After up to seven inches of rain fell over portions of Pembina County, tremendous amounts of water continued to move into the area river systems. Sheets of water covered many farm fields and roads into early June.
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 FGF wrote it up.
After up to seven inches of rain fell over portions of Pembina County, tremendous amounts of water continued to move into the area river systems. Sheets of water covered many farm fields and roads into early June.
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 Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 30, 1:27 AM CST, 3 hours 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND 227 AM CDT SUN MAY 30 2010 .DISCUSSION... THE VERY MOIST AIRMASS WILL MOVE EAST TODAY AND BE REPLACED WITH MUCH DRIER AIR. MODELS IN DECENT AGREEMENT AND NO REAL PREFERENCE THIS MORNING. FOR TODAY...THE BEST CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND A RUMBLE OF THUNDER WILL BE DURING THE MORNING. EXPECT CLEARING BY AFTERNOON WITH TEMPS BELOW NORMAL AND MUCH COOLER THAN YESTERDAY. PWATS WILL FALL FROM NEAR 1.5 INCHES IN THE NORTH THIS MORNING TO AROUND 0.5 BY LATE AFTERNOON. FOR TONIGHT...IT SHOULD DRY OUT WITH WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT MOVING IN. FOR MEMORIAL DAY...EXPECT A CHANCE OF SHOWERS TO THE NORTH DURING THE MORNING...WITH CYCLONIC/MOIST FLOW AND SOME INSTABILITY. PWATS JUMP BACK UP TO AROUND AN INCH BY AFTERNOON ALONG WITH LI/S TO AROUND -4C AND CAPES TO 500 J/KG. THERE WILL BE STRONG DEEP LAYERED SHEAR AS WELL...SO WILL ADD AN AFTERNOON MENTION OF THUNDER TO ALL AREAS AND CONTINUE IT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING. A FEW SHOWERS COULD CONTAIN BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS IN THE NORTHERN VALLEY ALONG WITH THE THREAT FOR SOME HAIL AND PERHAPS A WIND GUST OR TWO. TEMPS SHOULD WARM MORE THAN SUNDAY WITH SOME WAA NEAR 850MB NEAR A SFC TROUGH THAT SHOULD FOCUS AFTERNOON CONVECTION. ON TUE...IT SHOULD BE A DRY DAY WITH WEAK HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING DOWN FROM CANADA. TEMPS WILL ALSO FALL BELOW NORMAL WITH NORTHERLY FLOW AND COOL 850MB TEMPS AROUND +2C IN THE NORTH AND +6C SOUTH. ON WED/THU...SEVERAL SHORTWAVES WILL MOVE THROUGH GENERAL WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT. THESE WAVES WILL BE HARD TO TIME SO WILL MENTION MAINLY CHANCES FOR THUNDER. THE LATEST MODEL RUNS APPEAR A BIT DRIER THOUGH AND THIS PERIOD COULD TURN OUT BEING QUITE DRY...AND THIS WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED WITH LATER RUNS. && .AVIATION... IFR/MVFR CONDITIONS THIS MORNING SHOULD GIVE WAY TO VFR CONDITIONS BY AFTERNOON. W/NW WINDS WILL GUST UP TO 30KT MAINLY DURING THE MORNING BEFORE SUBSIDING THIS EVENING. && .HYDROLOGY... MORE HEAVY RAIN HAS FALLEN OVER THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY. THE PEMBINA AND KITTSON COUNTY AREA HAVE BEEN HIT HARDEST...WITH UPWARDS OF 5 INCHES OF RAIN IN THE PAST 24 HOURS. THIS HAS PROMPTED 2 FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS FOR THESE AREAS. THIS HAS CAUSED SIGNIFICANT RISES ON THE PEMBINA RIVER POINT ON THE RED AND HALLOCK ON THE TWO RIVERS RIVER. A NEW WARMING FOR HALLOCK HAS BEEN ISSUED WITH MODERATE FLOODING NOW OCCURRING. && .FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ND...NONE. MN...NONE. && DK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND 702 AM CDT SAT MAY 29 2010 MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052>054-301215- WEST POLK-NORMAN-CLAY-KITTSON-ROSEAU-LAKE OF THE WOODS- WEST MARSHALL-EAST MARSHALL-NORTH BELTRAMI-PENNINGTON-RED LAKE- EAST POLK-NORTH CLEARWATER-SOUTH BELTRAMI-MAHNOMEN- SOUTH CLEARWATER-HUBBARD-WEST BECKER-EAST BECKER-WILKIN- WEST OTTER TAIL-EAST OTTER TAIL-WADENA-GRANT-TOWNER-CAVALIER- PEMBINA-BENSON-RAMSEY-EASTERN WALSH COUNTY-EDDY-NELSON- GRAND FORKS-GRIGGS-STEELE-TRAILL-BARNES-CASS-RANSOM-SARGENT- RICHLAND-WESTERN WALSH COUNTY- 702 AM CDT SAT MAY 29 2010 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA...WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ROUGHLY WEST OF LINE FROM NEAR WARROAD MINNESOTA TO FERGUS FALLS MINNESOTA. