North Dakota, 2010

Hail and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, July 29, 2010

July 29, 2010 · NWS BIS · 17 events in 8 counties and zones

Severe Thunderstorm Watch number 550 was issued for much of west and north central North Dakota in the late afternoon hours of Thursday, July 29th. This was in anticipation of strong to severe thunderstorms over northeast Montana advecting east into western North Dakota Thursday evening along a trough of surface low pressure, with intensity sustained by an incoming mid level disturbance.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$178,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
17

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 BIS wrote it up.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch number 550 was issued for much of west and north central North Dakota in the late afternoon hours of Thursday, July 29th. This was in anticipation of strong to severe thunderstorms over northeast Montana advecting east into western North Dakota Thursday evening along a trough of surface low pressure, with intensity sustained by an incoming mid level disturbance.

Isolated severe thunderstorms initially moved into northwest North Dakota early Thursday evening, with convective activity transitioning into linear segments during the mid to late evening hours before dissipating.

Multiple severe thunderstorm warnings were issued. Several reports of large hail and multiple reports of severe thunderstorm winds were received during this episode.

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 Bismarck, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 29, 12:01 PM CST, 5 hours 46 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 29, 12:01 PM CST, 5 hours 46 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
101 PM CDT THU JUL 29 2010

.SYNOPSIS...

BROAD SCALE UPPER LEVEL RIDGING OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN THREE
QUARTERS OF CONUS WILL KEEP THE NORTHERN PLAINS BENEATH A BARRAGE
OF SHORTWAVES AS THEY EJECT OUT OF THE NORTHWESTERN U.S. TROUGH
INTO COMPLEX MULTI-STREAM FLOW ALONG THE NORTHERN TIER.
TEMPERATURES NEAR TO ABOVE AVERAGE ARE EXPECTED...AS ARE ABOVE
AVERAGE CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION.

&&

.SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...

MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS/HIGHLIGHTS THROUGH THE SHORT TERM PERIOD DEAL
PRIMARILY WITH CONVECTIVE CHANCES AND THE ATTENDANT THREAT FOR
SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL ND THROUGH TONIGHT. MODEL
MASS FIELDS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH THE PERIOD. WILL UTILIZE A
GENERAL MODEL BLEND FOR FORECAST DETAILS.

THE MAIN FOCUS IN THE NEAR TERM CONCERNS THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG TO
SEVERE CONVECTION ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL ND THROUGH THE
REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING. THE TIMING OF
CONVECTIVE INITIATION REMAINS QUITE UNCERTAIN THIS AFTERNOON AS A
FAIRLY STRONG EML CONTINUES TO ADVECT INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS WITH
H7 TEMPERATURES IN EXCESS OF 10C ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND
SOUTH CENTRAL ND RESULTING IN NOTABLE CAPPING. CONTINUED LOW-LEVEL
WARM/MOIST ADVECTION IN RESPONSE TO PERSISTENT SOUTHEASTERLY
NEAR-SURFACE FLOW SHOULD CONTRIBUTE TO CONTINUED DESTABILIZATION
WITH SBCAPES RANGING FROM 1500 TO 2500 J/KG ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE
SURFACE TROUGH MARCHING EASTWARD INTO WESTERN ND. AS THIS
OCCURS...INHIBITION SHOULD GRADUALLY WEAKEN WITH CAPPING ERODING
SUFFICIENTLY TO ALLOW FOR CONVECTIVE INITIATION BY ABOUT 21 UTC
TODAY. CONVECTION SHOULD INITIALLY DEVELOP ACROSS WESTERN ND...AIDED
BY LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE IN THE VICINITY OF THE AFOREMENTIONED
SURFACE TROUGH. THE THREAT FOR CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD
EASTWARD INTO CENTRAL ND THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE
AFTERNOON/EVENING AS FORCED ASCENT INCREASES WITH THE ARRIVAL OF A
NOTABLE MID-LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING THROUGH CENTRAL MT. ONCE
INITIATION OCCURS...AVAILABLE MOISTURE/INSTABILITY COMBINED WITH
STRONG DEEP LAYER VERTICAL SHEAR ON THE ORDER OF 40 TO 50 KNOTS WILL
SUPPORT SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY LARGE HAIL
AND DAMAGING WINDS. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH ANY
SURFACE-BASED STORMS GIVEN BACKED LOW-LEVEL FLOW CONTRIBUTING TO
ENHANCED LOW-LEVEL SHEAR ACROSS PORTIONS OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL ND.
CONVECTION WILL LIKELY MERGE INTO ONE OR MORE MCS/S ACROSS THE
CENTRAL AND EASTERN DAKOTAS OVERNIGHT THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY.

.LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...

WITH THE MAIN THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER
TODAY...NCEP/HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER EXTENDED
FORECAST WAS HEAVILY RELIED ON. IN GENERAL...CHANGES WERE MINOR
WITH PRECIPITATION CHANCES INCREASED WHEN THE 12 UTC GFS/GEM
GLOBAL AND 00 UTC ECMWF HAD BETTER AGREEMENT ON LARGE-SCALE
SUPPORT FOR UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION AND CORRESPONDING ENHANCEMENT
OF MODEL PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS.

LOOK FOR TEMPERATURES TO GENERALLY BE AT OR ABOVE AVERAGE AS
COOLER AIR MASSES REMAIN WELL TO THE NORTH IN CENTRAL/NORTHERN
CANADA.

&&

.AVIATION...

