During the early evening hours of Monday, June 7th, a non-supercell tornado environment developed over western North Dakota, with high low level wind shear combined with high low level instability. This environment was favorable for quick tornado spin-ups as strong thunderstorm updrafts stretched the low level vorticity to create funnels or tornadoes.
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 BIS wrote it up.
During the early evening hours of Monday, June 7th, a non-supercell tornado environment developed over western North Dakota, with high low level wind shear combined with high low level instability. This environment was favorable for quick tornado spin-ups as strong thunderstorm updrafts stretched the low level vorticity to create funnels or tornadoes. Two confirmed tornado reports were received over southwestern North Dakota in Bowman County, along with one funnel cloud report over northwestern North Dakota in Williams County.
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 7, 1:17 PM MST, 4 hours 54 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 317 PM CDT MON JUN 7 2010 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT... FORECAST CONCERNS IN THE SHORT TERM CONTINUE TO BE PRECIPITATION CHANCES AND AREAL EXTENT...BOTH TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AND THEN AGAIN WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. GFS/ECMWF/GLOBAL GEM ALL SHOW THE SAME GENERAL PATTERN ALOFT AND AT THE SURFACE. THE MAIN PROBLEM WILL BE STRENGTH...TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL IMPULSES AFFECTING THE AREA. WILL UTILIZE A GENERAL BLEND WITH PREVIOUS FORECAST FOR CONTINUITY. LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY CONTINUES TO SHOW A WEST SOUTHWEST FLOW. UPPER LEVEL JET IS PUSHING THROUGH MONTANA AND AS A RESULT SHOWERS HAVE BEEN INCREASING ACROSS EASTERN MONTANA AND WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA. OVERALL...THINK MODELS ARE STILL A BIT FAST WITH THIS SYSTEM...BUT CERTAINLY BETTER THAN PREVIOUS FEW RUNS. EXPECT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT...WITH HIGHER CHANCES ACROSS THE WEST AND NORTH. CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS IS SHOWING AN AREA OF CONVERGENCE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT ALONG WITH INCREASING INSTABILITY. THIS IS CENTERED OVER EAST CENTRAL MONTANA. THINK THAT THIS AREA INTO NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA WILL BE THE MOST LIKELY LOCATION FOR ANY STRONGER CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THINK PRECIPITATION MAY LINGER OVER THE FAR EAST TUESDAY MORNING. OTHERWISE WE THINK TUESDAY WILL START OUT DRY. HOWEVER...DO EXPECT SOME DIURNALLY DRIVEN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP AND HAVE KEPT AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDER OVER THE ENTIRE CWA. IT WILL BE BREEZY TO WINDY AS WELL TUESDAY AFTERNOON. MODELS DO SHOW SOME INSTABILITY IN THE WEST IN THE AFTERNOON...SO WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE SOME GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL WITH ANY CONVECTION THAT WOULD DEVELOP. CONVECTION SHOULD END EARLY TUESDAY EVENING AND A DRY PERIOD IS EXPECTED FROM TUESDAY EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT. WITH MODELS BEING TOO FAST WITH THESE SYSTEMS...HAVE PUSHED BACK THE EASTERN EXTENT OF THE PRECIPITATION...AND LOWERED PROBABILITIES EAST OF THE MISSOURI RIVER. THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT...SOME TIMING DIFFERENCES REMAIN BUT IT APPEARS TO BE AN ACTIVE PERIOD WITH SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORMS. EC/GEM ARE MORE IMPRESSIVE WITH QPF WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. THE GFS BRINGS TWO SEPARATE CONVECTIVE COMPLEXES JUST NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE AREA. ALL MODELS ARE SHOWING A GOOD CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY NIGHT AND HAVE RAISED POPS ACCORDINGLY. CAN NOT RULE OUT A STRONG TO SEVERE STORM...BUT THE MAIN THREAT APPEARS TO LAY SOUTH AND EAST OF THE LOCAL AREA. .LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY... THE LONG TERM BEGINS WITH A LONGWAVE TROUGH DIGGING IN OVER THE ROCKIES DEPICTED BY BOTH THE GFS AND THE ECMWF. HAVE RAISED CHANCES OF THUNDER FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT WITH STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER