Tornado Watch number 611 was issued in the early afternoon in anticipation of an increasing threat for thunderstorms across west and central North Dakota for the afternoon and evening hours of July 8th. Destabilization occurred behind a northward advecting warm front, where storms eventually developed across the south.
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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.
Tornado Watch number 611 was issued in the early afternoon in anticipation of an increasing threat for thunderstorms across west and central North Dakota for the afternoon and evening hours of July 8th. Destabilization occurred behind a northward advecting warm front, where storms eventually developed across the south. Veering low level winds in the warm sector also created an environment conducive for tornado development. Numerous severe weather warnings were issued. Six tornadoes occurred during this event and all were rated EF0 as there were no damage reports.
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 8, 5:32 AM CST, 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 632 AM CDT FRI JUL 8 2011 .UPDATE... FEW CHANGES TO GRIDS. && .DISCUSSION... CHANGED DIURNAL TEMPERATURE TRENDS. && .AVIATION... A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE EXTENDING FROM SOUTHERN CANADA WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA TODAY. CURRENTLY...AHEAD OF THIS TROUGH...THERE IS AN AREA OF LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN THAT IS MOVING NORTHEAST AND WILL AFFECT KISN WITHIN THE HOUR. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP...SOME WHICH MAY BECOME SEVERE...LATER THIS MORNING INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON ACROSS ALL AERODROMES. THE TIMING OF THE DEVELOPMENT WILL BE 17Z TO 18Z NEAR KISN AND KDIK...19Z TO 20Z NEAR KMOT AND KBIS...AND FINALLY NEAR KJMS BY 00Z. SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE TO NEAR 10 TO 20 KTS LATER THIS MORNING...WITH WINDS BEING THE STRONGEST AND GUSTING TO NEAR 30 KTS AT KBIS. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...HW AVIATION...LTH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 502 AM CDT FRI JUL 8 2011 NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-091015- 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- 502 AM CDT FRI JUL 8 2011 /402 AM MDT FRI JUL 8 2011/ 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 THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY ACROSS FAR WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA THIS MORNING. HOWEVER...A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OUTBREAK IS POSSIBLE ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA TODAY AND TONIGHT AS ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO RE-DEVELOP. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TO INITIATE ACROSS FAR WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...AND SPREAD EAST INTO THE HIGHWAY 83 CORRIDOR THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING...POSSIBLY FORMING INTO A LINE OR LARGE COMPLEX INTO THE TURTLE MOUNTAINS AND JAMES RIVER VALLEY LATE THIS EVENING. VERY LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND A FEW TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES IS GREATER TODAY COMPARED TO PREVIOUS EVENTS THUS FAR THIS SEASON. FURTHERMORE...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING IS ALSO POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY FOR LOCATIONS ALONG AND EAST OF HIGHWAY 83. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THERE IS A CHANCE FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE JAMES RIVER VALLEY SATURDAY. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. PLEASE CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AT 701-250-4452 WITH REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER. AYD
The Bismarck radar (KBIS), 77 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:03 UTC.
6 tornado, 4 heavy rain, 4 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 funnel cloud, 1 lightning, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rainfall of 4.6 inches was reported 10 miles north of Napoleon. This was a 14 hour rain total.
Multiple public reports of a tornado were called in to the Dickinson 911 dispatch center. This tornado occurred south of Manning in the open country of Dunn County. No damage was reported. The same thunderstorm complex that produced this tornado in Dunn County produced tornadoes later in Mercer County. See Mercer County tornado entries.
This tornado occurred in open country northwest of the town of Golden Valley, in Mercer County. No damage was reported. The same thunderstorm complex that produced this tornado in Mercer County produced one earlier, south of Manning in Dunn County, and one later, also in Mercer County, near Beulah. See Dunn County and other Mercer County tornado entries.
This tornado was reported by law enforcement. It moved near Beulah, Mercer County, just to the west and north of the city. No damage was reported. The same thunderstorm complex that produced this tornado in Mercer County produced one earlier northwest of Golden Valley, Mercer County, and one before that south of Manning in Dunn County. See Dunn County and other Mercer County tornado entries.
A public report of funnel clouds appearing then quickly disappearing was received.
A tornado touched the ground near the Cannon Ball River and quickly lifted. It was on the ground for less than one minute. No damage was reported with this tornado.
Lightning struck the roof of a house at rural Garrison and started a fire. Damage was significant. The time, location, and damage value are estimated as these details were not provided in the article.
A brief tornado touched down near Underwood but did not impact any structures. No damage was reported with this tornado.
A severe thunderstorm wind gust estimated at 60 miles per hour was reported.
Local area law enforcement reported deep water over Highway 36 west of Pingree. Railroad tracks between Pingree and Woodworth were washed out in several locations.
Heavy rainfall of 2.5 inches over a two hour period was reported.
Heavy rainfall of 2.25 inches over a two hour period was reported near Norwich.
A brief tornado touchdown occurred near Napoleon. No structures were impacted, and no damage was reported with this tornado.
Heavy rainfall of 2.3 inches over a two hour period was reported.
Strong thunderstorm winds resulted in several large trees and numerous branches blown down in Wishek.
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 historyThe tornado archive for North Dakota, 2011Warnings in North Dakota, July 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: 319148, 319135, 319162, 319165, 338791, 319141, 319170, 319142, 319143, 338795, 319145, 319172, 319146, 321851, 319149, 319151, 319174, 319152, 319154.