SURFACE LOW PRESSURE CENTERED OVER EASTERN MONTANA. UPPER LEVEL
DISTURBANCES ARE FORECAST TO MOVE ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA FROM WEST TO
EAST BEGINNING AROUND 21Z TODAY. EXPECT THUNDERSTORM INITIATION OVER
WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA AROUND 21Z AND SPREADING EAST ACROSS THE STATE.
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY SHOULD END AROUND 06Z IN WESTERN TAF SITES AND
BY 12Z FRIDAY IN THE KJMS AREA. SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED MAINLY
LATE THIS AFTERNOON IN THE WEST AND SPREADING INTO CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA THIS EVENING. AFTER UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES PASS...ONLY SCT
TO BKN MIDDLE CLOUDS EXPECTED.

SOUTH WINDS AHEAD OF THE SURFACE LOW...AND AS THE LOW MOVES INTO
WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA AFTER 06Z WINDS WILL BE LIGHT AND FROM THE
NORTH/NORTHWEST.

&&

.BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

SYNOPSIS...SCHECK
SHORT TERM...HAMMER/SCHECK
LONG TERM...SCHECK
AVIATION...JV
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 29, 11:17 AM CST, 6 hours 30 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
1217 PM CDT THU JUL 29 2010

NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-301730-
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-
1217 PM CDT THU JUL 29 2010 /1117 AM MDT THU JUL 29 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...

ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL SLIDE INTO WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA LATE
THIS EVENING. AMPLE MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL SUPPORT
SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO
TONIGHT WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY AFTER DARK.
SOME STORMS WILL BE SEVERE WITH DESTRUCTIVE HAIL AND DAMAGING
WINDS THE MAIN THREATS...THOUGH ISOLATED TORNADOES CANNOT BE RULED
OUT BEFORE SUNSET.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...

THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY MORNING...THEN A
CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY AS THE WEATHER
PATTERN REMAINS ACTIVE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED TONIGHT AND POSSIBLY LATER IN
THE WEEK.

SCHECK

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 29, 5:47 PM CST, 0 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Williams

When
July 29, 5:47 PM CST to 5:54 PM CST
Where
Williams County, 0.46 mi W of Williston
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
48.150, -103.630

Hail, Williams

When
July 29, 6:15 PM CST to 6:24 PM CST
Where
Williams County, 0.46 mi W of Epping
Measured
2.5 in hail
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
48.280, -103.360

The large hail resulted in borken windows in the town of Epping.

Thunderstorm Wind, Williams

When
July 29, 7:10 PM CST to 7:20 PM CST
Where
Williams County, 0.46 mi W of Williston
Measured
53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
48.150, -103.630

Thunderstorm Wind, McKenzie

When
July 29, 6:19 PM MST to 6:28 PM MST
Where
McKenzie County, 17.99 mi N of Alexander
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$3,000
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
48.110, -103.630

The strong thunderstorm winds resulted in a thirty foot elm tree blown down.

Lightning, Williams

When
July 29, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Williams County, Williston
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
Newspaper
Coordinates
48.150, -103.620

Lightning struck a mobile home in Williston, resulting in a fire to the residence. Nobody was injured in the fire.

Thunderstorm Wind, McKenzie

When
July 29, 7:20 PM MST to 7:30 PM MST
Where
McKenzie County, 1.56 mi ENE of Grassy Butte
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$30,000
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
47.410, -103.220

The strong thunderstorm winds resulted in widespread tree damage, with numerous tree limbs broken off.

Thunderstorm Wind, McKenzie

When
July 29, 7:30 PM MST to 7:40 PM MST
Where
McKenzie County, 6.6 mi NE of Grassy Butte
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
47.460, -103.140

Heavy rain accompanied the strong thunderstorm winds.

Thunderstorm Wind, McLean

When
July 29, 9:06 PM CST to 9:15 PM CST
Where
McLean County, 6.29 mi S of Roseglen
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
47.660, -101.850

Heavy rain accompanied the strong thunderstorm winds.

Hail, Renville

When
July 29, 9:15 PM CST to 9:22 PM CST
Where
Renville County, 3.2 mi W of Grano
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
48.620, -101.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Renville

When
July 29, 9:16 PM CST to 9:23 PM CST
Where
Renville County, 3.43 mi NE of Norma
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
48.730, -101.710

Estimated winds of 60 mph were reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Dunn

When
July 29, 8:27 PM MST to 8:36 PM MST
Where
Dunn County, 0.47 mi W of Halliday
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
47.350, -102.340

Estimated winds of 60 mph were reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mercer

When
July 29, 9:54 PM CST to 10:06 PM CST
Where
Mercer County, 0.69 mi S of Beulah
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$70,000
Reported by
Newspaper
Coordinates
47.260, -101.780

Estimated winds of 60 mph were reported. A light pole at a gas station in Beulah was blown over, along with several trees in the town of Beulah blown down. Blown over trees or branches knocked utility lines to the ground, momentarily disrupting power.

Thunderstorm Wind, McLean

When
July 29, 9:55 PM CST to 10:03 PM CST
Where
McLean County, Garrison
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
47.650, -101.420

Estimated winds of 60 mph were reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, McLean

When
July 29, 9:57 PM CST to 10:02 PM CST
Where
McLean County, 0.93 mi W of Garrison
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
47.650, -101.440

Thunderstorm Wind, Mercer

When
July 29, 10:09 PM CST to 10:15 PM CST
Where
Mercer County, 2.44 mi ESE of Hazen
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
47.290, -101.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Stark

When
July 29, 9:13 PM MST to 9:21 PM MST
Where
Stark County, 0.47 mi W of Dickinson
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
46.880, -102.790

Estimated winds of 70 mph were reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Morton

When
July 29, 10:14 PM CST to 10:22 PM CST
Where
Morton County, 0.47 mi W of Hebron
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
46.900, -102.040

Estimated winds of 70 mph were reported.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Dakota in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, July 2010

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 248829, 248831, 248835, 248840, 248858, 248844, 248846, 248849, 248850, 248851, 248847, 248848, 248855, 248856, 248853, 248854, 248857.