... BISMARCK... WILTON... BALDWIN... MANDAN... REGAN... LINCOLN... MENOKEN... WING... CROWN BUTTE LAKE... DOUBLE DITCH INDIAN VILLAGE... NEW JOHNS LAKE... THESE STORMS MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS... FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. VINING
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 201 AM CDT TUE JUL 27 2010 NDZ020-021-034>036-270745- BURLEIGH ND-KIDDER ND-MCLEAN ND-MORTON ND-OLIVER ND- 201 AM CDT TUE JUL 27 2010 ...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR NORTHERN MORTON...EASTERN OLIVER... BURLEIGH...KIDDER AND EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN MCLEAN COUNTIES UNTIL 245 AM CDT... AT 157 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 12 MILES SOUTH OF GOODRICH TO MCKENZIE...AND MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE... ARENA... STERLING... TUTTLE... DRISCOLL... ROBINSON... STEELE... DAWSON... PETTIBONE... TAPPEN... HORSEHEAD LAKE... LAKE WILLIAMS... LAKE ISABEL... OTHER STRONG STORMS WERE NEAR DOUBLE DITCH INDIAN VILLAGE NORTH OF MANDAN...AND ANOTHER STORM WAS BETWEEN CENTER AND NEW SALEM. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. THESE STORMS MAY INTENSIFY...AND A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS AREA. BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. VINING
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 240 AM CDT TUE JUL 27 2010 NDZ037-270830- STUTSMAN ND- 240 AM CDT TUE JUL 27 2010 ...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR NORTHEASTERN STUTSMAN COUNTY UNTIL 330 AM CDT... AT 239 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES EAST OF PINGREE...OR 17 MILES NORTH OF JAMESTOWN...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE... SPIRITWOOD LAKE... COURTENAY... IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED ROADWAY. BIRK
The Bismarck radar (KBIS), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:25 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Time of this event is based on radar. Lightning struck an old barn and started a fire sometime early Tuesday morning, July 27th. The barn was allowed to burn itself out. A tractor inside the barn was also destroyed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Dakota in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, July 2010
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: 248739.