A trough of low pressure extending north through the central Dakotas combined with a weak area of low pressure aloft to create an environment favorable for funnel cloud activity. A highly veering low and mid level wind profile over south central North Dakota resulted in several funnel cloud reports and two confirmed weak EF0 tornado touchdowns in the open country.
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.
A trough of low pressure extending north through the central Dakotas combined with a weak area of low pressure aloft to create an environment favorable for funnel cloud activity. A highly veering low and mid level wind profile over south central North Dakota resulted in several funnel cloud reports and two confirmed weak EF0 tornado touchdowns in the open country.
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 20, 5:36 AM CST, 7 hours 37 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 636 AM CDT MON JUN 20 2011 .UPDATE...MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO WEATHER GRIDS. && .DISCUSSION...LATEST LOCAL AND REGIONAL RADAR SHOW SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA. THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN RE-DEVELOPING OVER STUTSMAN AND FOSTER COUNTIES WHICH AS PROMPTED A FLASH FLOOD WARNING TO BE ISSUED. MORE PRECIPITATION IS ROTATING UP FROM SOUTH DAKOTA THIS MORNING. THE CURRENT FORECAST HAS THIS HANDLED WELL...MENTIONING HEAVY RAINFALL AS THE MAIN IMPACT. && .AVIATION...PATCHY AREAS OF FOG CAN BE EXPECTED FROM KISN TO KMOT AND INTO KJMS. THIS WILL RESULT IN LIFR/IFR CEILINGS AND IFR VISIBILITIES THROUGH 15Z. ASIDE FROM THE FOG/LOW CLOUDS...EXPECT SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TODAY OVER THE AERODROMES...SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL REDUCING CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES INTO THE MVFR RANGE AT TIMES OVER THE NEXT 24HR. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLOOD WATCH THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING FOR NDZ001>004-009>012- 017>023-025-031>037-041-042-045>048-050-051. && UPDATE...KS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 649 AM CDT MON JUN 20 2011 NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025-031>037-040>048-050-051-211200- 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- 649 AM CDT MON JUN 20 2011 /549 AM MDT MON JUN 20 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 SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TODAY AND TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE LOW...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS LIKELY. THIS MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLOODING...AND MAY CAUSE RAPID RISES IN AREA CREEKS AND STREAMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TUESDAY. ALTHOUGH THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE LOW...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE. STAY TUNED FOR FORECAST UPDATES. CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST AGAIN THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH THE COMING WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY FLOODING OR HEAVY RAINFALL TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OR TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BISMARCK AT 701-223-4582. KS/NH
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
934 AM CDT MON JUN 20 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0900 AM HEAVY RAIN 9 SE CARRINGTON 47.36N 98.99W
06/20/2011 M4.22 INCH FOSTER ND MESONET
24 HOUR PRECIPITATION TOTAL.
&&
JMSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND 145 PM CDT MON JUN 20 2011 NDZ020-201945- OLIVER- 145 PM CDT MON JUN 20 2011 ...SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT... AT 136 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORM OVER CENTRAL OLIVER COUNTY...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 5 MPH. FUNNEL CLOUDS...WINDS GREATER THAN 40 MPH...HEAVY DOWNPOURS...ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. * THE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... RURAL OLIVER COUNTY AT 200 PM CDT GUSTY WINDS MAY CAUSE SMALL OBJECTS SUCH AS TRASH BINS TO BLOW AROUND. SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THIS STORM HAS PASSED. WETZEL
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
213 PM CDT MON JUN 20 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0213 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 8 S CENTER 47.00N 101.30W
06/20/2011 OLIVER ND PUBLIC
2 FUNNELS ... 8 SOUTH OF CENTER AND 4 EAST OF HWY 31.
RELAY BY STATE RADIO
&&
LLPThe Bismarck radar (KBIS), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:14 UTC.
2 funnel cloud, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Two funnel clouds were reported over Oliver County. The funnels did not reach the surface and dissipated shortly after forming.
This tornado touchdown occurred in the open country. No damage was reported. It was slow moving.
Three funnel clouds were reported. Law enforcement reported these funnels did not touch the ground.
A brief tornado touchdown occurred in the open country five miles northeast of Almont. No damage was reported with this tornado.
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, June 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: 313190, 313191, 313192, 313193.