Severe Thunderstorm Watch number 728 was in effect for this event. Two separate severe storms formed during this event.
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.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch number 728 was in effect for this event. Two separate severe storms formed during this event. The first storm impacted Golden Valley County in southwest North Dakota producing severe thunderstorm wind gusts, and the second storm impacted McLean County in central North Dakota with a report of large hail. Both storms developed near a surface boundary and were supported by a short wave upper trough over south central Canada.
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 Aug 4, 4:24 PM MST, 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 624 PM CDT THU AUG 4 2011 .UPDATE... SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED. && .DISCUSSION... ALL TEXT PRODUCTS WERE UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING THAT IS NOW IN EFFECT. MOST UNSTABLE CAPE VALUES FROM 1000 TO 2000 J/KG AND 0-6 KM BULK SHEAR AROUND 40 KNOTS IS SUPPORTING SUPERCELLS IN EASTERN MONTANA THANKS TO MODEST HEIGHT FALLS ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER LEVEL SPEED MAX COMBINED WITH WEAK SURFACE FRONTAL CONVERGENCE. LOOK FOR SEVERE POTENTIAL TO LESSEN QUICKLY NEAR SUNSET AS DIURNAL COOLING SETS IN. && .AVIATION... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN EASTERN MONTANA WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA AND IMPACT KDIK FROM 01 UTC TO 04 UTC. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT OTHER AERODROMES UNTIL LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON...WHEN ANOTHER ROUND OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM FRIDAY EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING FOR NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051. && SCHECK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 610 PM CDT THU AUG 4 2011 NDZ001>005-012-013-020-022-023-025-034>037-042-045>048-050-051- 052315- DIVIDE-BURKE-RENVILLE-BOTTINEAU-ROLETTE-MCHENRY-PIERCE-OLIVER- SHERIDAN-WELLS-FOSTER-MORTON-BURLEIGH-KIDDER-STUTSMAN-GRANT-SIOUX- EMMONS-LOGAN-LA MOURE-MCINTOSH-DICKEY- 610 PM CDT THU AUG 4 2011 /510 PM MDT THU AUG 4 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHEAST NORTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE STRONG WITH SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A STRONGER SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS ON FRIDAY. THIS WILL PRODUCE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WHICH MAY BE SEVERE. IN ADDITION...THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT FRIDAY AND INTO SATURDAY. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. PLEASE REFER TO THAT BULLETIN FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED FRIDAY EVENING. NDZ009>011-017>019-021-031>033-040-041-043-044-052315- WILLIAMS-MOUNTRAIL-WARD-MCKENZIE-DUNN-MERCER-MCLEAN-GOLDEN VALLEY- BILLINGS-STARK-SLOPE-HETTINGER-BOWMAN-ADAMS- 610 PM CDT THU AUG 4 2011 /510 PM MDT THU AUG 4 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA...NORTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA...SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA AND SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING BEFORE SUNSET. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A STRONGER SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS ON FRIDAY. THIS WILL PRODUCE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WHICH MAY BE SEVERE. IN ADDITION...THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. THE THREAT OF HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT FRIDAY AND INTO SATURDAY. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. PLEASE REFER TO THAT BULLETIN FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT 800-247-0212. SCHECK
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 517 PM CDT THU AUG 4 2011 NDZ017-018-031>033-040-041-043-044-042330- MCKENZIE-DUNN-GOLDEN VALLEY-BILLINGS-STARK-SLOPE-HETTINGER-BOWMAN- ADAMS- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...WATFORD CITY...KILLDEER...BEACH... MEDORA...DICKINSON...MARMARTH...MOTT...BOWMAN...HETTINGER 517 PM CDT THU AUG 4 2011 /417 PM MDT THU AUG 4 2011/ ...SCATTERED SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY THIS EVENING OVER WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA... THUNDERSTORMS NOW DEVELOPING OVER EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MONTANA WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST INTO PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY EXISTS AS TO WHERE THESE STORMS WILL EVENTUALLY TRACK. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE IN AERIAL COVERAGE AND INTENSITY LATER THIS EVENING AFTER SUNSET. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...SEEK SHELTER INDOORS. STAY TUNED FOR FUTURE STATEMENTS. NH/TWH
The Glasgow radar (KGGW), 243 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:03 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
The strong winds blew the roof off of a lumberyard building.
Tree damage occurred in Beach. Three injuries occurred at the Golden Valley County Fairgrounds when part of a stage being set up was blown over. The injuries were minor.
The strong winds blew over a small shed and a camper causing damage. A flagpole was bent over and an old farm building was destroyed.
Windows were broken.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Dakota in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, August 2011
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: 332064, 332065, 332067, 332066, 332063.