July 19th was another hot and humid day across the northern plains, with temperatures across central North Dakota reaching the mid to upper 90s along with dew points near 70F. Thunderstorms fired up along the Canadian border north of Devils Lake and moved southeast towards Reynolds, North Dakota.
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.
July 19th was another hot and humid day across the northern plains, with temperatures across central North Dakota reaching the mid to upper 90s along with dew points near 70F. Thunderstorms fired up along the Canadian border north of Devils Lake and moved southeast towards Reynolds, North Dakota.
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 Jul 19, 1:37 PM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND 237 PM CDT THU JUL 19 2012 .SHORT TERM... ISSUE FIRST UP IS SEVERE POTENTIAL LATE THIS AFTN/EVE. SEE LATEST SWOMCD. ELEVATED TSTMS WHICH MOVED FROM THE TURTLE MOUNTAINS IN TOWARD DEVILS LAKE PUSHED AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY SOUTH PAST HARVEY AND WAS NEAR NEW ROCKFORD-CARRINGTON-DENHOFF AT 19Z. WEAK WIND SHIFT ALSO NOTED A BIT EAST TOARD MICHIGAN ND ON RADAR...BUT THAT HAS SINCE FELL APART AND DVL AWOS WINDS HAVE TURNED BACK SOUTHERLY. NEW STORMS FIRING ON OUTFLOW IN THE WEST OF CARRINGTON BUT SO FAR HAVENT DONT TOO MUCH. SPC NOTES AREA FROM CARRINGTON SOUTH-SOUTHEAST TO JAMESTOWN TO ABERDEEN IN AREA OF MID 90S TEMPS AND DEW PTS IN THE LOW TO MID 70S FOR CAPES IN THE 4-6000 FT RANGE. SWOMCD FROM SPC HIGHLIGHTS THIS AREA FOR PSBL MCS FORMATION IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS AS SPC MESO ANALYSIS SHOWS CIN IS PRETTY MUCH GONE THERE. FARTHER NORTH A BIT CLOSER TO SOME UPPER DYNAMICS IN CANADA AREA STORMS RE-FORMING OFF THE TURTLE MOUNTAINS AND MOVING EAST THROUGH ROLETTE TO WEST OF LANDGON. WILL NEED TO WATCH THESE STORMS AS WELL AS SPC MESO ANALYSIS SHOWS THIS AREA ON SOUTHERN EDGE OF A SECOND 6000 J/KG CAPE ARAE IN SOUTH CENTRAL MANITOBA NEAR PILOT MOUND. WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE ZONE/GRIDD ISSUANCE ON WHERE TO INCLUDE SEVERE WORDING AND ON POPS...RIGHT NOW HAVE 30-40S IN ERN ND. MEAN FLOW VECTORS WOULD HAVE ANY ORGANIZED MCS MOVING SOUTHEAST. POTENTIAL FOR CONVECTION TO CONTINUE IN SOME FASHION THROUGH THE NIGHT BEFORE EXITING FRIDAY MORNING AS HIGH PRESSURE NOSES DOWN FROM THE NORTHWEST. THIS HIGH SHOULD BRING DRIER AND LESS HUMID AIR FRI AFTN INTO SATURDAY....BUT FAR SOUTHERN FCST AREA MAY HANG ON TO LOW THREAT FOR THUNDER THRU FRI NIGHT. NEXT SHORT WAVE DUE LATE SAT NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING SO DID HAVE SOME LOW POPS FOR THIS PERIOD. .LONG TERM... /SUN NIGHT THROUGH THU/ AN UPPER WAVE COUPLED WITH INVERTED TROUGH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER MID NEXT WEEK...BRINGING AN INCREASED CHANCE FOR RAIN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. CURRENT MODEL RUNS SUGGEST BEST UPPER SUPPORT WILL BE MAINLY ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA...WITH THE GFS SHOWING THE UPPER LOW FURTHER SOUTH THAN THE ECMWF. AS USUAL...WILL HAVE TIMING DIFFERENCES BUT AT LEAST FOR THE NORTH SOME WELL NEEDED SHOWERS COULD PROVIDE SOME RELIEF TO THE DRY CONDITIONS. && .AVIATION... EXPECT SOME TSTM DEVELOPMENT LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS ATMS BECOMES MORE DESTABILIZED WITH FULL SUNSHINE OVER MUCH OF THE AREA. BEST CHANCE FOR TSTM ACTIVITY APPEARS TO BE ALONG AND NORTH OF THE HWY 2 CORRIDOR...IMPACTING TVF...GFK...AND DVL. HOW OR IF AN MCS DEVELOPS NORTHWEST OF JAMESTOWN LATER THIS AFTN/EVE...THIS MAY IMPACT FARGO AS WELL. .FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ND...NONE. MN...NONE. && RIDDLE/SPEICHER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND 641 AM CDT THU JUL 19 2012 MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052>054-201145- 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-EDDY-NELSON-GRAND FORKS- GRIGGS-STEELE-TRAILL-BARNES-CASS-RANSOM-SARGENT-RICHLAND- WESTERN WALSH- 641 AM CDT THU JUL 19 2012 ...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA...WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE. A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY THREAT. THE FAVORED LOCATION AT THIS TIME LOOKS TO BE ALONG AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 2 AFTER 7PM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND 226 PM CDT THU JUL 19 2012 NDZ006-007-015-192030- CAVALIER ND-RAMSEY ND-TOWNER ND- 226 PM CDT THU JUL 19 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL TOWNER...NORTHERN RAMSEY AND SOUTHWESTERN CAVALIER COUNTIES UNTIL 330 PM CDT... AT 225 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A THUNDERSTORM 18 MILES NORTH OF CANDO...OR 37 MILES WEST OF LANGDON... MOVING TO THE EAST AT 35 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES IS EXPECTED WITH THE STORM. THE STORM WILL BE NEAR... EGELAND AROUND 235 PM CDT. NEWVILLE...CLYDE AND CALIO AROUND 245 PM CDT. MUNICH AROUND 255 PM CDT. ALSEN AROUND 305 PM CDT. BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER IF THE STORMS INTENSIFY AND BECOME SEVERE...OR A WARNING IS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. LAT...LON 4877 9840 4846 9847 4860 9936 4886 9928 TIME...MOT...LOC 1926Z 281DEG 29KT 4875 9917 SPEICHER
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several large trees, up to two feet in diameter, were broken down. Widespread tree and roof damage was reported in town, with sheet metal roofing and shingles blown about.
Lots of pea to penny sized hail fell from northeast Hammer Township into Sullivan Township, and where driven by very strong winds, produced widespread crop damage.
Very strong winds occurred across central Sullivan Township, accompanied by pea sized hail and 0.40 inches of rain. Some area crops were flattened.
The hail was reported as silver dollar sized and it was accompanied by very strong winds.
The strong winds occurred near Turtle River State Park.
Large eighteen inch diameter trees were snapped in west central Union Township, leaving three to four foot stumps. One 85 foot tall tree fell towards the west and took down a set of power lines which were fifty feet away. Lightning also started fires among the dry grasses and stumps. Winds and lightning were followed by areas of pea sized hail and brief heavy rains, though the rainfall was very patchy.
Tree damage was reported. Some of the branches took down power lines as they fell.
The hail was mostly pea to marble size.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Dakota in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, July 2012
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: 384296, 384300, 384297, 384290, 384291, 384298, 384299, 384301, 384292, 384293, 384294, 384295.