NORTH DAKOTA AND CONTINUED EMBEDDED SHORTWAVES IN THE FLOW ALOFT...WITH A SURFACE LOW OVER THE CO/KS/NE AREA. MODELS BEGIN TO DIVERGE IN THEIR SOLUTIONS BY SATURDAY...WITH THE ECMWF DEVELOPING A DEFINITE CUTOFF LOW OVER THE 4-CORNERS AREA AND THE MAIN BELT OF THE WESTERLIES OVER SOUTHERN CANADA. THE ECMWF BEGINS TO LIFT THE CUTOFF LOW NORTHWARD INTO MONTANA/IDAHO/WYOMING BY MONDAY MORNING...AND MEANDERS TO THE WESTERN DAKOTAS/SASKATCHEWAN BY TUESDAY MORNING. MEANWHILE THE GFS BEGINS TO CUT OFF THE LOW ON SATURDAY...BUT THEN THE WESTERLIES DIG THE LONGWAVE TROUGH INTO THE NEAR-CUTOFF LOW AND MOVE THE ENTIRE SYSTEM EASTWARD ACROSS THE PLAINS SUCH THAT BY MONDAY MORNING THE LONGWAVE TROUGH IS ALONG THE RED RIVER VALLEY TO EASTERN NEBRASKA/KANSAS. TODAY IT ITS THE GFS THAT APPEARS TO MIMIC YESTERDAY'S ECMWF...AND WILL GENERALLY FOLLOW THE GFS FOR THE EVOLUTION OF THIS SYSTEM. HIGH TEMPERATURES MAINLY 65 TO 75...WITH LOWS MAINLY 45 TO 55. && .AVIATION... SURFACE TROUGH EXTENDED FROM A LOW OVER SOUTHERN ALBERTA/SASKATCHEWAN TO EASTERN WYOMING. THIS FEATURE...ALONG WITH UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVES...IS EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE STATE. CONVECTION BEGINNING OVER WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE AND MOVE NORTHEAST TOWARDS KISN/KMOT. VFR CEILINGS THIS AFTERNOON WITH CB BASES AROUND 4000-5000 FEET AND ADVANCING MID LEVEL CLOUD DECK OF 7000-9000 FEET EXPECTED TO SPREAD NORTHEASTWARD AS WELL. AFTER 00Z MVFR CEILINGS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP/MOVE FROM SOUTH DAKOTA NORTHWARD...AFFECTING KDIK AND KISN AFTER 00Z...AND KBIS/KMOT AFTER 03Z. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && TWH/JV
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 432 AM CDT MON JUN 7 2010 NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-080945- 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- 432 AM CDT MON JUN 7 2010 /332 AM MDT MON JUN 7 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...TODAY AND TONIGHT LOW PRESSURE OVER SOUTHEASTERN ALBERTA WITH A TRAILING COLD FRONT INTO WESTERN MONTANA WILL SLOWLY MOVE EAST TODAY AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA DURING THE DAY TODAY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT. THE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD REMAIN NON-SEVERE TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ON TUESDAY...THEN WANE TUESDAY EVENING. WEDNESDAY LOOKS DRY AND WARM WITH HIGHS IN THE 70S TO AROUND 80F. HOWEVER BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP WITH POSSIBLY HEAVY AMOUNTS OF RAIN AT TIMES...ALONG WITH A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. THERE COULD BE ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. MOST OF THE AREA COULD SEE A BREAK IN THE PRECIPITATION OVER THE WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. KS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 425 PM CDT MON JUN 7 2010 NDZ031-072215- GOLDEN VALLEY ND- 325 PM MDT MON JUN 7 2010 ...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR NORTHERN GOLDEN VALLEY COUNTY UNTIL 415 PM MDT... AT 324 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 9 MILES WEST OF TROTTERS...OR 21 MILES NORTH OF WIBAUX...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR... TROTTERS AROUND 355 PM MDT. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. HEAVY 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
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
655 PM CDT MON JUN 07 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0652 PM HEAVY RAIN 3 SE TROTTERS 47.29N 103.87W
06/07/2010 M1.20 INCH GOLDEN VALLEY ND CO-OP OBSERVER
TOTAL RAINFALL SO FAR TODAY...MOST FELL SINCE 230 PM MDT.
&&
RKThe Bismarck radar (KBIS), 229 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:10 UTC.
2 tornado, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
A metal calf shed was destroyed at a farmstead one half mile south of Rhame. The shed was blown one quarter of a mile through several fences.
Law enforcement reported a tornado crossing Highway 85. No damage was reported.
The funnel cloud did not reach the ground.
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 historyThe tornado archive for North Dakota, 2010Warnings in North Dakota, June 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: 238218, 238220, 238221.