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE MOST LIKELY WITH THE THUNDERSTORMS. ALSO LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE STORMS WILL MOST LIKELY DEVELOP AFTER 3 PM CDT AND SHOULD SETTLE DOWN AFTER 11PM CDT. THEREAFTER HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE TO BE A THREAT. SOME THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR THIS MORNING ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER. THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DIMINISH LATER THIS MORNING AND ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE. A COLD FRONT OVER WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA WILL MOVE INTO EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT BY MID AFTERNOON. THE COLD FRONT WILL MOVE EAST AND SHOULD EXIT THE EASTERN ZONES BY SUNDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED. HOPPES
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 1251 AM CDT SUN MAY 30 2010 MNZ001>009-013>016-022-023-027-029-030-NDZ016-027-029-030-039-049- 053-300715- CASS ND-CLAY MN-EAST MARSHALL MN-EAST POLK MN-EASTERN WALSH COUNTY ND-GRAND FORKS ND-KITTSON MN-LAKE OF THE WOODS MN-MAHNOMEN MN-NORMAN MN-NORTH BELTRAMI MN-NORTH CLEARWATER MN-PENNINGTON MN-RANSOM ND-RED LAKE MN-RICHLAND ND-ROSEAU MN-SOUTH CLEARWATER MN-STEELE ND-TRAILL ND-WEST BECKER MN-WEST MARSHALL MN-WEST OTTER TAIL MN-WEST POLK MN-WILKIN MN- 1251 AM CDT SUN MAY 30 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN BELTRAMI AND WESTERN LAKE OF THE WOODS COUNTIES IN NORTH CENTRAL MINNESOTA...AND WESTERN BECKER...NORTHWESTERN CLEARWATER...POLK...MARSHALL...PENNINGTON...RED LAKE...CLAY...MAHNOMEN...ROSEAU...KITTSON AND NORMAN COUNTIES IN NORTHWEST MINNESOTA...AND NORTHWESTERN OTTER TAIL AND NORTHERN WILKIN COUNTIES IN WEST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...AND SOUTHEASTERN WALSH AND GRAND FORKS COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA...AND CASS...TRAILL... EASTERN STEELE...NORTHERN RICHLAND AND NORTHEASTERN RANSOM COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA UNTIL 215 AM CDT... AT 1246 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 7 MILES NORTHEAST OF GREENBUSH TO NEAR GRAND FORKS TO 9 MILES NORTH OF MILNOR...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN CAUSING PONDING OF WATER IN POORLY DRAINED AREAS. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE... ROSEAU... FARGO... THIEF RIVER FALLS... MAPLETON... HALSTAD... KINDRED... CROOKSTON... HARWOOD... HORACE... MOORHEAD... DILWORTH... ADA... RED LAKE FALLS... GLYNDON... WARROAD... FERTILE... TWIN VALLEY... BARNESVILLE... MCINTOSH... MAHNOMEN... 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. DK
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
133 AM CDT SUN MAY 30 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1253 AM HAIL LANCASTER 48.86N 96.80W
05/30/2010 E0.88 INCH KITTSON MN TRAINED SPOTTER
0123 AM FLOOD LANCASTER 48.86N 96.80W
05/30/2010 KITTSON MN STORM CHASER
STREET FLOODING IN LANCASTER
&&
JHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
238 AM CDT SUN MAY 30 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0235 AM FLASH FLOOD HALLOCK 48.77N 96.94W
05/30/2010 KITTSON MN LAW ENFORCEMENT
SEWERS ARE BACKING UP IN HALLOCK AND 1 LIFT STATION HAS
FAILED. SOME WATER HAS BEEN REPORTED IN COURTHOUSE. 3.48
INCHES OF RAIN REPORTED IN NORTHCOTE AND 3.08 IN HALLOCK
FROM EVENT SO FAR.
&&
DKELLENBPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
311 AM CDT SUN MAY 30 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0305 AM FLASH FLOOD PEMBINA 48.97N 97.25W
05/30/2010 PEMBINA ND FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
SIGNIFICANT FLOODING IN CITY OF PEMBINA WITH BASEMENT
FLOODING AND SEWER BACKUP. ALSO MANY FIELDS UNDER WATER
OUTSIDE OF TOWN. REPORTS OF 5-7 INCHES OF RAIN AROUND
PEMBINA.
&&
DKELLENBThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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, May 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: 223543.